Revised version due around September 2026 — period of stay, permit type and permit date to be shown
The Residence Card Reader Application is a free app distributed by the Immigration Services Agency (ISA). It reads the name, facial image and other data stored in the IC chip of a residence card or special permanent resident certificate so that it can be compared with what is printed on the card, making forgery easy to detect. ISA distributes it because forgery of the printed card face has become more sophisticated and cases have appeared in which counterfeit cards were produced using real, valid residence card numbers. Issuance of new-format residence cards began on 14 June 2026, and older versions of the app cannot read them, so updating to the latest version is required. In addition, the new-format residence card and Specified Residence Card no longer print the period of stay, the type of permission or the date of permission on the card face, and the current app does not display those three items either. A revised version that can show them is scheduled for release around September 2026. Until then, a Specified Residence Card, which carries My Number Card functionality, can be read with the Digital Agency's in-person verification app (currently iOS only) to check the period of stay and related details. Separately, since 14 November 2025 the reader app can also run a residence card number lapse check, and the URL of that lookup site changed on 5 January 2026.
For foreign residents this touches every situation where a residence card is presented: hiring procedures for a new job, rental contracts, mobile phone contracts and opening a bank account. When the other party scans the card, the IC chip data is matched against what is printed on the card. A genuine card raises no issue, but if the displayed data differs from the printed face, forgery is suspected and the case is referred to the nearest regional immigration services bureau. Because the new-format card no longer prints the period of stay, until the revised app arrives around September 2026 employers and businesses may say they cannot confirm how long you may stay. If you hold a Specified Residence Card, it helps to point out that the Digital Agency's in-person verification app (iOS) can read the period of stay. While an extension application is pending, the lapse information lookup shows that the number has not lapsed, which demonstrates that your application is under review. As with any ID, the card is to be presented only with your consent.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency published an 80-item Q&A on Ikusei Shuro, the work status starting April 1, 2027: three years of training toward Specified Skilled Worker (i) level, conditional worker-initiated transfers, and pre-launch filings from 2026.
Japan's Ikusei Shuro system starts April 1, 2027: A1-level Japanese before work and A2 within three years. The Immigration Services Agency has published a June 2026 list of institutions offering the required courses.
OTIT has published the sector operational guidelines for logistics and warehousing under Japan's Employment for Skill Development system, due to start in April 2027 with extra standards for supervisors.