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I'm sorry, you're simultaneously (somehow?) living here as a non-resident, and complaining about people _abusing the system_?

That's pretty rich, gotta say!

rayiner 2 days ago

Your point doesn't follow logically. If you're a non-resident living in Japan according to Japanese peoples' expectations, why can't you criticize other non-residents who aren't living in a way that's consistent with Japanese peoples' expectations?

bilbo0s 2 days ago

In fairness, there are a lot of Japanese people who feel they were not consulted on the scale and scope of "Japanese peoples' expectations". So many such people that they could get a Prime Minister elected. I wouldn't assume that living according to the laws that exist currently means that you're living in accordance with "Japanese peoples' expectations". That's the whole reason the laws are being changed at the moment.

That said, as a foreigner right now the best thing to do is to watch the legal environment as it shifts so that you don't fall afoul of it. And to be extra mindful of adhering to Japanese customs, which boils down to being nice along with things like realizing some places may not look on your tattoos the same way those tattoos are looked on in the West.

Because someone who's not a resident in Japan, and claims to be living here, is fundamentally either also abusing the system, or not actually living here.

> Because someone who's not a resident in Japan, and claims to be living here, is fundamentally either also abusing the system, or not actually living here.

What? No…I am not suddenly forbidden from using the English language because of visa status. What is one supposed to say? Temporarily residing? Extended vacationing? Work-visa-free inhabiting? Come on.

You’re hanging your hat on the OP’s use of the word “living”, which is so weirdly pedantic that I think you’re just looking for a reason to be upset that they had the temerity to defend the rule changes.

For all we know, OP is living here on a perfectly valid visa.

Sure. I think it's meaningful to distinguish someone staying for six months, and someone staying for years; but if that's weirdly pedantic, so be it.

(Maybe it's also a cultural difference?

My native language distinguishes between the kind of "living" somewhere where you're just "staying" somewhere and where that place is the center of your life. I would not use the "I built my life here" verb for a 6mo stay.

Perhaps I'm letting that color my English a bit more than I should.)

cedws 2 days ago

It’s not rich to recognise your own ship is sinking and want others to save themselves from sinking theirs. I truly love Japan and the last thing I want is the same cultural dilution to happen here. Deport me if that’s what it takes. Japan must invest in itself and not give in to the temptation of unlimited cheap foreign labor.

ekjhgkejhgk 2 days ago

I think they're the kind of people who would argue that the "immigrants" should be kept out, but "expats" are ok.

cedws 2 days ago

Yes, a country should want to keep out people with negative fiscal impact and bring in people with a positive fiscal impact. Isn’t that obvious?

By all means bring in people to run businesses in Japan. Legitimate businesses, not visa mills. This increase in capital requirements stamps out the visa mills.

tumult 2 days ago

> This increase in capital requirements stamps out the visa mills.

No, it doesn't. The rich people abusing the system just deposit more money and get their checkmark. Small businesses cannot raise and float this kind of cash quickly.

Also, the policy change is being applied retroactively to visa renewal applications that had already been filed, before the policy change was even announced. So if you filed a few months ago, before any of this was announced, now you're getting rejected and sent home. If the govt was actually interesting in getting rid of illegitimate businesses, they could just go to them and see if they're real or not. All businesses that qualify someone to get a business manager visa have to be in commercial spaces, with signs with their name on it, and accessible.

tecleandor 2 days ago

They usually come with tax exemptions (so not really good fiscal impact), and make prices climb like crazy. See Portugal and their remote worker visa, they outpriced most Portuguese people out of every city slightly near an airport.

dennis_jeeves2 2 days ago

>That's pretty rich, gotta say!

He still can think objectively, that's what it means.

What’s rich about it? You can live in Japan as a non-resident and still be following 100% of the rules.

I agree with the GP. It’s their country. They set the rules. If they want to change the rules because those rules aren’t working for them, that’s their prerogative. As a USian, I’m actually sort of jealous that they have the ability to make changes so quickly.

>You can live in Japan as a non-resident and still be following 100% of the rules.

Not for any reasonable definition of "live in", you can't.

Well, it depends a little on what OP meant by “resident” - often that gets used by expats to mean “permanent resident”, which is a pretty high bar.

But even if you just assume that OP is here on the digital nomad visa thing, you’re effectively living here. More to the point, you’re following the rules, and it’s not at all ironic or contradictory to have an opinion that the rules can be changed by the host.

If they meant "permanent resident" when they said "resident" that'd be a pretty weird, given, you know, our 在留カード literally say "residence card" on them; but perhaps this actually common, and I'm one of today's lucky 10,000.

But if they're here on a Digital Nomad visa, then their stay is limited to 6mo with no pathway to extending this — _I_ personally don't think that qualifies as "living" in a place, but perhaps reasonable people can disagree on this point.

Yes, I knew as soon as I wrote that that someone would chime in with the English definition of 在留. I thought about deleting it since it isn’t important to the argument, but I left it in because it’s a thing I’ve heard expats say here.

Look, even if OP is just living here on a tourist visa and doesn’t have any form of residency at all, and (s)he’s still following the rules as established, it’s not even remotely ironic to say that the rules are the rules, and the host has the right to change the rules.

It would be ironic if OP did that while admitting to violating immigration law.

cedws 2 days ago

That’s correct, I’m here on a DN visa. I also stayed on one 6 months last year.

akg_67 2 days ago

Double standards. He is an immigrant in Japan but he doesn’t want immigrants both in his host (Japan) and home (UK) countries. Pretty ironic come to think of. I guess he thinks his type are “good” immigrants, others are not so much.

> He is an immigrant in Japan but he doesn’t want immigrants both in his host (Japan) and home (UK) countries

Except that’s not what he said at all. He said if there’s visa abuse, the abuse should be stopped.

How one gets “doesn’t want immigrants” from this is beyond me.

akg_67 2 days ago

> As a *Brit living in Japan* (non-resident) I think they should protect themselves at all costs, lest *what happened to my country happen to theirs.*

Yes, keep reading…don’t just stop when the first part of the paragraph makes you mad.

aurareturn 2 days ago

UK doesn't have an issue with visa abuse though.

modo_mario 2 days ago

The UK isn't exactly an assimilation success story. As someone with potential aspirations of moving to a different country I don't mind it if they tried to avoid that kind of scenario and to retain their state's character to some extent.

The irony comment comes across somewhat innefective and petulant when I and others i've encountered with such views hold them in spite of the effects it could have for us. I don't see the point in laughing at that any more than i see it in calling out irony when a rich person calls for tax hoops to be closed and taxation to be fair.

bbg2401 2 days ago

With all due respect aka_67, your reading comprehension is as low as your bigotry is rich.

croes 2 days ago

First

> at all costs

That’s with nearly 100% certainty always wrong at leads to disaster

Second

I doubt the new requirements will hinder shell companies that much. The honest people on the other hand will be screwed.

LightBug1 2 days ago

I just would like to say a respectful and courteous "thank you" to Japan.

Thank you taking this "ex-pat" off our hands.

Cheers.