Japan¡¯s Immigration Services Agency (ISA) is considering revoking or downgrading the residency status of foreign permanent residents who intentionally evade or repeatedly delay paying their taxes.

With the establishment of a ¡°training and employment¡± program replacing the controversial foreign technical intern program, the agency expects an increase in the number of foreign workers acquiring permanent residency status.

The new system aims to bring foreign workers up to a certain skill level within three years, paving the way for them to acquire permanent residency.

At present, permanent residents are able to retain their status even after failing to pay taxes or social insurance premiums. There are also cases in which foreign residents repeatedly commit crimes punishable by imprisonment or detention of one year or less, such as theft.

To address this issue, one option being explored is revoking their permanent residency status, said a spokesperson for the ISA.

¡°The focus will be on foreign individuals who can pay taxes but deliberately don¡¯t,¡± the spokesperson said.

The agency is also considering the possibility of changing their residency status to another qualification, as well as eyeing a new system where local governments could report cases of foreign nationals failing to pay taxes or premiums.

They are reportedly considering submitting relevant legislation relating to these rules during the ongoing parliamentary session.

The new foreign workers training system, approved by the government earlier this month, will allow workers to transfer to different workplaces under certain conditions. It is aimed at securing and developing essential workers from abroad to tackle the nation¡¯s chronic labor shortage ¡ª a significant shift from the previous technical intern program¡¯s focus on transferring technical skills back to developing countries.

The foreign technical intern program has long been criticized for its poor working conditions, including unpaid wages and long hours. Thousands of foreign trainees had fled their workplaces each year before the end of their contracts presumably due to such problems, with some of them then taking on other jobs not allowed under the system.