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Immigration Control
JAPAN
Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice
Introduction
Introduction
Publication of the2011 Immigration Control
This year
s version of the report is the 17th version ofImmigration Control, rst
published in 1959. Prior to the 2003 version,Immigration Controlmerely reported
ve-year trends in immigration control administration. However, given the accelerated
pace of the changes in conditions surrounding Japan
s immigration control policy, it
was recognized that immigration control administration needs to be swifter and more
accurate in responding to those changes. Accordingly, since 2004, a summary of the
one-year trend of immigration control administration has been given annually.
The2011 Immigration Controlintroduces the trend of immigration control
administration during the past ve years from 2006 to 2010 rst, and then summarizes
the current circumstances affecting immigration control administration and major
policies mostly implemented during FY 2010. It also describes that Immigration
Bureau
s efforts to achieve a tourism-oriented country by welcoming more foreign
tourists to visit Japan, efforts for promotion of admission of skilled foreign workers
in professional or technical elds including highly-skilled foreign professionals, eorts
for reduction in the number of illegal or false foreign residents with tightened law
enforcement, eorts for strict prevention of entry of possible terrorists at the ports of
entry, and eorts for urgent and prompt response to the unprecedented devastating
damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in FY 2010.
Part 1, titledImmigration Control in Recent Years, describes that Foreign
Introduction
Nationals Entering and Residing in Japan (Chapter 1), Deportation Procedures for
Foreign Nationals (Chapter 2), Recognition of Refugee Status (Chapter 3), Promotion of
Measures against Tracking in Persons and Proper Protection of Foreign DV Victims
(Chapter 4) and Alien Registration Process (Chapter 5) based on statistics.
Part 2, titledPrimary Measures Related to Immigration Control Administration in
FY 2010, describes that Response toNew Growth Strategy(Chapter 1), Efforts
toward Smooth Introduction of the New System for Residence Management (Chapter
2), Smooth and Strict Implementation of Immigration Examination (Chapter 3), Launch
of the New Technical Intern Training Program (Chapter 4), Proper and Smooth
Acceptance of Foreign College Students (Chapter 5), Special Exceptions to the Period
of Stay for Foreign Resident Applicants for Permission to Extend the Period of Stay
(Chapter 6), Efforts by the Immigration Bureau concerning the Great East Japan
Earthquake (Chapter 7), Measures against Illegal or False Foreign Residents in Japan
(Chapter 8), Proper Operation of Special Permission to Stay (Chapter 9), Promotion
of Appropriate and Prompt Refugee Protection (Chapter 10), Addressing the Global
Community (Chapter 11), and Improvements in Public Relations and Administrative
Services (Chapter 12).
Furthermore, the Data Section features major developments concerning immigration
control administration in FY 2010.
We hope this report helps you feel immigration control administration closer to you.
November, 2011
Shigeru Takaya
Director-General of the Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Japan
Points
abolished for international students as long as they intend to work as a teaching assistant with
in the college they belong to..
Establishment of a special exception to the period of stay for foreign nationals applying for
permission to extend period of stay.
In case an application of permission for extending the period of stay or for changing the
status of residence is made by the expiration date of the period of stay, but procedures are not
completed by the expiration date, the foreign national is allowed by the amendedImmigration
Control Actto stay with the status of residence either until the procedure is completed or
for two months after the expiration date of the period of stay even after the period of stay is
expired whichever comes earlier (implemented in July, 2010).
Eorts of the Immigration Bureau concerning the Great East Japan Earthquake
Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, foreign nationals subject to notification by the
Ministry of Justice, based on Paragraph 2 of Article 3 of the Act on special measures for
preservation of rights and interests of victims of specied disasters, are all allowed to postpone
the expiration date of the period of stay until August 31, 2011 without taking any particular
measures. Further, the Immigration Bureau swiftly accepted rescue teams of about 1,100
members from other countries and implemented quick procedures so that foreign nationals
wishing to leave Japan due to the earthquake would be permitted to later re-enter Japan as
well as follow the procedures to leave Japan. Along with that, the Immigration Bureau also
implemented procedures so that college students, trainees and technical interns who returned
home in the middle of their studies or training due to the earthquake are able to smoothly re-
enter Japan.
