📚 New Japanese & Life Learning Program

❓ What is happening?

In July 2026 (Reiwa 8), Japan's Immigration Services Agency (ISA) published the "Report of the Project Team led by the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice" on a learning program through which foreign nationals can study Japanese and Japan's systems and rules. The starting point was the "Comprehensive Measures for the Acceptance of Foreign Nationals and Orderly Coexistence," compiled on 23 January 2026. Those measures explicitly state that the government will consider creating a program for foreign nationals residing in Japan — including accompanying family members — to learn Japanese and Japan's systems and rules. To accelerate government-wide deliberation, a project team (PT) headed by the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice was set up under the Minister of Justice's instruction and carried out concrete study. The resulting report sets out a certain direction for how the program should be designed and organizes the issues to be examined and points requiring attention. Until now there has been no unified national learning program: Japanese-language study and guidance on daily-life rules have been delivered separately by municipalities, international exchange associations, employers, and schools. The report is the starting point for redesigning this as a government-wide framework. Three documents were released: key points toward creating the "Japanese Language and Daily Life Learning Program" (working title), a summary of the report, and the full report. Who exactly will be covered, what the program will contain, and when it will start are not yet fixed and will be worked out through further government study.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Foreign nationals residing in Japan in general (all statuses of residence — work, study, family stay — are envisaged)
• ●Family members accompanying workers (spouses and children) — explicitly included in the Comprehensive Measures
• ●People working under, or preparing to come to Japan on, statuses such as Employment for Skill Development or Specified Skilled Worker, where Japanese and knowledge of daily-life rules matter
• ●Companies and accepting organizations that employ foreign nationals, plus municipalities and groups running Japanese classes or multicultural coexistence programs
• ●Note: short-stay tourists are not covered — the target is "foreign nationals residing in Japan"

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

Nothing opens for applications yet. The report only sets a direction and lists issues to study; who will be eligible, what will be taught, any cost, and the start date are all undecided. Even so, the move matters in everyday terms. First, accompanying family members are explicitly named. Until now, workers themselves could often learn through their employer or supervising organization, while spouses and children had to rely on municipal Japanese classes or volunteers. Second, the subject matter covers not only language but "Japan's systems and rules" — areas such as garbage separation, resident registration, social insurance, residence procedures, and traffic rules, where not knowing leads to real trouble. Third, if it is designed as a government-wide framework, the current situation in which available support depends on which city or ward you live in could change. For now, the practical step is to use the ISA's existing support — the Support Portal for Foreign Residents, the multilingual Guidebook for Living and Working, and the FRESC helpline — while waiting for further announcements.