Twentythree

Government reveals long-awaited fee schedule ahead of proposed October implementation.

On 3 July, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan published detailed draft guidelines setting out a new fee structure for visa renewals and permanent residency applications, following revisions to the Immigration Control Act passed in May.

According to the draft proposal, fees for visa renewals and changes to status-of-residence will no longer be charged at the current flat rate of 6,000 yen (US$37.40) for in-person applications. Instead, the amount would depend on the length of residence granted, with shorter periods attracting lower fees and longer periods significantly higher ones.

Under the new guidelines, the proposed fees are as follows:

• Up to three months: 10,000 yen
• Three to six months: 18,000 yen
• Six months to one year: 25,000 yen
• One year: 33,000 yen
• One to three years: 48,000 yen
• Three to five years: 64,000 yen
• Five years or more: 75,000 yen

Online applications for visas over three months will reportedly be eligible for a discount of 3,000 to 10,000 yen on these prices, although the government is yet to reveal the full online pricing schedule.

While these are all significant price hikes, the biggest increase affects permanent residency applications, with fees rising from the current 10,000 yen ($61.84) to 200,000 yen ($1,236.74). This is double the 100,000 yen amount proposed in earlier reports, and a twenty-fold increase over the current fee. Permanent residency permits will only be accepted through in-person applications, so no discounts will be available.

▼ Time to start saving if you want to become a permanent resident of Japan.

Though the sudden 1,900-percent increase in permanent residency fees may seem steep, Japan’s current PR fee of 10,000 yen has long been exceptionally low by international standards. Comparable application fees sit at around US$1,440 in the U.S., GBP3,226 (US$4308) in the U.K., and AU$5,000 (US$3,469) in Australia. However, the newly proposed permanent residency fee would place Japan among the higher end of Asian countries, making it around 7–8 times higher than South Korea’s and approximately 13–15 times higher than that of Singapore.

According to the Immigration Services Agency, the revised charges aim to cover both the administrative costs of processing applications and broader spending on immigration policy. Officials estimate the changes would increase annual government revenue by around 690 billion to 920 billion yen ($4.3–5.7 billion), with the additional funds earmarked for immigration administration and policies relating to foreign residents.

Some of that extra cash will likely go towards the new mandatory Japanese Language and Lifestyle Learning Programme earmarked for permanent residency applicants.

Under the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, the fee structure is subject to statutory upper limits. The law sets a ceiling of up to 100,000 yen for status changes and renewals, and up to 300,000 yen for permanent residency applications.

Fee reductions may apply in cases of significant financial hardship or on the basis of humanitarian grounds, as outlined in the government’s guidelines, with permanent residency applications reduced to as low as 20,000 yen and other procedures to 10,000 yen in these cases.

Upon announcing the new changes, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said the government anticipates that costs associated with managing immigration and residence procedures will continue to rise, so foreign residents are essentially being asked to bear an appropriate share of those costs.

The proposals are now open for public comment until 2 August, with the government aiming to introduce the new fees from 1 October.

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sankei, TV Asahi, Jiji, NHK
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Programmes on community etiquette may also become part of the screening process.

Japan is moving forward with plans to establish more formal guidelines for foreign nationals seeking permanent residency in Japan, as part of a broader push by the government to strengthen integration and screening standards for foreign residents.

The new policy guidelines, published on 3 July, were drafted by a specially appointed Immigration Services Agency project team led by Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Justice Manabu Fukuyama. The report recommends introducing a “Japanese Language and Lifestyle Learning Programme” for foreign residents, with participation recommended as a mandatory requirement for permanent residency and potentially used for citizenship applications as well.

According to the proposed framework, foreigners seeking permanent residency would be expected to complete the programme while also satisfying existing requirements, such as a qualifying period of residence, stable income, and tax compliance. The report also proposes using online methods to provide learning opportunities before arrival in Japan and to support continued learning after entry, so participation records can be reflected in screenings for future applicants.

Some of the possible lifestyle programmes being discussed include practical guidance on everyday life such as garbage sorting rules, community etiquette, disaster preparedness, and administrative procedures. While many Western countries already operate national integration programmes for immigrants, Japan has so far lacked a comprehensive government-led system, leaving much of the responsibility to local governments and employers.

Though some local governments already provide practical programmes, including sessions on childbirth and parenting, these are currently offered on a voluntary basis to foreign residents. The latest proposal suggests such initiatives could become part of a standardised national framework for permanent residency applicants, creating a more uniform system nationwide.