To conrm the safety of foreign nationals who might have fallen victim to the earthquake,
the Immigration Bureau, based on requests from municipalities and foreign diplomatic oces
in Japan, provided information on registered foreign nationals in the devastated area. The
Immigration Bureau also referred to inquiries from families and relatives of foreign nationals
and Japanese nationals in the devastated area about any existence of evidence of their leaving
Japan.
The Immigration Bureau implemented procedures so that foreign nationals who resided in
the devastated area are able to request the issue of a certicate of registered matters in the
municipalities to which they evacuated. Along with that, in order to support such municipalities
which have diculties in registering foreign nationals, the Immigration Bureau acted for such
municipalities by carrying out the registration.
The Immigration Bureau set up a specic phone number to conduct telephone counseling also
on holidays so that foreign nationals who were aected by the earthquake can be provided with
information.
Implementation of measures against illegal and false foreign residents
There has been a steady decrease in the number of illegal overstayers. The decrease seems to
be the outcome of past eorts over the years. However, it is estimated that still there are some
100,000 potentially illegal foreign residents, and eorts to further decrease the number of illegal
foreign residents have been promoted by strengthening detection, reinforcing collection and
analysis of information on illegal foreign residents, and promoting voluntary appearance.
False residentsstands for foreign nationals who disguise themselves as legal residents by
falsifying their status of residence and purpose of stay by means of fake marriage, pretending
to be students, etc. and work without legal status in Japan by misusing forging or alternating
documents or abusing fraudulent documents. Since they actually appear to be legal residents,
precise data on their actual number has not been obtained. The existence of false residents
Points
abusing the system of status of residence cannot be overlooked, because such potentially
illegal foreign nationals undermine the rule of the Immigration Control Act and are likely to
have negative impact on Japanese society. Therefore, the Immigration Bureau is striving to
strengthen the detection of those who engage in activities other than those permitted, and
reinforce collection and analysis of information.
Eorts toward proper treatment of detainees
In July 2010, theImmigration Detention Facilities Visiting Committee consisting of
intellectuals from outside the Immigration Bureau was established with the aim of ensuring
further transparency in security treatment, and improving and enhancing operations of
immigration detention centers, etc.
For detainees detained for a certain period of time after a written deportation order is issued,
the Immigration Bureau is to hereafter examine and discuss periodically the necessity and
reason for a provisional release of such detainees and flexibly utilize the provisional release
while taking individual situations into account to implement further appropriate deportation
procedures.
The Immigration Bureau is to hold a discussion with Japan Federation of Bar Associations
(JFBA) in September, 2010, on measures to achieve a better state of aairs over issues regarding
detainment in immigration control administration. Along with that, as part of the measures, the
Immigration Bureau and JFBA agreed to together promote efforts toward legal consultation
etc. by lawyers for detainees. The Immigration Bureau and JFBA are hereafter to continuously
discuss how to achieve a better state of aairs over issues regarding detainment.
Appropriate operation of special permission to stay
Various measures, including formulation and announcement of theGuidelines on Special
Permission to stay in Japanand publication of theCases where Special Permission to Stay
was granted and the Cases where Special Permission to Stay was denied, have beentaken to
enhance the transparency and predictability of the special permission to stay. These Guidelines
on Special Permission to Stay in Japanprovides more details concerning matters to be
considered in judging whether to grant special permission to stay or not. It also presents the
concept for judgment. The guideline, therefore, is to be applied to judge whether to grant
special permission to stay or not.
Promotion of appropriate and prompt refugee protection
For early stabilization of legal status of people to be recognized as refugees etc.the Immigration
Bureau set six months as the standard processing period for protracted examination for
application for refugee status in July, 2010, and further to officially announce the average
processing (examination) period for application for refugee status quarterly on the website of
the Ministry of Justice. There were 612 backlog cases which were not processed even after
six months after ling, at the end of June, 2010. But the number of backlog cases drastically
decreased down to 35 at the end of March, 2011.
