Japan Faces Labor Shortage, Yet Says "No Foreigners Without Money" with Residency Fees Raised by Up to 2,900%

Japan Moves to Raise Permanent Residency Fees by Up to 30 Times

The Japanese government is pushing forward with a plan to increase the cost of obtaining permanent residency for foreigners by up to nearly 30 times. As Japan faces a severe labor shortage due to its aging population, the implementation of measures that significantly raise the barrier for foreign entrants is sparking controversy over the direction of national policy.

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According to the Asahi Shimbun and other Japanese media on March 22, the Japanese government passed an amendment to the Immigration Control Act on March 10, deciding to sharply increase the fees for permanent residency applications and visa renewals.

Under the amendment, the cost to apply for permanent residency will increase from the current 10,000 yen (approximately 95,000 won) to as much as 300,000 yen (about 2.8 million won). This represents a maximum increase rate of 2,900 percent. The cost to renew a residence visa will also rise significantly, from the current 6,000 yen (about 56,000 won) to as much as 100,000 yen (about 950,000 won). This move is interpreted as an intention to raise the entry barrier for long-term stays by foreigners, beyond merely adjusting administrative fees.

Severe Labor Shortage... Yet Turning Away Foreign Workers?

The decision has sparked debate, as it comes at a time when Japan is suffering from a severe labor shortage. Due to the aging population, labor shortages in medical care, nursing, construction, convenience stores, and other service industries are worsening, and the decision to restrict the influx of foreign nationals is seen as a contradictory policy direction.

Some observers interpret this as a shift in policy focus from "quantitative expansion," which increases the number of foreigners, to "qualitative management," which selects only personnel who meet certain standards.

In particular, the prevailing analysis is that this decision is aimed at excluding "low-income foreigners." A Japanese professor criticized the measure, saying, "It is clear that the intent is to prevent immigrants from developing countries who are not financially well-off from settling in Japan," adding, "This is a highly unrealistic approach, given that the labor shortage is becoming more serious."

"Replaced by Automation" vs. "Out of Touch with Reality"

The government argues that it can compensate for the labor shortage by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The conservative bloc also supports reducing the influx of foreign workers, citing that low-wage service jobs could be replaced by automation in the future.

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However, experts point out that this approach is largely out of touch with reality. In-person service sectors such as healthcare and nursing are difficult to automate, making it challenging to replace human labor in the short term.

There is also growing backlash within the foreign community. Some residents have expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "We are paying taxes while living here, but having to pay hundreds of thousands of yen to extend our stay is essentially a message telling us to leave."

Experts believe it will be decided within the next ten years whether this measure will lead to a structural improvement in the Japanese economy, or instead produce the unintended consequence of worsening the labor shortage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.