News Japan to tighten rules on foreign visitors amid medical debt and tourism tax plans

Japan experiences record numbers of foreign visitors and workers, prompting lawmakers to address growing concerns about the strain on public services and loopholes in the current tax and regulatory systems. On 21 May, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party formed a new policy panel aimed at addressing anxiety among Japanese citizens living alongside an increasing number of foreign residents. One issue raised in the meeting was the ease with which some foreign nationals can convert their overseas driver's licences into Japanese ones.

LDP policy chief Itsunori Onodera said it was essential to have a broad discussion about the concerns many Japanese people have and emphasised that both national and local governments should collaborate to address them. Today, the LDP handed a proposal to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba urging the creation of a centralised body to oversee all policies related to foreign residents and tourists, coordinating efforts across government ministries. There is also growing discussion around tightening the country's tax-free shopping scheme, which has seen a rise in goods being purchased duty-free and then resold within Japan.

According to a survey conducted by the ministry covering about 5,500 medical institutions nationwide, 11,372 foreign visitors received medical care in Japan in September 2024. Of those, 0.8% failed to pay, leaving unpaid charges totaling approximately 61.35 million yen ($427,000). Meanwhile, foreigners registered as residents and staying in Japan for more than three months are generally required to enroll in the National Health Insurance program -- a system for the self-employed and unemployed -- if they are not covered by another form of public health insurance.

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0.8%, translating into a paltry 61.3m JPY, doesn't warrant singling out foreigners.

This is interesting: it's harder to get PR than citizenship.

A growing number of foreign nationals are opting to acquire Japanese citizenship through naturalization rather than applying for permanent residency — largely because the former is conversely easier to obtain under current laws, much to the chagrin of some policymakers. In Japan, naturalization requires five years of residency, while permanent residency requires 10. A background check for naturalization typically looks at just one year of tax and insurance payments, compared to five years of tax and two years of insurance history for permanent residency applicants. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki acknowledged the discrepancy during a parliamentary session in May, saying it would be "clearly inappropriate" if naturalization were the easier path. "Both pathways should involve strict evaluations," he said, adding that the government would review the legal framework for consistency. Nippon Ishin's Yanagase, who raised the issue, said the current system lacks coherence and called for legislative changes. "Naturalization grants voting rights and access to one of the world's most powerful passports. It should not come with lighter requirements than permanent residency," he said.

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In one of my very rare thread tangents, don't you think the word 'foreigner' is a little…direct/pejorative? It slightly jars with me when I hear it and it's use seems unusual for a country where indirect language is the preferred mode. In the UK we'd say 'overseas visitors' or maybe 'person from abroad' etc

Ukigumo said:

In one of my very rare thread tangents, don't you think the word 'foreigner' is a little…direct/pejorative? It slightly jars with me when I hear it and it's use seems unusual for a country where indirect language is the preferred mode. In the UK we'd say 'overseas visitors' or maybe 'person from abroad' etc

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I just copied it from the headline, but I suppose you're right. Having been a "foreigner" for most of my life, I'm probably no longer sensitive to its derogatory undertones.

Anyhow, under the revised guidelines, overseas tourists who have previously neglected to pay medical fees while in Japan may be denied entry. Foreign nationals who fail to pay their national health insurance or pension premiums may be denied visa extensions.

The government also plans to check whether social welfare premiums have been paid by host organizations employing foreign workers with the specified skilled worker residential status. If they have been found to have a certain amount of unpaid premiums, they will not be allowed to employ those workers, according to the revised policy. On Thursday, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party committee submitted a proposal to Ishiba calling for a better dissemination of tax and social insurance information to foreign residents.

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thomas said:

I just copied it from the headline, but I suppose you're right. Having been a "foreigner" for most of my life, I'm probably no longer sensitive to its derogatory undertones.

Anyhow, under the revised guidelines, overseas tourists who have previously neglected to pay medical fees while in Japan may be denied entry. Foreign nationals who fail to pay their national health insurance or pension premiums may be denied visa extensions.

Foreign tourists with unpaid medical bills in Japan to be denied entry

There have been growing calls for legislative reform to address unpaid medical fees and health care premiums — deficits filled by taxpayers’ money.

www.japantimes.co.jp

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The 'foreigner' thing still rankles with me. Yesterday morning on the TV news there was a report about foreign tourists doing stuff in Japan, with the word 'gaikokujin' mentioned every five seconds. The announcer also had this strange high-pitched and excited voice, unlike in the rest of the reports on the programme, where the announcer spoke normally. Message: we're different from the Japanese, our non-Japanese habits a source of curiosity and entertainment.

I'm glad it's not just me! For example, a 'foreign object' is something that shouldn't be where it is and the Japanese use of 'foreigner' has those overtones to my ears.

I'm a sensitive soul…

Ukigumo said:

I'm glad it's not just me! For example, a 'foreign object' is something that shouldn't be where it is and the Japanese use of 'foreigner' has those overtones to my ears.

I'm a sensitive soul…

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And it sometimes extends to policymaking. At the start of the pandemic, all foreigners – tourists and long-term residents with Japanese families – were treated identically: none of us were allowed to enter Japan. And would be so easy for a TV report to not use 'foreigners' every few seconds.

Lothor said:

And it sometimes extends to policymaking. At the start of the pandemic, all foreigners – tourists and long-term residents with Japanese families – were treated identically: none of us were allowed to enter Japan. And would be so easy for a TV report to not use 'foreigners' every few seconds.

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Were ethnic Japanese people (and of birth/residence) allowed back into Japan at the same time?

I remember seeing a peri-pandemic Japanese video showing how rapidly the air was expelled from the mouth whilst speaking in a) English and b) Japanese. The perturbation of a hanging piece of washi was used as the indicator. English words, with their harder plosive sounds had the washi flexing and swinging far more compared to the way the same sounds were made by a Japanese speaker. Conclusion; English language spreads COVID-19 more effectively I'm surprised that didn't get into the scientific journal, Nature.

Ukigumo said:

Were ethnic Japanese people (and of birth/residence) allowed back into Japan at the same time?

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Yes, native Japanese were allowed in and quarantined on cardboard beds at or near the airport. (Similar to the fancy beds they used at the Olympics.)

mdchachi said:

Yes, native Japanese were allowed in and quarantined on cardboard beds at or near the airport. (Similar to the fancy beds they used at the Olympics.)

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So that is blatant discrimination on the basis of race…I think there's a word for it

Ukigumo said:

So that is blatant discrimination on the basis of race…I think there's a word for it

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Not race. Nationality. Although in Japan it's almost the same.