Based onConcerning the Implementation of Pilot Case relating to the Acceptance of Refugees
by Resettlement to a Third Country(approved by the Cabinet on December 16, 2008), and the
Detailed Measures for Implementing Pilot Case relating to the Acceptance of Refugees by
Resettlement to a Third Country(Decision by the Liaison and Coordination Conference for
Countermeasures for Refugees on December 19, 2008), a program to accept Myanmar refugees
staying in the Mera Camp in Thailand and to oer support for resettlement as a pilot case will
be launched from FY 2010. 27 Myanmar refugees from ve families entered Japan in the rst
group in FY 2010.
Points
i
Permanent ResidentandSpecial Permanent Resident 25
Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan for the Purpose of Employment in Specic and
Technical Fields 27
College Student 28
Trainee,Technical Intern Training (1) 28
Designated Activities (Technical Intern Training)and
Technical Intern Training (2) 29
Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan with the Status of Residence for Resident
Activities Based on Civil Status or Position 30
Status of Residence Examinations 30
Permission for Extension of Period of Stay 31
Permission for Change of Status of Residence 31
Change of Status of Residence from the Status of Student for
Employment Purposes 32
Permission to Change Status of Residence in order to Participate in
Technical Intern Training (2) 33
Permission for Acquisition of Status of Residence 34
Re-entry Permission 35
Permission to Engage in an Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of
Residence Previously Granted 35
Permission for Permanent Residence 35
Section . Japanese Nationals Leaving and Returning to Japan 36
The Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan 36
The Total Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan 36
The Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan by Gender and Age 36
The Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan by Airport and Seaport 37
The Number of Japanese Nationals Returning to Japan 38
ii
Illegal Workers 46
Summary 46
The Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Nationality (Place of Origin) 46
The Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Gender 47
The Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Type of Work 47
The Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Place of Work 48
Outline of Judgments of Violations 49
Receipt and the Findings of Cases of Violation 49
Issuance of a Written Deportation Order 51
Provisional Release 52
Special Permission to Stay in Japan 52
Outline of Deportation of Foreign Nationals 53
Deportation at the Expense of the Government 54
Deportation at the Expense of the Foreign National (Voluntary Departure) 54
Deportation at the Expense of and under the Responsibility of Carriers 55
Departure Orders 56
Outline 56
Investigation into Violations 56
The Number of Foreign Nationals Ordered to Depart by Nationality
(Place of Origin) 56
The Number of Foreign Nationals Ordered to Depart by Applied Article 56
Examination 57
Receipt and Findings of Cases 57
Issuance of a Written Departure Order 57
Conrmation of Departure 57
iii
Chapter . Promotion of Measures against Tracking in Persons and
Proper Protection of Foreign DV Victims
Section . Promotion of Measures against Tracking in Persons 63
Protection of Victims of Tracking in Persons 63
Foreign Nationals Deported for Committing Tracking in
Persons 64
Section . Proper Protection of Foreign DV Victims 64
Outline 64
Number of Recognized Foreign DV Victims 65
iv
Part . Major Policies Related to Immigration Control
Administration in FY 2009
Chapter . Addressing the New Growth Strategy
Smooth Acceptance of Foreign Nationals in order to Revitalize
Japanese Economy and Society
v
Section . Progress in Eorts toward Introduction of the
System 77
Smooth Transition to the New System of Residence
Management 77
Smooth Transition to the Basic ResidentsRegister System for
Foreign Residents 78
Cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Aairs and Communications and Local
Governments, and Provision of Information to Them 78
Measures to Ensure Accurate Registration 78
vi
Integration of the Two Categories of Status of Residence,
College StudentandPre-college Student 87
Review of Permission to Engage in Activity Other than That
Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted 88
vii
Chapter . Measures against Illegal or False Foreign Residents in
Japan
Section . Implementation of Measures against Illegal Foreign
