Daily Japan updates
October brings new workplace duties and clearer permanent-residence rules
Employer duties concerning harassment and nonregular work took effect on October 1, while new ISA guidance explains permanent-residence applications and the cancellation framework due in April 2027.
Developments
October 1 brought changes affecting both workplaces and long-term residence. Two employment-rule packages are now in force, while the Immigration Services Agency has published separate guidance on permanent-residence applications and on cancellation grounds scheduled to operate from April 2027. These are general rules, not individualized legal conclusions.
1. Employers now have prevention duties covering customer and recruitment harassment
Employers must now take legally required prevention measures concerning customer harassment and sexual harassment directed at job seekers. MHLW’s guidance also makes clear that not every complaint constitutes customer harassment: the statutory concept depends on the conduct, whether it exceeds socially acceptable limits in context, and whether it harms the working environment. Workers, applicants, and employers should use the detailed current guidance rather than treating the label as self-executing. (Read MHLW’s guidance; read the official leaflet)
2. Part-time and fixed-term hiring notices must explain a new right to ask about treatment differences
Amended rules for part-time and fixed-term work also took effect on October 1. MHLW says hiring-stage notices must now tell covered workers that they may request an explanation of differences in treatment, while the equal-pay-for-equal-work and employment-management guidance has also been revised. The change creates clearer information duties, but it does not mean every difference between employment categories is automatically unlawful. (Read MHLW’s equal-treatment page; read the official leaflet)
3. The revised permission guideline has a staged application timetable
ISA’s October 1 permanent-residence guideline addresses conduct, livelihood, public charges, residence history, Japanese ability, and understanding of Japanese systems and rules. Timing is crucial: applications filed from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027 generally remain under the February 24 guideline, with only specified income-related portions of the October revision applying during that period. Applications from April 1, 2027 are to use the October guideline fully. (Read the revised guideline; check ISA’s application timetable; view ISA’s publication index)
4. The cancellation framework emphasizes individual circumstances and status changes
Separate ISA guidance concerns cancellation grounds added by the 2024 immigration-law amendment and is scheduled to operate from April 1, 2027. ISA says decisions will consider the circumstances leading to the ground, later residence history, settlement, seriousness, family circumstances, and humanitarian needs. For the new grounds, the framework generally provides for changing the person to another status—often Long-Term Resident—unless continued residence is considered inappropriate. That is an important safeguard, but not a guaranteed outcome in any case. (Read ISA’s announcement; read the detailed guideline; view ISA’s publication index)
What workers, applicants, and residents should do
Preserve the dates and identify which framework actually applies. Employers should review current MHLW implementation material; workers should retain their notices and seek advice about specific disputes. Permanent-residence applicants and residents should consult the current Japanese ISA text and obtain qualified advice before making consequential decisions.