New "Japanese Language and Life Learning Programme" for Foreign Residents Under Consideration — Possible Future Factor in Permanent Residence Reviews

In July 2026, the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice's project team published a report summarising the status of its deliberations on creating a learning programme for mid- to long-term residents. Titled "Report of the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice's Project Team on Consideration of a Programme for Foreign Nationals to Learn Japanese and Japan's Systems and Rules" (July 2026, Reiwa 8), the report's contents remain at the consideration stage only — whether the programme will be formalised or implemented is not yet decided.

• Concept for the programme: consideration is being given to creating a (tentatively named) "Japanese Language and Life Learning Programme", under which participants would begin taking the course via ICT before entering Japan and continue it after arrival.
• Proposed factor in residence reviews: the report floats the possibility that, in future, completion of the programme could be taken into account in residence reviews, or even made a requirement for permanent residence permission — though this remains only a proposal.
• Indicative trial timing: a trial around FY2028 (Reiwa 10) has been mentioned, but this is only a tentative assumption at the consideration stage and has not been decided.
• Status of the report: this report is simply a summary of the project team's deliberations to date; whether the programme is formalised at all, and on what schedule, will depend on further discussion.

As the discussion extends as far as potentially making this a requirement for permanent residence permission, it is worth both foreign residents and employers keeping an eye on how the consideration develops.

Source: Ministry of Justice, "Report of the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice's Project Team on Consideration of a Programme for Foreign Nationals to Learn Japanese and Japan's Systems and Rules (July 2026, Reiwa 8)" / Nikkei