Residents 95
Past Eorts to Reduce the Number of Illegal Residents 95
Eorts to Further Reduce the Number of Illegal Residents 95
Strengthened Detection 95
Improvement of Environment for Voluntary Appearance 96
Section . Implementation of Measures against False Foreign
Residents 96
Countermeasures against False Foreign Residents, etc. 96
Crackdown on False Residents, etc. 97
Reinforcement of Collection and Analysis of Information 97
Strengthened Detection of Those Engaged in Activities Other than Those Permitted /
Strict Response to those falling under the Category of Revocation of the Statuses of
Residence of False Residents 97
Addition of Grounds for Deportation to Correctly Deal with the
Furtherance of Illegal Work etc. 97
Section . Eorts toward Proper Treatment of Detainees 98
Activities, etc., of the Immigration Detention Facilities Visiting
Committee 98
Verication Regarding Provisional Release of Foreign
Nationals to be Detained in Accordance with Deportation
Order 98
The Agreement with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations
Concerning Immigration Control Administration 99
viii
Chapter10. Promotion of Appropriate and Prompt Refugee Protection
Section . The Establishment and Publication of Targets for the
Handling Period of Refugee Recognition Examinations 101
Section . Publication of Refugees' Countries of Origins 101
Section . Acceptance of Refugees through Resettlement to a
Third Country 101
ix
Data Section
Data Section . Major Developments after April 1,2010 112
x
Sta Training 141
xi
Charts
xiii
Table 27: Changes in the number of cases of illegal work by type of work 48
Table 28: Changes in the number of cases of illegal foreign workers by place of work 49
Table 29: Changes in the number of cases of receipt and ndings of violation examinations by
immigration inspectors, hearings by special inquiry ocers and decisions of
the Minister of Justice 50
Table 30: Changes in the number of issuance of written deportation orders by grounds for
deportation 51
Table 31: Changes in the number of cases of provisional release permission 52
Table 32: Changes in the number of cases of special permission to stay in Japan by grounds for
deportation 53
Table 33: Changes in the number of cases of special permission to stay in Japan by nationality (place
of origin) 53
Table 34: Changes in the number of deportees by nationality (place of origin) 53
Table 35: Changes in the number of deportees by means of deportation 54
Table 36: Changes in the number of deportees by voluntary departure by nationality
(place of origin) 55
Table 37: Number of foreign nationals handed over under a departure order by nationality (place of
origin) (2010) 56
Table 38: Changes in the number of issuance of written departure orders by nationality
(place of origin) 57
Table 39: Changes in the number of refugee applicants 58
Table 40: Changes in the number of refugee ndings 59
Table 41: Changes in the number of protected refugees 59
Table 42: Changes in the number of lings of objections and decisions of
the Minister of Justice 61
Table 43: Number of victims of tracking in persons (2010) 64
Table 44: Changes in the number of victims of tracking in persons 64
Table 45: Number of recognized foreign DV victims(2010) 65
Table 46: Changes in the number of initial registration and closed registration by division 66
Table 47: Changes in the number of registrations of changes in registered matters 67
Table 48: Changes in the number of conrmation of registered matters 68
Table 49: Changes in the number of organizations subject to a nding of misconduct by type of
receiving arrangement 86
Table 50: Number of ndings of misconduct by category (2010) 86
Table 51: Changes in the number and percentage of overstayers who entered Japan with
the status of residence ofCollege StudentandPre-college Student 88
Table 52: Trend in the number of led cases of Immigration Litigation (the merit of case) 129
Table 53: Reorganization,abolition or establishment of branch oces of regional immigration
bureaus 137
Table 54: Changes in the number of immigration control oce personnel 139
Table 55: Changes in the capacity for detention 144
xiv
Photo
xv
Part 1
Immigration Control in Recent Years
Part 1.
There are no separate categories for arrivals in 1955 and 1960.
2
Part 1.
Chart 2: Changes in the number of foreign nationals entering Japan by major nationality (place of origin)
*(Note) In the immigration-related statistics, mainland China and Taiwan are described asChinaandChina (Taiwan)respectively.
