A draft put to the Immigration Services Agency's expert panel on 19 October 2026 would move 20,000 care-sector acceptance places from Employment for Skill Development to Specified Skilled Worker (i), to keep the field from hitting its ceiling in the second half of fiscal 2027.
In papers dated 20 October 2026, Keidanren asked the government not to tie residence renewals to the planned Japanese-language and daily-life learning programme, while the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry asked for attendance to be counted at screening and renewal.
Immigration Services Agency figures for 1 July 2026 put the overstayer count at 65,229, down 4.8% in six months, with short-stay permission accounting for about 60% and two resident categories rising.
Japan's revised Business Manager criteria carry a transitional window that closes on 16 October 2028, and permanent residence applications are excluded from it.
A state-run survey reported on 23 October 2026 found that about 36% of the organisations expected to deliver Japanese-language training under Employment for Skill Development have no teacher lined up, ahead of the status's April 2027 start.
Designated clinics in Indonesia start accepting bookings for Japan's pre-entry tuberculosis screening on 2 November 2026, and from 4 January 2027 a certificate of no active tuberculosis must accompany a certificate of eligibility or visa application, while residents returning on a re-entry permit stay outside the programme.