Japan raises permanent residency fee 20-fold to $1,266

Japan increased its permanent residency application fee by about 2,000%, to $1,266, and added new minimum requirements for income, pensions and Japanese-language ability. The changes, introduced under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, are part of immigration policy adjustments described as aimed at managing the country's growing foreign population. Critics say the move could hurt Japan's ability to address labor shortages.