Best Countries to Move Abroad [2026]: How to Choose by Purpose and Why People Say "Don't"

The best country to move to depends on why you are moving. If you plan to live on a pension, look at countries with long-stay visas granted on the basis of a pension or assets, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Portugal and Panama. If you want to work and earn permanent residence, look at skilled-migration countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. If you want residence rights through investment, the golden visas of Portugal and Greece are the candidates. On the other hand, people say "don't move abroad" because problems tend to surface only after the move: a weak yen pushes up living costs, a pension may be taxed both in Japan and in the new country, health insurance becomes hard to obtain in old age, and Japanese nationals who acquire a foreign nationality lose their Japanese nationality. This article first looks at where Japanese nationals live abroad according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs statistics, then sets out recommended countries by purpose and the points to check before you move. Conditions and costs for each country are covered in detail in our country articles.

*Amounts and rules are as of October 9, 2026. This article is an English version of our Japanese guide, adapted for foreign residents of Japan and international investors.

Conclusion: the best country depends on your purpose

Each country's residence visas make it clear "whom the country wants to accept." The best country for you is one where your purpose matches the conditions that country sets.

If you choose only on the basis of "low cost of living" or "low taxes," you may find you cannot meet the visa conditions, or that costs pile up after you arrive. The safer order is to decide your purpose first, then compare living costs, safety, healthcare and taxes among the countries that have a visa for that purpose. The costs of permanent residence and citizenship by country are listed in How much does overseas permanent residence or citizenship cost?. For a comparison from the tax perspective, see Ranking of low-tax countries.

Countries where the most Japanese nationals live (MOFA statistics)

According to the Annual Report of Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1,298,170 Japanese nationals were living abroad as of October 1, 2025, of whom 588,486 were permanent residents.

The United States, Australia and Canada have many permanent residents, meaning many Japanese nationals have put down roots there. In Thailand, by contrast, 96% of Japanese nationals are long-term stayers and only 3.8% are permanent residents. Permanent residence is hard to obtain in Thailand, so the community consists mainly of expatriate employees and their families and people who keep renewing long-stay visas. By city, the largest numbers live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area (63,972), Bangkok (51,297), the New York metropolitan area (38,251) and Singapore (33,397).

Countries with large Japanese communities tend to have Japanese-speaking hospitals, Japanese restaurants and Japanese schools, which makes life easier for anyone who is new to living abroad.

Retiring on a pension: Thailand, Malaysia, Portugal, Panama, Greece

In countries with visas for retirees, you can stay long term without working as long as you have a certain level of pension or assets.

When moving abroad on a pension, always check which country taxes your Japanese pension. If the country has a tax treaty with Japan that includes a pension article (Portugal, for example), you can file a notification with the Japan Pension Service to be exempted from Japanese withholding, and the pension is taxed in your new country. In countries whose treaty has no general pension article, such as Thailand, or with no treaty at all, such as Panama, Japan withholds 20.42% (for those aged 65 or over, on the portion exceeding JPY 95,000 per month). The treatment by country is listed in Can you move abroad on a pension?. (Japanese public pensions are discussed here; if you receive a pension from another country, check that country's treaty position.)

Working toward permanent residence: Australia, Canada, New Zealand

If you want to work locally while aiming for permanent residence, consider countries with points-based skilled migration. Points are awarded for age, English ability, education, work experience and occupation, and applicants who meet the conditions are invited to apply.

• Australia: under 45 at the time of invitation, at least Competent English, a positive skills assessment in an occupation on the list, and 65 or more points. In the June 2026 invitation round, construction trades were invited at 65 points, while nurses and teachers were mainly invited at 75 points or more. See Australia's occupation list for permanent residence
• Canada: invitations are issued on the basis of Express Entry scores. See Canada permanent residence: conditions and costs
• New Zealand: points-based Skilled Migrant Category (SMC). See New Zealand permanent residence: conditions and costs

In every country, younger applicants with English skills and experience in an in-demand occupation have the advantage. If you are in your 40s or older or not confident in English, you will need to consider other routes such as employer sponsorship or family visas. To check candidate countries based on your age and funds, you can also use our permanent residence eligibility checker. How easy it is to obtain permanent residence in each country (via money, years of residence, or work) is compared in Countries where it is easy to get permanent residence.

Residence or citizenship through investment: golden visas and Vanuatu citizenship

For people who say "I won't move right away, but I want the right to live abroad," there are golden visas, which grant residence in exchange for investment.

There are also programs that grant citizenship (a passport) itself. Vanuatu grants citizenship in return for a government donation (US$130,000 for a single applicant), with citizenship obtained about 3–4 months after application. Note, however, that Japan does not allow dual nationality, so Japanese nationals who voluntarily acquire a foreign nationality lose their Japanese nationality. If you are a Japanese national, check the effect on your nationality in List of countries that allow dual citizenship before deciding; foreign residents of Japan should check their own country's nationality rules. Safety, prices, taxes and daily life in Vanuatu are covered in Moving to Vanuatu: safety, prices, taxes and visas.