With respect to Hong Kong, persons of Chinese nationality having a SAR (Special Administrative Region) passport (including
persons of Chinese nationality having a certicate of identity within the period of validity issued by the former Hong Kong
Government) are described asChina (Hong Kong), and persons having the right of residence in Hong Kong and having
a BNO (British National Overseas) passport (British passport issued only to residents in Hong Kong) (including persons who
have a British (Hong Kong) passport issued by the former Hong Kong Government and entered within its period of validity
(prior to June 30, 1997), are described asUK (Hong Kong). Further, BNO passports are restricted in respect of renewal,
and gradually transition to SAR passports.
On the other hand, in statistics relating to alien registration, persons from mainland China are described asChinawithout
distinguishing their place of origin, and BNO passport holders are included inUK.
Further, for the purpose of statistics on the number of alien registrations, persons of R.O. Korea and P.R. Korea are collected
jointly asR.O. Korea and P.R. Korea.
3
Part 1.
of persons between the two countries, and is considered to have contributed to the increase
in Korean visitors. The number of visitors from China has been increasing year after year
because it became easier to take sightseeing trips to Japan due to the easing of regulations
for issuing visas, and China remained in second place from the preceding year. (Chart 2)
According to a comparison between the number of foreign nationals entering Japan in 2009
and 2010 by nationality (place of origin) of the top five countries, visitors from R.O. Korea
increased by 851,490 (46.4%), followed by China, which increased by 424,972 (34.4%), China
(Taiwan), which increased by 243,918 (22.9%), the US, which increased by 29,508 (4.0%), and
China (Hong Kong), which increased by 61,113 (14.5%).
Further, visitors from Thailand increased by 37,221 (18.7%), followed by Australia, which
increased by 14,734 (6.8%) and the UK, which increased by 3,444 (1.8%).
Slightly more foreign males came to Japan than females. The numbers of foreign males and
females entering Japan in 2010 were 4,755,944 and 4,687,752 respectively. The percentages of
males and females were 50.4% and 49.6%, respectively.
According to statistics by age in 2010, foreign nationals in their thirties represented the
largest age group, accounting for 24.1% of the total number of foreign nationals entering
Japan. The ratio of males was higher in the thirties and over age groups, while the ratio of
females was higher in the twenties and under age groups. (Chart 3)
Chart 3: Number of foreign nationals entering Japan by gender and age (2010)
4
Part 1.
The number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan may be considered as aflow
showing the flow of foreign nationals to Japan, while the number of registered foreign
residents in Japan as mentioned below represents astockwhich shows the number of
foreign nationals staying in Japan at a certain point of time.
5
Part 1.
for sightseeing purposes was 5,680,340, accounting for 71.7% of the total foreign nationals
newly entering Japan, followed by foreign visitors for business-related purposes standing
at 1,295,404 (16.4%). In particular, since the trend of tourists is comparatively easily aected
by factors in Japan, such as the holding of specic events, changes in exchange rates and
the implementation of various measures to attract tourists, it is consequently assumed that
the changes in numbers of foreign nationals newly entering Japan, of which such temporary
visitors make up the majority, reect the social circumstances in Japan and the trends both
at home and abroad at the time.
Foreigners residing in Japan having this status of residence cannot change their status
to another status of residence in principle as they cannot engage in employment activities,
and are allowed to enter through relatively simplied procedures (Article 19 and 20 of the
Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (hereinafter referred asImmigration
Control Act)).
According to the statistics on newly entering foreign nationals for the purpose of
sightseeing by nationality (place of origin), R. O. Korea occupied the largest number at 1,805,876,
accounting for 31.8% of the total number of foreign nationals entering Japan for the purpose
of sightseeing. R.O. Korea was followed by China (Taiwan) (1,104,904, accounting for 19.5% of
the total), China (749,716, accounting for 13.2%) and China (Hong Kong) (444,083, accounting
for 7.8%). As South Koreans, Chinese (Taiwanese), and Chinese (People
s Republic of China)
account for over 60% of the overall number of sightseeing visitors to Japan, it is expected that
measures to attract tourists from these countries and regions will be implemented actively in
the future as well. (Charts 4 and 5)
6
Part 1.
