The Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo (©Sankei/Seita Arafune).
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A government draft outlining the criteria for revoking the permanent residency status of foreign nationals became known on July 25.
The draft names a specific scenario for revocation: permanent residents who fail to pay taxes or social insurance premiums and show no intention of paying even after municipalities and other authorities issue demands for payment or move to seize their assets.
It also cites criminal convictions for tax evasion and fraudulent acts that obstruct collection, such as hiding assets, as grounds for losing residency status.
Under the proposed process, the Immigration Services Agency would investigate and hear directly from the individual concerned, with the justice minister making the final determination on whether revocation is warranted.
Circumstances Will Be Weighed
The draft guidelines specify that authorities will comprehensively weigh the circumstances that led to the non-payment, the person's response afterward, and their living situation.
Residency would be revoked in cases where it is clear the person has no intention of paying going forward, or where the amount, duration, or frequency of the delinquency is judged "socially unacceptable to overlook."
Exemptions For Hardship
Permanent residents who have shown willingness to pay—for instance by keeping up installment payments or receiving an approved payment deferral—would fall outside the scope of revocation.
The same applies to cases where non-payment stems from circumstances beyond the person's control, such as illness, disaster, or unemployment.
Law Change Set Root
The 2024 revision to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act added the willful non-payment of taxes or social insurance premiums by permanent residents as new grounds for revoking residency status.
At the time of the revision, a supplementary Diet resolution called on the government to draw up guidelines clarifying exactly when revocation would apply. The government plans to finalize the guidelines this autumn, with the new rules taking effect in April 2027.
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Author: Yusuke Kizu, The Sankei Shimbun
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