According to NHK, the Japanese government is planning to introduce tougher measures for foreign residents who fall behind on public health insurance or pension contributions. At a press conference on Tuesday, Health, Labour and Welfare Minister, Kenichiro Ueno, announced that, in cooperation with the Immigration Services Agency, a system will be put in place that will, in principle, deny changes or renewals of residence status to foreigners who fail to pay their national pension or national health insurance premiums. The government plans to introduce the new system from June 2027.

Foreigners living in Japan for more than three months are required to enroll in public pension and health insurance systems. According to the Welfare Ministry, however, in the fiscal year through March 2025, foreign residents contributed just 49.7% of what was due in regard to pension contributions. A survey among 150 local governments also found that, by the end of 2024, foreign residents had on average paid only 63% of their health insurance premiums. With this in mind, authorities intend to use payment records as part of the screening process for visa applications from 2027.

Coordinating Policies on Foreign Nationals in Japan 

It’s part of a wider initiative to address the issue of rule-violating foreign nationals in Japan. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has ordered Cabinet ministers to compile their views on foreigners by January 2026. “It is a fact that members of the public feel anxiety and a sense of unfairness due to illegal acts and rule violations committed by a small number of foreign nationals,” she said on Tuesday. “While clearly distinguishing ourselves from xenophobia, the government will respond firmly to such acts.”
 
In attendance at Tuesday’s meeting were Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara and Kimi Onoda, the minister in charge of “a society of well-ordered and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.” Onoda, who was born to an American father and a Japanese mother, was referred to as Takaichi’s “captain” during her leadership campaign. Issues she has been asked to address include rules on land acquisition by foreign nationals, tightening immigration services and addressing overtourism.

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Updated On November 5, 2025