While details such as the required language proficiency level and implementation methods are yet to be finalised, previous policy discussions regarding visa applications have pointed toward N2-level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) as a potential standard. With permanent residency granting a more secure category of stay – permanent residency status itself doesn’t expire, with holders only required to renew their residence card periodically, compared to other visa holders who are given temporary residence status – it’s likely that language proficiency requirements will at least be on par with those set for other visa applications.

▼ Time to start studying.

The language proposal forms part of the government’s broader effort to formalise standards for foreign residents as Japan’s foreign population continues to grow. With foreign residents in Japan reaching a record 4,125,395 at the end of 2025, topping four million for the first time ever, the government appears to be making a more concerted push towards ensuring these residents attain higher working proficiency in Japanese beyond basic conversational ability, to better integrate foreign residents into their local communities.

Guidelines for the programme and a system to track participation are expected to be developed in fiscal 2027, with aims for a trial rollout from fiscal 2028.

Sources: Jiji, The Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei, The Immigration Services Agency of Japan (1, 2)
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Nicknack is the culmination of layers upon layers of branding quasi-copying, and also home to some very unusual Pikachus.

Our travel-loving Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa recently took a trip to Sri Lanka, and while out and about in the capital city of Colombo, she thought she spotted a familiar-looking sign in a shopping mall. The color scheme, font, and mixture of Latin alphabet letters and Japanese katakana script design instantly had her thinking of Uniqlo, Japan’s favorite casual clothing brand.

▼ A Uniqlo sign in Japan

But while there were a lot of design similarities, the actual text itself was different, and the store Ikuna spotted is called Nicknack.

The intent seemed pretty clear. By piggybacking on Uniqlo’s now internationally recognized standards of good quality and value, and sprinkling in some Japanese script to appeal to the worldwide booming interest in Japanese stuff, Nicknack could draw in some extra customers, right? Except, maybe Nicknack isn’t trying to pull of a copycatting ploy…or at least they’re not trying to be a direct Uniqlo knockoff. After spotting another Nicknack branch elsewhere in Sri Lanka, Ikuna decided to step inside…

…and learned that Nicknack is actually trying to be a knockoff Miniso.

Miniso, also known as Meiso, is a Chinese nicknack and housewares chain founded in 2013, well after Uniqlo was an internationally established brand. In fact, Miniso is a triple helping of vague branding copying, as its “-so” is meant to evoke memories of Japanese 100 yen store Daiso, and its name in Chinese characters, 名創優品, meaning “famed excellent products,” has a lot of linguistic overlap with the in-kanji rendering of Japan’s Mujirushi Ryohin, a.k.a. Muji, which is written in kanji as 無印良品 (“no-brand-marking good products”).

Uniqlo doesn’t have any branches in Sri Lanka, but Miniso does, and Nicknack’s product lineup isn’t trying to mimic Uniqlo’s fast fashion, but instead Miniso’s selection of vaguely Japanese-feeling lifestyle goods and collectibles. This essentially makes Nicknack a copy of a copy, which probably isn’t too pleasing for Miniso’s management, but hey, they started this whole thing, so they don’t have much basis to complain.

▼ Nicknack

▼ Miniso

Like Miniso, Nicknack has lots of cute, colorful, and youthfully stylish items, such as cosmetics and character merch. Looking through the shelves, Ikuna found lots of “Sanrio” and “anime” items. Why the quotation marks? Because she’s pretty sure none of it is officially licensed.

For example, Ikuna prides herself on being pretty knowledgeable about the various Pokémon species, from her experience watching the anime and playing the games. And yet, before setting foot inside Nicknack, she can’t ever recall seeing this ready-to-kill-with-swords Attack on Titan Pikachu…

…or this Pikachu sporting the Sharingan eyes of Naruto’s Sasuke.

And while there was a female pro wrestler Pikachu who debuted in the Pokkén Tournament video game, she didn’t have the disturbingly detailed musculature of the one Ikuna encountered at Nicknack.

All of these illustrations appeared on mysterious sealed metal canisters which Nicknack was selling for 1,590 rupees, which converts to around 765 yen (US$4.80). That’s not exactly bargain-level pricing, but Ikuna was curious to see what was inside, so she picked one up, and still had enough space left over in her investigative budget to also get a tube of eyeliner (1,450 rupees) and a bubble blower (250 rupees) that borrows very heavily from Sanrio’s Kuromi in its design, but with enough changes to look weird.

Starting her testing with the eyeliner, Ikuna was rather impressed, as it was easy to apply and looked nice. She’s not sure yet about how long it’ll keep in its container, but so far she has no complaints.

Things went well with “Kuromi” too. Granted, “bubble blower blows bubbles” is a pretty low hurdle to clear, but there were no defects or difficulties that prevented Ikuna from throwing a one-woman bubble party on her hotel balcony.

