> If my friend's partner was not the same sex as his, then he would be eligible to a spouse visa regardless of job status and could get permanent residence in as low as 3 years.
Bear in mind that the Japanese government's official rationale for allowing spouses to work freely is to allow foreigners in that position to support Japanese dependent family members. The fact that it applies to spouses of working adults without children is more of a legal accident than deliberate policy (the rules were set at a time when it was rare for women to have careers).
Seems like they could move this law to parental benefits with very little change in intent and effect. It would not change for the friend in the parent comment, but it would separate the law from the cultural concept of marriage. It would also eliminate the concept of sham marriage when used as a tool for immigration (I have no idea if that is common or not).
> Seems like they could move this law to parental benefits with very little change in intent and effect.
That wouldn't allow a foreign husband to work to support a Japanese wife, which is an important function of the current rules. Gender discrimination may be nominally illegal in Japan, but it's still quite hard for a woman, especially a married woman, to have a full career and get promoted etc..
If we assume that the Japanese government's official view married women in japan without children as a dependent family members, then it is possible that immigration of foreign husband of those are an intended feature. It might also be that husband supporting such dependent family member is assumed to fall within the skilled labor category of immigrants.
> If we assume that the Japanese government's official view married women in japan without children as a dependent family members, then it is possible that immigration of foreign husband of those are an intended feature.
It absolutely is an intended feature - in part in order to make it easier for those women to have children, and in part so that they don't have to be supported by the state. Neither of those apply to OP's situation.
> It might also be that husband supporting such dependent family member is assumed to fall within the skilled labor category of immigrants.
It isn't. The visa deliberately allows doing any kind of work, including work for which it's impossible to get a work visa.
Yes. It's such a weird quirk, where the japanese denomination is for having a "dependent(配偶者) of Japanese national" while the english wording is just "spouse".
I think they're just stuck with the old japanese name and won't bother renaming it to something closer to reality.
Bear in mind that the Japanese government's official rationale for allowing spouses to work freely is to allow foreigners in that position to support Japanese dependent family members. The fact that it applies to spouses of working adults without children is more of a legal accident than deliberate policy (the rules were set at a time when it was rare for women to have careers).