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Two resident-side submissions to the Cabinet Secretariat's working group on 20 October 2026 accept a link between the planned Japanese course and residence screening only if the screening is made transparent and the learning is genuinely available.
A Cabinet Secretariat working group is designing a two-course Japanese and daily-life learning programme for mid-to-long-term residents, with the trial set to begin from April 2028 and completion checks proposed at renewal, permanent residence and naturalisation.
From 1 April 2026 the residence period required to apply for Japanese nationality doubled from five years to ten, the first substantial change to the test in decades.
Worker intake targets, a naturalisation review and a fee overhaul were all settled before the year began. Here is what foreign residents in Japan should expect in 2026.