Comments accepted until 00:00 on 30 Oct 2026 — Immigration Services Agency, case no. 315000146
"Designated Activities" is the residence status set out in Appendix I, Table 5 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. Its concrete content is either designated individually by the Minister of Justice or pre-defined by categories listed in a public notice. On 29 September 2026 the Immigration Services Agency published a draft partial amendment to that notice (the instrument that defines the activities listed in the lower column of the table under Article 7(1)(ii) of the Act). The case number is 315000146 and the category is "foreign affairs". Comments opened at 00:00 the same day and close at 00:00 on 30 October 2026. Because this is a public comment procedure under the Administrative Procedure Act, anyone may submit an opinion, and the final notice is decided after the submitted opinions are taken into account. At this point it is only a draft — nothing is finalized. The exact content of the amendment is set out in the "draft notice" and "outline of the amendment" PDFs published on the e-Gov case page. Once the notice is amended, it changes the basis on which applications for a certificate of eligibility, or for a change or extension of status, are handled for people who fall under the affected categories.
For Designated Activities categories set by public notice, the permitted activity is spelled out in the "designation letter" attached to your passport. When the notice is amended, the recognized categories, their requirements or their scope can move, which in turn affects how applications for a certificate of eligibility, a change of status, or an extension of period of stay are assessed. This is still a draft, however. Until the comment period closes at 00:00 on 30 October 2026 and an amended notice is formally promulgated and takes effect, current practice continues. If you live in Japan under Designated Activities, plan to enter or switch to it, or host such residents, read the "draft notice" and "outline of the amendment" on e-Gov first and check whether your own category is covered — that makes it far easier to plan when to file. Comments are normally submitted in Japanese, and the results are published after the deadline.
From June 2027, mid-to-long-term foreign residents who chronically default on national health insurance or pension premiums and ignore payment guidance will, in principle, be denied residence status renewal or change. Municipal and immigration systems link in FY2026 to reflect arrears automatically.
From April 2027, "Technical Intern Training" abolished, replaced by "Training Employment". 2026 is preparation period. N5 Japanese required, voluntary transfers allowed, can transition to Specified Skilled Worker (i) after 3 years.
Japan opened public comment (Aug 4-Sep 3, 2026) on stricter Permanent Residency guidelines: household income above the Japanese average, pension outlook, B1 Japanese.
Source:
e-Gov Public Comment website (Immigration Services Agency, case no. 315000146 — partial amendment to the Designated Activities notice)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.