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The Immigration Services Agency's entry and departure figures for the first half of 2026, published on 16 October 2026, show foreign arrivals up 0.3 per cent to 21,447,220 while first-time entries fell to 19,706,953, leaving roughly 1.74 million entries by residents returning from abroad.
The Immigration Services Agency is consulting on adding dental technicians and speech-language-hearing therapists to the Medical status of residence, with comments due by 15 October 2026 and the change planned for November 2026.
The education ministry and the Immigration Services Agency have asked language schools to point students at tests other than the JLPT, after the December sitting in Japan closed early for lack of seats.
The Future Creation Individual (J-Find) route lets graduates of highly ranked universities job-hunt in Japan for up to two years. The qualifying list was refreshed in January 2026.