TOKYO – The Japanese government on Friday approved a package of measures aimed at addressing concerns related to foreign nationals, including tighter rules on acquiring Japanese land and nationality.

Under the plan, the government will outline legal rules on land acquisitions by foreigners by summer, citing cases where ownership and purpose of land are unclear or where transactions appear driven by speculation. “There have been situations in which citizens feel a sense of unease and unfairness over violations of rules and laws and inappropriate uses of systems by some foreigners,” the government said. “What our country aims for is a society in which both Japanese and foreign nationals live safely with peace of mind and prosper together.”

The measures include investigating legislative and national security considerations, drawing on examples from other countries, and launching an expert panel as early as February to begin detailed discussions.

Regarding Japanese nationality, the government is considering raising the minimum residency requirement from five years to 10 years, aligning it with permanent residency standards. Japanese language proficiency would also become a requirement for permanent residence, alongside the establishment of a language study program.

Other proposals include tougher screening of foreign residents with unpaid medical bills, lowering the threshold for action from 200,000 yen to 10,000 yen. The package also mentions potential future measures, such as nationalizing remote islands with unknown ownership and restricting entry of certain foreign nationals.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, who chairs the ministerial conference behind the package, said the government wants the panel to implement the measures steadily and address future tasks promptly. The first session of the conference was held in November 2025, following instructions from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to outline future policies on foreign nationals.