Bringing parents permanently to Japan

Hi forum,

I'm a foreigner that has been living in Tokyo now for a little bit more than 3 years. My initial plan was to come here for a couple of years and eventually return to my home country. However, things have been going rather well for me here. Career wise I'm doing great, salary as well, and I'm in a four months relationship with a Japanese woman that is turning into something very serious. Naturally, the thought of staying in Japan for good has been crossing my mind. My girlfriend also wants that.

I'm really ok with staying in Japan except for one thing: my parents.
My parents live alone in my home country and are now 64 years old. They're still fully healthy and can get around by themselves. They're not in a very good financial situation, but I can always help as things in my home country costs much less than in Japan, so it's pretty cheap for me to financially support them when having a Japanese salary. Anyway, I'm worried about the future when they become really old and can't do things by themselves anymore. I want to prepare for that moment.

One thought that has crossed my mind is, if i become a permanent resident, or a naturalized japanese, is there anyway I can bring my parents to live with me in Japan permanently? Has someone been successful in doing so?

If the above was even possible, I know that elderly houses are insanely expensive in Japan. I also worry that they will not speak any Japanese and therefore might not even be accepted. Does anybody know of any foreign friendly elderly houses in Japan? How much do they cost?

Another option would be to just have them at home with me. Of course, that would require that I have a house big enough to have a room for them. Then I'd probably need to hire a nurse or some health worker to look after them while i'm at work. In my home country this is something very doable, but something tells me that in Japan this must be super expensive. Anybody has any experience?

I mean, worst case scenario, I might need to go back to my country to look after them, but I'm trying to see if there are other alternatives and how I can start preparing for it.

I would be very grateful if you could share any information/experiences regarding this.

You could try a dependant visia for them. But probably would be very difficult since you visa isnt permanent.

If you waited til you could get PR. Then getting them over on a suitable visa would be much easier. But that is a very long term plan.

My parents live alone in my home country and are now 64 years old. They're still fully healthy and can get around by themselves. They're not in a very good financial situation,

The question is what would be the reason for the immigration to accept the application.
I do not think immigration will accept your application without any good reason.
You mentioned they are financial not really good but this would not be a positive point in the application.

Please note that the following comment is not written to upset Japan or yourself - so please take it as a grain of salt

Japan has an ageing population and will be facing a population decline due to this fact. There were also recent changes to the immigration laws to allow slightly lower skilled workers into Japan for jobs such as construction and working in retirement villages. As such - Japan is facing a major problem with caring for a significantly ageing population with an ever shrinking working population.

Due to this - I doubt that Japan has many retirement visas - specifically for elderly and sickly parents. Who is going to pay for their health costs? Do your parents speak Japanese? How will they not be an economic drain on the Japanese social security system?

I'm sorry to ask these questions and there is probably someone on the forum who knows more than me. I'd suggest speaking to an immigration lawyer as your first step.

probably, you don't understand the language, because there are a lot of information about this topic, written in Japanese by immigration lawyers.
the answer is negative.

I doubt that Japan has many retirement visas
There is no such thing as a retirement visa.
The general rule is either have PR/citizenship, or go home after your visa/SoR expires. Japan is not a retirement destination country.

Dear all, many thanks for all your replies.

Yes, I'm aware that at first, Japan does not offer any "retirement visa", so that's already something not very hopeful. I also know of the problems with the aging population and the lack of younger population to support the pension system in the future. Overall, I really understand is not easy at all. Maybe not even convenient due to the fact that they don't speak the language so they might not even be allowed into an elderly care house!

Anyway, I was talking more about the future, like 10 years later or so, when they really require it and I have a better visa to support their application. As of now, I have a HSFP visa exceeding the 80 points, so that gives me the chance to get a PR about one to three years later. From there, I've considered citizenship if that's something that's going to support my case in any way to bring my aging parents here.

So, like I said, I know all the difficulties, but still wanted to ask here and see if anybody has been successful. I think this is going to be one of the key points for Japan to be able to attract foreign talent and resolve the sharp population decline. Maybe not now, but in the future we might see some revisions there, who knows

According immigration the following requirements have to be obtained.

Your parent(s) are financially dependent on you, your parent(s) do not have any close relatives in your home country, and are aged 70 or more. Most cases or denied due the lack of finance. If both your parents come to Japan you need to earn a good amount.

To justmyday:

Thank you. That's a bit more concrete and hopeful information.

Your parent(s) are financially dependent on you
Definitely. I don't plan for them to be covered by the japanese system or anything else. This country already has problems to cover for its own citizens and I don't intend for my parents to be an additional burden. I assume to be this my complete responsibility.

your parent(s) do not have any close relatives in your home country, and are aged 70 or more
I'm also considering for them to move here when they become 70 or older. By close relatives, are we talking about siblings? My parent's siblings are older than them and wouldn't be able to take care of them. I have one brother but he also lives outside of our home country. Of course, if one day he were to return all my worries would go away and I have no longer any need for my parents to come to Japan. Do cousins and other extended family count as "close relatives"?

If both your parents come to Japan you need to earn a good amount.
I'm not rich by any means, but my annual salary is now of about 13 million. If I were to get married with my girlfriend, our combined salary would be of about 20 million. My plan is to start saving for my parents care during the following 5-7 years. My goal is to make a fund of about 10-15 million yen exclusively for their care and needs. Of course I would continue to take from my regular salary if the funds were to be completely used. Is this more or less in line with immigration's expectation for financial capability or are we talking higher numbers?

You shouldn't think about marriage and uprooting your parents after a 4 month relationship, it's not sensible.

Japan is not a destination for retirement, especially if your parents can't speak Japanese.

Agreed, wait a while before you start thinking about shipping your parents off to a country they probably know very little about. If I told you the number of foreign guys who have had almost this exact conversation with me after being in love with a local woman for a few months you wouldn't believe me, so let me just assure you that your situation is not in the least bit rare or unique.

If you stay with this woman, if you marry her, if you choose a life in Japan together (as opposed to your home country), if it turns out that your parents need to be with you in Japan, then it will be sensible to start thinking about this.

Sorry to be blunt, I genuinely home this works out for you and you have a happy future, but it's just early.