Japanese Proficiency for Permanent Residency (April 2027)

Japan is considering introducing a formal language proficiency test as a condition for permanent residency. Now, if you've been following along on this subreddit for a while, you'll know that this is riding a wave of rising language requirements around the world. You'll also know I believe it's necessary and important for countries to have this requirement, and vital for immigrants to learn the local language.

Japan is actually pretty far behind on this particular issue. If this were to become enshrined in law, it would join most other OECD countries in requiring a language standard for all PR candidates (previously you got a boost for fast-track only). I have to guess this is because up until recently, the foreign-born population in Japan was almost non-existent as a share of the overall population. While still much lower than its European counterparts, it has hit record highs in recent years, now standing at ~3.4MM, which is ~2.7% of the overall population.

I didn't see any coverage on what test would be required. JLPT is used today for the fast-track route (N1 + 15 points; N2 + 10 points), so if I were a betting man I'd say that's the test to prepare for as well. N1 and N2 are roughly equivalent to CEFR C1 / B2, so requiring this level would make Japan one of the countries with the strictest language proficiency requirements for PR.