Announced Sept 10, 2026 — comments accepted until 0:00 on Oct 11 (MLIT)
On September 10, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) published a draft cabinet order amending part of the Enforcement Order of the Public Housing Act, and opened a public comment period. Comments are accepted from 0:00 on September 10, 2026 until 0:00 on October 11, 2026 (case number 155260721). The responsible office is the Housing Development Division, Housing Bureau, MLIT. The draft is issued under the Public Housing Act (Act No. 193 of 1951), Article 16(1) and (4), Article 23(i), Article 25(1), Article 28(1), (2) and (4), and Article 29(1). These provisions cover how rent for public housing is set, who is eligible to move in, how applicants are selected, and the rules on vacating for tenants whose income exceeds the threshold or who are high-income earners. The Enforcement Order is the subordinate legislation that fills in the concrete figures behind that framework — income limits for eligibility and the coefficients used to calculate rent. In other words, this amendment revises the yardsticks used in practice, not the Act itself. The specific contents are set out in the "Outline of the Amendment" (PDF) and the "Guidelines for Submitting Comments" published on e-Gov. The order is still a draft: during this window anyone may submit an opinion, and the final order is fixed and promulgated after those comments are considered.
Public housing (kōei jūtaku) is rental housing supplied by local governments for households below a certain income level; unlike the private rental market, the rent is set according to household income. Foreign residents with a resident registration can be eligible to apply, but eligibility, application periods and required documents are decided by each prefecture or municipality — so you need to check the application guide issued by your own local government to know whether you can apply. The provisions touched by this draft order concern tenant eligibility, how rent is set, and vacating rules for tenants over the income threshold or classified as high-income earners. For people already living in public housing, that is the area covering rent levels and the conditions for staying on; for future applicants, it is the income-based entry standard. Applications and renewals for public housing are handled mainly in Japanese. Alongside your city's housing division, check the foreign resident consultation desk or multilingual support service so you do not miss an application period.
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From FY2026, nationality and passport/ID documents must be submitted when registering real estate (land/buildings). Applies to everyone including Japanese nationals. Not shown on public registry — managed in government database.
Effective October 1, 2025. Foreigners are now explicitly listed as "Housing Support Priority Persons." Launching the MLIT-certified rent guarantor company system and supportive housing certification — expected to reduce rental refusals.
Source:
e-Gov Public Comment website (MLIT, Housing Development Division, Housing Bureau — case no. 155260721)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.