Japan’s 2025 Residency Revocations: A Record-Breaking Rise

The Immigration Services Agency of Japan recently released its report on residency status revocations for 2025 (Reiwa 7), and the data shows a significant upward trend. If you are a foreign national living or working in Japan, understanding these figures and the reasons behind them is more important than ever.

Here is a breakdown of the key findings and what they mean for the international community.

The Numbers: A 22.1% Increase

In 2025, Japan revoked a total of 1,446 residency statuses. This represents a sharp 22.1% increase compared to the 1,184 cases recorded in 2024.

While most residents follow the rules diligently, the "Residency Status Revocation System" allows the Minister of Justice to cancel a person's legal status if they fall under specific grounds defined in Article 22-4, Paragraph 1 of the Immigration Control Act.

Which Statuses and Nationalities are Most Affected?

The majority of revocations are concentrated within a few specific categories and regions:

• By Residency Status:

  
  

  • Technical Intern Training: 973 cases (67.3% of the total)

  • Student: 343 cases (23.7%)

  • Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services: 63 cases (4.4%)

    
    

• By Nationality:

  
  

  • Vietnam: 947 cases (65.5%)

  • Indonesia: 94 cases (6.5%)

  • Sri Lanka: 91 cases (6.3%)

    
    

Why are Statuses Being Revoked?

The report highlights several common reasons (grounds) for revocation. The most frequent is Item 6, which accounted for 69.1% (999 cases) of all revocations in 2025.

Ground	Description	2025 Cases
Item 6	Failing to engage in the permitted activity for 3 months or more without a justifiable reason.	999
Item 5	Engaging in activities outside the scope of the status while failing to perform the original activity.	350
Item 2	Obtaining permission through deceit or fraudulent means.	48

Real-World Example: A common case for Item 6 involves Technical Interns or Students who go missing from their workplace or school and remain in Japan for over three months without performing their designated activities.

Avoid Common Pitfalls

The Ministry provided specific examples of behavior that led to revocation in 2025:

• Deceitful Applications: Submitting a falsified work history to renew an "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities" visa.

  
  

• Fake Marriages: Falsifying a marriage to a Japanese national to obtain "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" status.

  
  

• Abandoning Activities: A student who was expelled from school but remained in Japan to work part-time without continuing their studies.

  
  

The "Departure" Factor

Interestingly, not every revocation process ends in a formal penalty. In 2025, there were 593 cases where the process was terminated because the individual voluntarily left Japan before the final decision was made.

Final Thought: Maintaining your status in Japan requires staying active in your designated field—whether that is studying, training, or working. If your circumstances change (e.g., you lose your job or leave school), it is vital to consult with the Immigration Bureau or a legal professional immediately to ensure you remain in good standing.

Sources: 令和７年の「在留資格取消件数」についてhttps://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001458770.pdf