And now for the Pokémon cannister. Although she was tempted by the three unusual Pikachus shown above, in the end Ikuna just couldn’t say no to this Super Saiyajin Pikachu aping the style of Dragon Ball’s Goku.

▼ Can he use a super-effective kamehameha?

So what was inside the tin?

Pokémon cards! 46 Pokémon cards, to be precise…or, again, maybe we should call them “Pokémon” cards.

As we mentioned above, Ikuna considers herself a pretty big Pokémon fan, but she’s got little first-hand experience with the card game branch of the franchise.

Because of that she doesn’t have the trained eye to tell if these are legitimate cards or bootlegs. We’re going to go out on a limb, though, and guess that they’re not official.

Are they convincing enough forgeries that someone could use them in a game without their opponent noticing anything fishy? Ikuna can’t say, nor can she judge whether or not these are particularly rare or good cards in terms of gameplay strength, though the shiny finish on some of them at least made them feel special.

Still, we’d recommend against bringing these to any official Pokémon Card Game competitions.

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New melon pan crossover looks set to be a hit with customers.

7-Eleven has been shaking up the convenience store scene in Japan recently, overhauling sandwiches with pink bread, rolling out tea-brewing machines, and adding Korean cheese balls to its hot food lineup. Now, the chain is continuing its run of exciting new creations with another innovation: chocolate cookies that taste like freshly baked melon bread.

Produced for the chain’s “Seven Cafe Bakery” line, which features products baked in dedicated ovens within stores, the product is said to be a new kind of cookie that combines melon pan crust, made with the same cookie dough ingredients used in 7-Eleven’s popular melon bread, with chocolate cookies.

The top crust of a melon bread, or “melon pan” to use its Japanese name, is often the best part, as its crunchy surface is where most of the sweet and sugary melon flavour resides. It’s a genius move by 7-Eleven to take the crust and essentially stuff it with chocolate, melding two sweet elements that don’t usually come together for a whole new cookie experience.

▼ The top of the cookie has the same distinctive cross-hatching as a melon pan.

The sugar on the surface becomes slightly caramelised during the in-store baking process, creating a golden-brown hue. Being freshly baked, the cookie is said to be crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, so you can enjoy a delightful contrast in texture.

▼ If you prefer actual melon bread, you can get that freshly baked at Seven Cafe Bakery stores too.

The melon bread pictured above, which retails for 161 yen (US$1), has been a popular item since it first debuted two years ago, so the cookie looks set to be a hit with customers. Priced at 241 yen, it will be available at 7-Eleven stores nationwide from 7 July, appearing alongside another hit item, the freshly baked Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Source, images: Press release
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Easy recipe shows how to grill a mushroom so it tastes just like meat.

There are a lot of places where you can pick up Japanese recipes and cooking tips, but when they come from a manga, we always sit up and pay attention. So when the main character of Otsuki from food-focused manga 1-Nichi Gaishutsuroku Hanchou (literally “One-Day Outing Foreman”) shared a delicious way to grill shiitake mushrooms in the latest chapter, we knew we had to try it out.

▼ All you need for this easy recipe is a pack of mushrooms, a pan, and some condiments.

According to Otsuki, the key ingredient to making a delicious grilled shiitake is one simple step: do not flip the shiitake over while cooking. If you avoid doing that, you’ll have juicy, delicious mushrooms that almost taste like meat, with Otsuki describing it as “meat disguised as mushrooms”.

▼ It’s also a good idea to start with large, good-looking, fresh shiitake, and to prep them, simply cut off the base of the stems.

▼ Then place the caps facing down in a pan, and slowly grill over a medium heat.

Again, the one vital step to remember is that the mushrooms must absolutely not be flipped over. According to Otsuki, most people would think to flip, but that is a common mistake.

▼ If you resist the urge to flip and wait a few minutes, you’ll begin to see the magic happen.

Gradually, clear juices will start to emerge from within the mushroom, collecting inside the cap. In the manga, this juice is likened to the juice that comes from meat while it’s being cooked, and it’s fascinating to watch it form. It’s also the reason why the mushrooms should not be flipped over, because doing so would mean all those delicious natural juices would spill out and be lost in the pan.

According to Otsuki’s cooking method, seasonings such as soy sauce or salt should be added directly into the pooled juices, so we followed his advice and added a few drops of soy sauce.

Otsuki also says you don’t need chopsticks to eat the shiitake – instead, pick them up by the base of the stem, taking care not to spill the juices.

▼ We feared they might be too hot to handle, but thankfully, the base wasn’t that hot at all.

