Deadline 00:00, Sept 3, 2026 — Immigration Services Agency public comment (Case No. 315000139)
On August 4, 2026, Japan's Immigration Services Agency opened a public comment procedure on a draft ordinance amending the Enforcement Regulations of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. The case number is 315000139, the category is Foreign Affairs, and submissions are accepted from 00:00 on August 4, 2026 until 00:00 on September 3, 2026. This is a procedure under the Administrative Procedure Act: before an ordinance is formally adopted, opinions are collected widely from the public and the final text is fixed taking those views into account. The legal basis cited is Article 2-2, Paragraph 3 of the Immigration Control Act, which provides that the period of stay of a person residing under a status of residence is prescribed by Ministry of Justice ordinance. In other words, this draft revises the very regulations that set out the detailed rules for foreign nationals' residence procedures. The specific content of the amendment is set out in the PDFs posted on the e-Gov case page: the draft ordinance with the old-and-new comparison of provisions, and the outline of the amendment. Because the comparison is presented article by article, you can check directly whether a provision relevant to your own status of residence or application procedure is affected. The page also asks that you read the submission guidelines and the full draft before filing an opinion.
The Enforcement Regulations of the Immigration Control Act are the ordinance that sets out the detailed rules for applications and notifications relating to a status of residence. If they are amended, the practical handling of counter procedures such as changing or extending a status of residence may be affected. The first thing to do is to open the old-and-new comparison of provisions on e-Gov and check whether any article relevant to you falls within the scope of the amendment. Public comment may be submitted regardless of nationality, so opinions from foreign nationals themselves and from host companies or schools are equally accepted. The deadline is shown as 00:00 on September 3, 2026, which in practice means you must finish submitting during September 2. The promulgation date and the timing from which the amended ordinance applies will be fixed after the comment period closes, so anyone planning an application soon should follow the official announcements of the Immigration Services Agency.
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Japan opened public comment (Aug 4-Sep 3, 2026) on stricter Permanent Residency guidelines: household income above the Japanese average, pension outlook, B1 Japanese.