The Justice Ministry published a new Basic Plan for Immigration Control at the end of July. The Basic Plan is the framing document for immigration policy: not law, but the statement of intent that subsequent legislation and guidelines are built to deliver.
Six pillars
The plan organises policy under six headings: digital-enabled border control that is strict but smooth; proper residence management for all foreign residents; an orderly coexistence society supported by integration measures; safe communities through enforcement against those without status; proper protection for refugees and complementary protection beneficiaries; and continued examination of the framework for accepting foreign nationals.
The specifics worth noting
JESTA by 2028. The plan puts a date on the electronic travel authorisation system created by this year's legislation. Building the system and connecting it to airline data is the work between now and then.
Tighter oversight of the largest work status. The plan names Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services specifically, with more verification of whether people are doing the work their status describes. The April language and degree-relevance changes are the first instalment.
Permanent residence. The plan states that compliance with public duties and payment of taxes are the basis for the revocation grounds added in 2024, and that Japanese-language ability and understanding of Japan's rules should be weighed in permanent residence decisions.
Enforcement target. Halving the number of confirmed deportation cases by the end of 2030, with expanded use of monitoring measures rather than detention for those who qualify.
Employment for Skill Development. Confirmation of the April 2027 start, and streamlined procedures for the Special Highly Skilled Professional route.
Digital residence management. Continued integration with the My Number system — the Specified Residence Card launched in June is the visible part.
The context figures
The plan works from a foreign resident population of roughly 4.13 million at the end of 2025, about 3.35% of Japan's total population, alongside a record year for arrivals and a 2030 target of 60 million annual visitors.
Reading it
A Basic Plan is a forecast of the next several years of rule changes. Nothing in it takes effect on publication, but items in it tend to arrive. The measures that landed this year — the language requirement, the fee revisions, the permanent residence tightening — were all visible in earlier policy documents before they became rules.
Sources: Ministry of Justice — Basic Plan for Immigration Control, The Japan Times