PR: household income is expected to beat the Japanese average

How ISA works it out:

• Household income is the applicant’s income plus that of the people they share a home and finances with. An adult no longer supported by their parents is assessed without adding the parents’ income.
• Income from anyone on a non-work status doesn’t count, such as Dependent (家族滞在). The guideline’s definition of work status also leaves out Technical Intern Training, 育成就労, Specified Skilled Worker (i), Intra-company Transferee and some Designated Activities.
• Family members you support abroad count toward household size, so they raise the bar. For households of five or more, the threshold goes up again to allow for living costs.
• The same level applies nationwide, wherever you live.
• ISA says it doesn’t plan to publish the yen figures, so that screening stays effective.

ISA reads income from your tax certificates (課税証明書), so keep a copy for each year.

The guideline describes this as a factor ISA considers, and each decision looks at the applicant’s whole situation.

Which rules apply to you

• Filed by 31 March 2026: the February 2026 guideline.
• Filed from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027: the February 2026 guideline, plus the new income and public-burden sections. ISA chose 1 April 2026 because applications normally take 4 to 6 months.
• Filed from 1 April 2027: the whole October 2026 guideline.

On the spouse route

Spouses and children of Japanese nationals, permanent residents and special permanent residents don’t have to meet the independent-livelihood requirement, and ISA describes the income test as part of that requirement. So the income level doesn’t apply to them directly. ISA hasn’t said this in a single sentence, but both halves are in its own text.

They’re still checked on whether the household is a public burden, or realistically could become one. ISA says receiving protection equivalent to public assistance (生活保護) counts as a public burden, and that it will consider any special circumstances behind it.