10% of permanent residents paid no taxes: Japanese immigration sample survey

TOKYO – A sample survey shows that about 10% of Japan’s permanent residents have not paid their taxes or social insurance contributions, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan announced May 8.

A bill that would allow permanent residents to revoke their residence permit if they deliberately fail to pay taxes and social security contributions is currently being discussed in the Riksdag. The Immigration Department first made the data public in the House of Representatives Committee on Legal Affairs after opposition parties criticized the proposed amendment, arguing that there is no basis for revising the laws as no statistics exist. ​on non-payment by permanent residents.

The revision would abolish the current technical training program for foreigners and establish a new worker training system to accept unskilled foreign workers in fields with labor shortages. With an expected increase in the number of people seeking permanent residence in Japan, the proposal also includes stricter permanent residency requirements to crack down on workers who fail to fulfill their public obligations.

According to the agency, there were about 890,000 permanent residents in Japan as of the end of December 2023, but the payment status of all of them is unknown. However, as a result of its examination of permanent residence applications, the agency stated that of the 1,825 cases for which screening was completed between January and June 2023, 235 applicants, or 12.8%, had not paid. The breakdown, including double counting, amounted to 31 cases of non-payment of domestic tax, 15 of national insurance contributions, 213 of national pension contributions, and four other cases.

The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), has submitted a counter-proposal to the House of Representatives that would require “Hello Work” employment centers and national government-approved organizations to take charge of recruiting and hiring of foreign workers. During the meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee on May 8, Member of Parliament Takeshi Shina of the CDP noted that the counter-proposal does not contain stricter requirements for permanent residents. He added: “Revoking permanent residency without sufficient discussion will lead to a country that will not be ‘chosen’ by foreign workers.”

(Japanese original by Kentaro Mikami, Tokyo City News Department)