u/Apocalyptic-turtle

I’d really appreciate some opinions on my situation (sorry long post). I’ve started feeling a bit anxious about whether my plans are still realistic.

I’ve always felt that I was relatively well positioned in Japan because of my education and Japanese ability, but lately I’m getting the impression that everything is becoming increasingly focused on money, and I’m not sure how my particular situation will be evaluated.

Background

• I came to Japan as a MEXT scholarship student, and approaching 10 years of continuous residence in Japan so I could apply 2027 April onward.
• However, because I stayed all the way until PhD, 7 years and 7 months of those 10 years were as a student, from my arrival until my most recent graduation.
• This means that I will have only about 2 years and 8 months of employment in Japan when I reach the 10-year residence mark next year.
• My entire time as a MEXT student was under 100% exemption from taxes (全額免除).
• I also had the bad luck of starting my career at a somewhat mediocre and, frankly, misleading company. They originally promised around ¥6.5 million, but I actually ended up earning only ¥5.5 million.
• I’m hoping to change jobs before March and move into a better-paying position, although obviously that isn’t guaranteed yet. I still have quite a few interviews/processes to go through.
• Besides my academic degrees from Kyoto University, obviously have JLPT N1.
• Currently 5-year Engineer/Humanities visa, valid until October 2029.
• Also, no criminal record or other legal violations, no history of late payments, and I have not had any long periods of absence from Japan.
• Living in Kawasaki

Financially, I currently have:

• Around ¥1.3 million in NISA
• Around ¥1.5 million in my regular bank account

I originally intended to put more into NISA, but at this point I’m not sure what exactly matters most when evaluating someone’s financial situation.

So this is where I’m unsure.

It feels like I’ve maxed out the education/integration/language side of the equation, but because I spent so many years as a student and only recently started working in Japan, my income and employment history don’t look particularly impressive.

And although my studies were funded by MEXT, i.e. the Japanese government itself, I have no idea whether immigration would actually view that positively or whether, from their perspective, those years simply count as years without taxable income.

I’m also currently 36 years old, so I’m wondering whether the fact that I spent many years under pension exemption as a student could be viewed negatively, especially given that I’m now only relatively recently entering the workforce.

So, how would you assess the situation?

Do I have a realistic chance of citizenship after reaching 10 years of residence, or does the combination of long student years, relatively short Japanese employment history, modest current income, and pension exemptions put me at a significant disadvantage?

I’d especially appreciate perspectives from people who have gone through the process, particularly anyone with experience or knowledge about non-traditional paths like long-term study, PhD, relatively late entry into the Japanese workforce.

 

*P.S.

Originally, my plan was to apply for PR first and then pursue naturalization. However, because of the lower than promised salary at my current company, combined with my age, I was no longer able to qualify for the hsp route with just one year of employment. Instead, it effectively became a 3-year wait (75 pts), so I decided to skip PR altogether and go directly for naturalization once I meet the relevant requirements.

I’m not sure whether is a sensible decision or not.