Each week here at Osaka.com we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Higher Residency Fees Bring Queues and Financial Worries
Japan introduced higher residency fees on October 1, prompting foreign residents in Osaka to hurry through applications before the increase took effect. There was chaos as 350 people waited outside the Osaka Regional Immigration Services Bureau when it opened at 9 a.m. on September 29. Heavy demand also caused difficulties for people using the government’s online application system.
The biggest jump concerns permanent residency, which now costs 200,000 yen, compared with 10,000 yen previously. Fees for changing residency status or extending a stay previously stood at 6,000 yen. The new charges depend on the length of stay, ranging from 10,000 yen for three months or less to 75,000 yen for five years or more.
The government cites rising screening costs following immigration legislation enacted in May. However, attendees at several different Immigration centers across the country this week noted fewer staff than usual in attendance, leading to allegations that this whole log-jam of chaos was planned from the start. People who meet both severe financial hardship and humanitarian criteria can qualify for reduced charges of 10,000 yen for renewals or status changes, and 20,000 yen for permanent residency.
Kyodo’s report highlighted an Indonesian applicant in Osaka with a Japanese wife and children, who described the increase as a shock and linked his permanent residency application to difficulties obtaining a loan.
For Osaka’s international community, the change raises an immediate household budgeting question. Renewing permission to remain here sits alongside rent, food, utility bills and the other unavoidable costs of everyday life. Families planning for a long-term future now have another substantial expense to consider, with the possibility of future chaos, should the government double-down on its current hardline stance.
Osaka Hospital Marks a Milestone in Heart Treatment
An Osaka hospital offered a more hopeful headline on September 29, when surgeons carried out Japan’s first cardiac muscle sheet operation under public health insurance coverage.
The treatment uses heart muscle cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, commonly known as iPS cells. Cuorips, a company originating from the University of Osaka, developed the product, called RiHeart. The procedure involves attaching a sheet of these cells to the heart’s surface, with the aim of encouraging blood vessel formation and improving heart function.
Yoshiki Sawa, the University of Osaka’s professor emeritus and president of Osaka Keisatsu Hospital, performed the operation on a woman in her 50s from Kanagawa Prefecture. The company reported that the procedure finished smoothly after approximately 50 minutes.
Insurance coverage began on September 1, following conditional approval in March. The treatment carries a price of 53.2 million yen, although Japan’s high-cost medical expense system limits eligible patients’ personal payments.
Early trials involving eight patients reported improvements, but the treatment still needs further evidence. Cuorips must establish its effectiveness by 2033 as part of the conditional approval process.
The significance extends beyond a single operation. Turning a research breakthrough into a treatment that patients can access through the public insurance system represents a major practical step. Osaka’s contribution deserves recognition, while the small number of trial participants calls for measured expectations as doctors gather more evidence.
Sakai Records Error Deletes Living Spouse’s Registration
Sakai officials announced on September 29 that staff had mistakenly treated a living resident as deceased while processing their spouse’s death notification.
The error occurred at Sakai Ward Office. Staff entered the surviving spouse’s details during the resident registration deletion process. Although a check identified an initial mistake and staff entered the deceased person’s name, the surviving spouse’s information remained in the system. Further checks failed to prevent officials from deleting both records.
The mistake came to light on September 17, when the hospital treating the surviving spouse asked why their elderly healthcare insurance eligibility had disappeared. The deletion had also invalidated their My Number card. Such chaos is a rare occurrence but can happen, especially with a system so reliant on accurate data input.
Officials restored the resident record that day and apologised. The card required a separate reissue, which the city completed on September 25. Sakai said it had confirmed that the incident ultimately caused no impact on healthcare insurance, nursing care insurance or pension benefits.
The city attributed the incident to incorrect input and inadequate checks by multiple staff members. It has introduced additional verification measures to prevent a repeat.
For someone already coping with bereavement and a hospital stay, this was an unnecessary administrative burden. The incident illustrates how a single records error can reach several areas of a resident’s life, and why safeguards must work at each stage of the process.
And Finally… A Pet Shop With a Little Too Much Bite
Osaka’s shops cater to plenty of unusual tastes, but police say one pet shop operator took the idea of an exotic collection too far.
Officers arrested Soma Satomi, 34, on September 28 on suspicion of keeping a saltwater crocodile without the required permission. According to police, the animal measured around 1.5 metres and lived in a tank at his shop. The allegations also concern an alligator snapping turtle and 21 common snapping turtles kept without permission. One coule only image the chaos if any of these exotic animals had escaped their confines.
There is something wonderfully understated about describing a crocodile as a pet shop’s paperwork problem. Most customers enter such establishments expecting a hamster, a goldfish, or perhaps a parrot with an impressive vocabulary. A resident capable of making everyone reconsider the distance between themselves and the tank adds a rather different shopping experience.
The allegations remain a matter for investigators, and restrictions on dangerous animals serve a serious purpose. Still, this week’s story provides a useful reminder for aspiring pet owners: before asking whether an animal will fit in the house, perhaps check whether it belongs in a wildlife documentary.
That’s all for now, but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of This Week in Osaka!
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