Chart 5: Number of new arrivals for the purpose of sightseeing by nationality (place of origin) (2010)
7
Part 1.
(B) Foreign Nationals Entering Japan for the Purpose of Employment in Specic
and Technical Fields
The number of newly entering foreign nationals under the status of residence for
employment in specic and technical elds (excluding the status of residence ofDiplomat,
OcialandTechnical Intern Trainingfrom Charts 1-1 and 1-2 in the appendix to the
Immigration Control Act) in 2010 was 52,503, a decrease of 4,590 (8.0%) from the year 2009.
(Chart 6)
Chart 6: Changes in the number of new arrivals by the status of residence for employment in specic and technical elds
8
Part 1.
The total number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan with a status of residence
designed for foreign employees working for a Japanese company was 12,791 in 2010,
consisting of three types of categories according to their status of residence: 2,852 with
Engineerstatus, 4,113 withSpecialist in Humanities/International Servicesstatus, and
5,826 withIntra-company Transfereestatus. The number of foreign employees with the
status of residenceEngineerdecreased by 511 (15.2%), those with the status ofSpecialist
in Humanities/International Servicesdecreased by 54 (1.3%), and those with the status
ofIntra-company Transfereeincreased by 581 (11.1%) from 2009, respectively. The total
number of foreign workers with these statuses of residence increased by 16 (0.1%).
As described in Section 2, 1 (3) B below, the number of registered foreign nationals in
Japan had been steadily increasing for all three of these types of status of residence in recent
years. However, as of the end of December 2010, the number of registered foreign nationals
is on a decreasing trend and decreased to 131,199 in total (a decrease of 5,475 (4.0%) from
2009) consisting of 46,592 with the status of residence ofEngineer, 68,467 with the status of
residence ofSpecialist in Humanities/International Services, and 16,140 with the status of
residence ofIntra-company Transferee.
According to the statistics on the status of residence ofEngineerby nationality (place of
origin), the largest number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence
ofEngineercame from China (983, or 34.5%), followed by India (384, or 13.5%), R.O. Korea
(302, or 10.6%), the Philippines (226, or 7.9%). The number of newly entering foreign nationals
from those four countries accounts for 66.4% of the total number of newly entering foreign
9
Part 1.
nationals with the residence status ofEngineer. In addition to the decreasing trend in 2008,
the aftereects of the global economic recession in 2009 signicantly decreased the number
of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence ofEngineer, leading to a
continuous decreasing trend.
Regarding the number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of
Specialist in Humanities/International Services, statistics by nationality (place of origin)
show that the largest number came from the US (986, or 24.0%), followed by China (592,
or 14.4%), R.O. Korea (552, or 13.4%) and the UK (286, or 7.0%). These top four countries
accounted for just below 60% of the total number of newly entering foreign nationals with
this status of residence.
With regard to newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence ofIntra-
company Transferee, statistics by nationality (place of origin) show that the largest number
came from China (1,937, or 33.2%), followed by the US (528, or 9.1%), India (520, or 8.9%) and
R.O. Korea (505, or 8.7%), and these top four countries accounted for about 60% of the total
number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence ofIntra-company
Transferee.
10
Part 1.
(C) College Student and Pre-college Student (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 9-1, 10)
The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence ofCollege
Studentincreased by 10,835 (28.6%) from a year earlier to 48,706 in 2010. Meanwhile, the
number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence ofPre-college
Studentdecreased by 13,506 (47.8%) from a year earlier to 14,772 in 2010, following the
integration of the status of residence ofPre-college studentintoCollege Studentfrom
July, 2010.
According to statistics by region in 2010, most of the newly entering foreign nationals
with the status of residence ofCollege StudentorPre-college Studentcame from Asia,
accounting for 81.4% of the total number of foreign students with the status of residence of
College Studentand 94.4% with the status of residence ofPre-college Student.
