Japan revised its Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence on 1 October 2026.
One of the most discussed changes concerns income. Some reports have referred to an average household income of around JPY 5.8 million, leading many people to wonder:
“Do I now need to earn JPY 5.8 million a year to qualify for permanent residence in Japan?”
The short answer is: not necessarily.
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The key point: income is assessed by household size
Under the revised guidelines, the Immigration Services Agency will consider whether the applicant’s household income has continuously reached a level above the average income of Japanese households of the same size.
This means that JPY 5.8 million should not be understood as a universal minimum income requirement for every permanent residence applicant.
The relevant benchmark depends on the number of people in the household.
For a single-person household, the applicant’s own income is generally treated as the household income. For a household with a spouse or other family members, income may be assessed on a household basis.
Can a spouse’s income be included?
In principle, income earned by members of the same household may be combined.
However, there is an important exception.
If a family member holds a residence status that is not intended for employment, such as Dependent (Family Stay), income earned through permission to engage in activities outside their residence status is generally not included in the household income calculation.
This can make a significant difference for households where one spouse is the main income earner.
Dependants living overseas may also count
The guidelines also state that relatives financially supported by the applicant may be counted when determining household size, even if they live outside Japan.
This means that supporting family members overseas may affect the income level considered appropriate for the applicant’s household size.
The income level must be maintained continuously
Another important point is that the Immigration Services Agency does not simply look at income for one particular year.
The revised guidelines refer to whether the required income level has been continuously maintained.
Therefore, a temporary increase in income immediately before applying may not be enough on its own. The applicant’s overall financial history, current income and expected future income can all be relevant to the assessment.
Does this apply to applications already submitted?
As a general rule, the revised guidelines apply to permanent residence applications submitted on or after 1 April 2027.
However, the new income provisions also apply to applications submitted on or after 1 April 2026 that were still pending on 1 October 2026.
This means that some applicants who applied before the full guidelines take effect may still be affected by the new income assessment.
What should applicants take away from this?
The most important point is that there is no single JPY 5.8 million rule that applies to everyone.
Instead, the Immigration Services Agency will look at factors such as:
- household size;
- household income;
- who is financially dependent on the applicant;
- whether family members’ income can be counted; and
- whether the required income level has been maintained continuously.
Permanent residence applications are still assessed on the applicant’s circumstances as a whole, rather than by income alone.
Detailed official income thresholds have not yet been published. If you have any concerns about how the revised income criteria may apply to your household, please feel free to contact our office to discuss your situation.
This article is based on the Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and revised on 1 October 2026.