TokyoJapan will require residency applicants to out-earn the average household.
The shift threatens long-term foreign workers and students the shrinking, ageing economy still needs.
New rules from October 1 apply retroactively to April applications, and demand Japanese fluency plus a 30-year pension reserve.
“Right now, I am starting to look for opportunities outside of Japan,” said Abdul, a Tokyo-based tech engineer.
Sarah Nelkin, a 14-year resident, may have to renounce US citizenship if her application is rejected.
How each outlet framed it
- Al Jazeera
- foregrounds immigrant anxiety through tech worker facing new income-threshold requirements and deportation risk in application process
Sources: Al Jazeera