As we went in for a taste, we realised the hardest part about these mushrooms is eating them. It’s difficult to maneuver them into your mouth without the juices spilling, so we recommend holding a small plate underneath to catch the liquid as you bite into them. When we did eventually bite into it, a rich umami-packed broth burst out from inside.

▼ Thick meaty, and so, so juicy, it was hard to believe this was a mushroom.

▼ The shiitake was so insanely delicious it was worth cracking open a can of beer for.

It was truly hard to believe how much flavour was in the mushroom, with barely any modifications to it. Even when we tried one with nothing but a sprinkling of salt, we felt as if we were biting into a fancy dish at a restaurant.

The shiitake are said to work with all sorts of condiments, including a knob of butter, or a topping of basil sauce and cheese. However, what we recommend trying is yakiniku sauce. Since the food-loving manga character described shiitake mushrooms as meat, we decided to try it, and it turned out to be a fantastic pairing.

More than soy sauce or salt, the yakiniku sauce attains an elite level of deliciousness, elevating the mushroom into meaty main meal territory, making it more than just a side dish.

The sauce works remarkably well by giving each mushroom a yakiniku-like flavour, but without the heavy feeling you get from eating meat. You don’t have to feel guilty about eating them either, and the mouthfeel is rich and satisfying, due to the chewy texture of the shiitake.

Though mushrooms obviously aren’t meat, they are a fantastic substitute, and eating them grilled like this is a great way to discover just how meaty they can be. It’s surprising how different cooking methods can highlight different textures and tastes, and thanks to the advice of a Japanese manga character, we now know the best way to have our ‘shrooms.

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Purin, like you’ve never seen, or tasted, before.

Marugame Seimen (known as Marugame Udon overseas) has been outdoing itself with new noodle innovations recently, giving us all sorts of surprising creations, from shakeable noodles to udon doughnuts. Now the super popular noodle chain is pushing the boat out even further, with the announcement that it will soon be serving Udon Purin.

Purin (“pudding”) is Japan’s take on crème caramel or flan, and its signature jiggly, creamy texture has made it one of the country’s most beloved desserts. Curious to find out what a purin made from udon noodles would taste like, we headed out to a pre-tasting event ahead of the official 7 July release.

As soon as we arrived, staff revealed the secrets behind the new purin, showing us how it’s made by mixing together finely chopped udon and then kneading the mixture together before slowly cooking it. It’s then chilled to achieve its signature chewy texture.

▼ Condensed milk and sugar are used for the flavouring.

Marugame Seimen says it developed the unusual dessert as part of its vision for “a summer where the ways to enjoy udon are expanded”. Each Marugame Udon Pudding is prepared in-store, meaning supplies are limited, and it will only be available at select stores displaying the “うどんプリン” (“Udon Purin”) sign, as shown below.

After seeing the process behind its creation and learning more about it, we now had a better understanding of this new weird fusion dessert. The big question, though, was how it would taste, because with no eggs, milk or steaming process like a traditional pudding, we had no idea what the resulting purin would look or taste like.

That’s when four varieties arrived on the table for us to taste: Blue Hawaii and Anmitsu-style, which cost 340 yen (US$2.12) each, and Mango and Anko Kinako, which cost 290 yen each.

Each variety consists of three layers – a pudding base, then jelly (or red bean paste), and the topping, which looked like jelly. Starting with the Mango, we dove in expecting it to be similar to a mango milk dessert…

▼ …but this was like no other dessert we’d ever tried before.

The purin was incredibly sweet and flavourful, and the texture was very chewy, with tiny pieces of udon reminding you that noodles were hidden inside. The chewy texture didn’t appear to come from gelatin, making it closer to the texture of mochi (pounded rice cake), and with its intense sweetness, it seemed similar to a Southeast Asian dessert.

▼ It was like pudding, but also not quite like purin.

The Blue Hawaii was even more eye-popping to look at, with the same purin texture and flavour, but a more refreshing summery taste, thanks to the fruit topping.

Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert made with kanten (agar jelly), sweet syrup, and toppings like red bean paste, and here the nods to that dessert gave it a familiar appearance on top. Taking a spoonful with all the layers created a very flavourful bite, adding a traditional flair to the chewy purin.

The Anko Kinako (red bean paste and roasted soybean flour) had a more nutty flavour profile, thanks to the generous serving of kinako, which customers sprinkle on top for maximum freshness.

The Marugame Udon Pudding has a very unique flavour, and an even more unique texture, making it the chewiest purin we’ve ever tasted. Still, it’s a treat we wouldn’t say no to, especially in the summer months, so it’s definitely worth trying next time you stop by for a bowl of udon.

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