Criteria for PR application

Hi

Quick question about the criteria for PR application

My situation - spouse of a japanese national, holding a 3 year residence card
Been married for over 4 years, been living in japan for 3.5 years

I would like to apply for PR soon.
I've read one requirement was to be in japan for at least a continuous year before applying.

I would like to know what they mean by "in", do they mean living ie a status of residence?
The reason I ask is because the process can take a while and I'd like to visit my family overseas for about 3 months before I apply.

Is a long visit abroad going to be questioned or result in rejection if its within a year of applying?
Can I travel home and apply when I get back to Japan as normal?

Thanks

実体を伴った婚姻生活が３年以上継続し，かつ，引き続き１年以上本邦に在留していること
引き続き means "continuously".
if you want to apply on Sep. 1, 2022, you need to show you have been staying in Japan with NO gap from Sep.1, 2021 to Aug. 31, 2022.
you need to live in Japan for a whole one year.
but, ask an immigration lawyer or an immigration staff about detail. they may have changed the actual rule.

"visit my family overseas for about 3 months before I apply."
no, you shouldn't. you lose the qualification.

about after-application, ask an immigration lawyer or an immigration office. but, if immigration has a question about your application, you can't answer it when you are absent.

Other posts in this forum have said as a spouse you can apply after five years rather than the usual 10 year minimum.
A three month gap is hardly an indication of a short holiday aboard and a commitment to living in Japan IMO. So, as previous poster said, probably not a good idea.

3.5 years is sufficient for eligibility (for spouse of Japanese national). So that should be no problem.
But I would also advise against leaving Japan for an extended time before applying. I believe that after the application has been filed, you can leave Japan while editing got the results to come (provided you have given all necessary info to immigration).

Thank you for the advice everyone. I will stay put for now until after PR is done.

@japancustomtours yes as AK says i do qualify in terms of my residency period and this is official on the immigration websites and various immigration lawyers websites.
I know you feel going to see my family for 3 months shows I not committed to japan, but I'm literally married to a japanese national so I am. However my family is on the other side of the world and it costs 300000yen or more for me to go, and my mother is very sick and my father died. So i wouldn't say I'm not committed, just that I have commitments on two sides of the planet. A week doesn't really cut it when you weigh up the costs! Just so you know that I'm not planning to go just to holiday around XD i do have legitimate concerns.

But on the above advice I will get my PR application through first and put travel on hold.
Thank you all for your help

you can leave Japan while editing got the results to come

Whoops, i had a few horrible mistakes there - the peril of typing on my smartphone! Sorry, i meant to say:
“You can leave Japan while waiting for the results to come,” but I assume you guessed that right already.
Best wishes.

Haha thank you AK. Yes with the help of context I was able to guess what you meant. Thank you for clarifying though ^_^