Japan raised the permanent residency application fee from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen (about 42,000 baht), effective 1 October 2026. From the same date, applicants must show stable annual income at least equal to the average for similar-sized Japanese households (5.75 million yen in 2024). Other tests (pension equivalence, near-N2 Japanese, integration checks) start April 2027. For a Thai SME this is background only, unless you have staff or family considering a move to Japan, or Thai sales to Japanese visitors and residents are affected.