u/Prestigious-Cup-7930

I applied for Japan naturalization in February 2026, before the rule change, and I still haven’t received any interview notice from the Legal Affairs Bureau. I’ve lived in Japan for 11 years, work full-time, have JLPT N2, and my family life is stable with my wife and daughter. My tax and pension history is clean except for one delayed payment in 2023, which I paid fully. Since the 2026 rule change caused a big backlog, many applicants from early 2026 are still waiting for interviews, so the delay seems normal. My main concern is whether that single tax delay in 2023 could lead to rejection even though all other years are perfect — has anyone experienced something similar?

I applied for naturalization in Japan in February 2026, and my application is currently still under review.

At the time of application, I submitted around 2 years of tax records, which was in line with what was typically required back then. However, I did have a delayed tax payment in 2023, although it has already been fully paid.

Recently, from April 1, 2026, I understand that the screening standards have become stricter — including checking up to 5 years of tax records and applying more detailed reviews of tax and social insurance history.

This makes me a bit concerned about two things:

Will the new rules affect my application even though I applied before April?

Is there a possibility that they might ask me to submit 5 years of tax records additionally?

Could my delayed tax payment in 2023 negatively impact my application, even though it has been settled?

If anyone has applied recently or has experience with similar situations, I’d really appreciate your insights.