Japanese proficiency eyed as permanent residency requirement

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party says that an envisaged new requirement of Japanese proficiency for obtaining permanent residency was prompted by many reports of issues involving foreign residents in local communities and administrative procedures resulting from their lack of Japanese language skills. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering adding Japanese language proficiency as a requirement for permanent residency for foreign nationals, sources familiar with the matter have said. To obtain the status, foreign nationals will also be mandated to take a program aimed at helping them smoothly integrate into local communities, the sources said Friday. The envisaged new requirements will be included in a draft package of proposals on policy for foreign nationals, to be compiled next month for submission to the government. According to the Immigration Services Agency, the number of foreign residents in Japan stood at about 3,956,600 as of the end of last June.