Choosing for your children's education: Malaysia, Singapore, Australia

For "education relocation," where the aim is your children's education, choose the country by combining the cost of English-medium international schools with the visa the parent can obtain.

• Malaysia: a wide choice of international schools, with fees for the same grade differing by about three times from school to school. Parents mainly use MM2H or an employment pass. See Malaysia relocation: conditions and costs
• Singapore: high educational standards, but housing and school fees are expensive, and the parent needs a status of residence (such as an employment pass). See Singapore relocation and permanent residence conditions
• Australia: if a parent obtains permanent residence through skilled migration or another route, the children can attend local public schools

In education relocation, the older the child, the harder it becomes to balance schooling abroad with entrance exams and further education back home. Deciding in advance how many years you will stay and whether you will return makes it easier to choose a school. A comparison of school fees and parent visas in six countries is in Best countries for education relocation.

7 reasons people say "don't move abroad"

People say "don't move abroad" because problems like the following come to light only after the move. All of them can be checked with numbers in advance.

Country-specific drawbacks are explained with figures in Drawbacks of moving to Portugal and reasons for regret, Why people regret moving to Thailand and Safety and cost of living in Panama.

Before you move: taxes, resident registration and Japanese documents

When you move abroad from Japan, procedures on the Japanese side are just as essential as the visa for your destination.

• Resident registration and taxes: if you plan to live abroad for a year or more, you should in principle file a moving-out notification and remove your resident registration. Once you become a non-resident of Japan, the treatment of Japanese income tax and inhabitant tax changes. See Taxes and resident registration when moving abroad
• Pension and health insurance: decide on voluntary enrollment in the National Pension, how you will receive your Japanese pension, and how you will cover medical costs after leaving Japanese health insurance
• Bank accounts: decide whether to keep your Japanese accounts and whether to open accounts abroad. For what happens to Japanese bank and securities accounts and NISA, see What happens to your Japanese bank account when you move abroad?; for opening an overseas account, see How to open an overseas bank account
• Japanese documents: many countries' visa applications require English translations of Japanese documents, such as a family register (koseki) certificate for Japanese nationals or a police certificate (criminal record certificate), together with an apostille (certification of public documents) from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

FAQ

Which destination is best for Japanese nationals?

It depends on your purpose. For living on a pension, Thailand, Malaysia, Portugal and Panama are candidates; for earning permanent residence through work, Australia, Canada and New Zealand; for residence through investment, the golden visas of Greece and Portugal. The largest number of Japanese nationals live in the United States, followed by Australia and China.

How much money do I need to move abroad?

It varies greatly by country and visa. Thailand's retirement visa starts from a deposit of THB 800,000, and Portugal's D7 requires a pension or passive income of at least EUR 920 per month. These are only the visa screening thresholds, however; actual living costs must also include rent, health insurance, taxes and trips home.

Which countries make permanent residence easy to obtain?

Panama (Pensionado and Qualified Investor) has programs that grant permanent residence from the start on the basis of a pension or investment. Australia and Canada run points-based skilled migration in which an invitation leads to permanent residence from the start; they are relatively accessible for young, English-speaking people in in-demand occupations. Some countries, such as Thailand, have no permanent residence category based on retirement.

Can a woman on her own, or a single retiree, move abroad?

Yes. Visa conditions do not depend on gender or family status. For safety, choose cities or districts with large foreign communities, take care when moving around at night, and check each country's risk information on the Overseas Safety website of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and check your own government's travel advice).

Will I stop receiving my Japanese pension if I move abroad?

No. You can receive a Japanese pension while living abroad. However, how you receive it and how it is taxed differ by country, so check before you move.

Summary

• The best country to move to is decided by your purpose: pension, work, investment, education and so on
• The largest numbers of Japanese nationals live in the United States, Australia, China, Canada and Thailand (as of October 1, 2025)
• For a pension: Thailand, Malaysia, Portugal, Panama; for work: Australia, Canada, New Zealand; for investment: golden visas
• The reasons people say "don't" are the weak yen, tax on pensions, health insurance, visa renewals, Japanese nationality, the exit tax and language. All of them can be checked in advance
• Along with the visa for your destination, prepare the procedures for resident registration, taxes, pension and Japanese documents

Related articles: How much does overseas permanent residence or citizenship cost? / Can you move abroad on a pension? / Taxes and resident registration when moving abroad

References (primary sources)

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Annual Report of Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas (as of October 1, 2025)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Release of the Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas (December 25, 2025)
• Japan Pension Service: When moving abroad
• National Tax Agency: Withholding on public pensions paid to non-residents (Tax Answer No. 2884)
• Sources for each country's programs are given in the country articles linked in the text

Amounts and rules in this article are as of October 9, 2026.