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Currently Playing: Japanese Citizenship is Easier than Permanent Residence #japan #japanese #japanlife
always blew my mind that Japanese citizenship was easier to obtain than permanent residence.
but recently in April 2026, while the law still only requires 5 years of residency for citizenship, policy has changed to include wording that “10+ years of residency is expected in principle.”
Video Transcript
It's harder to get PR in Japan than it is to become a Japanese citizen. Isn't that crazy? That seems so backwards to me. To get PR in Japan, typically you need to be in Japan [music] for at least 10 years. That is a long residence. You need to be working and paying taxes. Citizenship in Japan, only around 5 years. And it wasn't as strict. The only thing that was stricter about getting citizenship in Japan was that you need to have a slightly higher level of Japanese proficiency. If you had like N3, that's like good enough. They do an interview, I think. >> That's absurd. Would you not be stricter to like make people citizens who can like vote and like affect your government?