Japan's permanent residency fee goes from 10,000 yen to 200,000 under the draft ordinance published July 3, 2026, applying to applications from October 1. From April 2027, permanent residency can be revoked for deliberate non-payment of taxes or social insurance. Foreign workers hit a record 2,571,037 in October 2025, but growth slowed to 11.7%.
Japan's departure tax tripled from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 (about $19) on July 1, 2026, driven by a record 42.68 million visitors. Japanese citizens pay it too. Here's what changed, Kyoto's new five-tier lodging tax, Fuji's ¥4,000 gate, how it compares to Australia and the UK, and where the ¥130 billion is supposed to go.
With the Strait of Hormuz shut in all but name, the IEA's 32 members unanimously approved a record 400-million-barrel coordinated release on March 11, 2026. Japan carried 80 million of it and began draining national reserves on March 26. Where those 254 days went, and what July's re-escalation means.
Japan's government has asked Japan Display Inc. (JDI) to run a $13 billion advanced display factory in the US — part of a $550 billion investment deal to ease Trump tariffs. We break down the defense angle, China dependency risks, and what it means for a company that's been on life support for years.
Japan's government has set an ambitious target of ¥40 trillion ($260B) in domestic semiconductor sales by 2040, announcing plans for cutting-edge AI research hubs. From Rapidus's 2nm chips in Hokkaido to TSMC's $17B 3nm fab in Kumamoto and JDI's $13B US display plant, we break down Japan's full semiconductor strategy—and compare it with the US CHIPS Act, EU Chips Act, and South Korea's and Taiwan's chip policies.
Japan's health ministry adds "Sleep Disorder" as a new medical specialty for the first time since 2008. With the shortest sleep duration among OECD nations and $100 billion in annual economic losses, Japan is officially confronting its sleep crisis.
In just 15 minutes at FIN/SUM 2026, Bank of Japan Governor Ueda sent a landmark signal: Japan is ready to connect central bank money to the blockchain economy. We unpack what this means for digital finance, how it compares to the Fed and ECB, and why Japan may be charting its own path in the global CBDC race.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% at its March 18-19, 2026 meeting, as oil prices and yen weakness from the late-February Iran conflict weighed on the case for a hike. We cover Deputy Governor Himino and hawk Takata, the reflationist board nominees, the rate gap with the Fed and ECB, the yen carry trade, and the road to the June hike to 1.0%.
The Nikkei reported on March 1, 2026 that the BOJ was exploring tokenizing its current account deposits; two days later Governor Ueda confirmed the sandbox at FIN/SUM 2026. Round-the-clock large-value settlement and links to mega-bank stablecoins are on the table. A look at the Fed and ECB comparison and the technical and legal obstacles.
Japan tightened its foreign driver's license conversion test in October 2025: the written exam went from 10 to 50 questions and the pass mark from 70% to 90%, a certificate of residence became mandatory, and tourists can no longer apply. National figures the police released in March 2026 show the knowledge test pass rate falling from 90% to 40% and the practical test from 30% to 10%. A look at the accidents behind the reform and how other countries handle conversion.
From April 24, 2026, Japan's transport ministry banned charging a power bank onboard an aircraft and charging other devices from one. Carry-on is capped at two units of 160Wh or less. The change follows an emergency revision of ICAO standards after the Air Busan 391 fire. Here are the rules, which breaches actually carry penalties, how to convert mAh to Wh, and the sodium-ion batteries banned outright the same day.