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), China occupied the largest number of
newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence ofCollege Student, standing
at 22,752 (46.7% of the total), followed by R.O. Korea (7,271, or 14.9%). The number of Chinese
college students increased by 5,913 (35.1%) from the previous year, and that of South Korean
college students increased by 1,784 (32.5%).
As for the number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence ofPre-
college students, China accounted for the largest number of students with 8,819 (59.7% of the
total) followed by R.O. Korea with 2,774 (18.8%). The number of Chinese pre-college students
decreased by 9,234 (51.1%) from the previous year, and that of South Korean pre-college
students decreased by 1,742 (38.6%). (Charts 7 and 8)
11
Part 1.
Chart 7: Changes in the number of new arrivals with the status of residence ofCollege Studentby major nationality (place
of origin)
The two categories of status of residence,College Student and Pre-college Studentwere integrated into one
category,College Studenton July 1, 2010
Chart 8: Changes in the number of new arrivals with the status of residence ofPre-college Studentby major nationality
(place of origin)
315
12
Part 1.
13
Part 1.
Chart 9: Changes in the number of new arrivals with the status of residence ofTraineeby major nationality (place of origin)
(*) Since July 1, 2010 the status of residence,Trainee , is referred to as foreign nationals who have entered
Japan to receive public training or non-practical training not involving internship.
(E) Foreign Nationals Entering Japan with the Status of Residence of Resident
Activities Based on Civil Status or Position (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 14-1,
15-1)
When foreign nationals enter Japan for resident activities based on civil status or position,
one of three types of statuses of residence namelySpouse or Child of Japanese National,
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident
, orLong-Term Residentwill be given. (No foreign
nationals newly entering Japan can obtain the status of residence ofPermanent Resident
because that status is granted only to foreign nationals who have lived in Japan for a certain
period of time (Article 7, Paragraph (1) (ii) of the Immigration Control Act).).
The number of new arrivals with the status of residence ofSpouse or Child of Japanese
Nationalreached 11,452 in 2010, while that of new arrivals with the status of residence of
Spouse or Child of Permanent Residentreached 1,068. In 2010, the number forSpouse
or Child of Japanese Nationaldecreased by 3,499 (23.4%) from a year earlier, while that for
Spouse or Child of Permanent Residentdecreased by 616 (36.6%) from a year earlier.
The number of new arrivals underLong-Term Residentdecreased by 1,768 (17.8%) from
a year earlier to 8,178 in 2010. According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), Brazil
occupied the largest number of such new arrivals, standing at 2,246 (27.5%), followed by the
Philippines at 2,195 (26.8%), and China at 2,097 (25.6%). (Chart 10)
14
Part 1.
15
Part 1.
On-board search
16
Part 1.
conducted by an immigration inspector will be handed over to a special inquiry officer, who
will conduct a hearing for landing (Article 7, Paragraph (4) and Article 9, Paragraph (5) of the
Immigration Control Act)* . (Chart 11)
*(Note 1)Landing examinationby the immigration inspector andlanding judgmentafter the hearing are jointly called the
landing examination procedure in the wide sense of the term.
Further, the procedure of decision by the Minister of Justice is not applicable to those who fail to provide information for
personal identication.
17
Part 1.
Chart 11: Flow of landing examination
Objection No objection
Decision by the Minister of Justice
(or by Director-General of the Regional Immigration
Bureau
Special landing
Landing permission Exclusion Order
permission
The number of new cases for the hearing for landing (the number of cases which are assigned
to a special inquiry officer on account of a foreign national not having been granted landing
permission by an immigration inspector) in 2010 was 7,365, the smallest in the past ve years.
The most common cases were those in which foreign nationals were required to undergo
a hearing for landing on suspicion of having submitted a false landing application, such as
claiming to be a tourist or a similar status while their real purpose of entry was illegal work or
other illegal activities (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, Paragraph (1) (ii) of
the Immigration Control Act). Such cases numbered 5,105, a decrease of 2,365 (31.7%) from 2009
and accounted for 69.3% of the total of new cases in 2010. This was followed by cases which
were assigned on account of foreign nationals who were suspected of not having valid passports
or visas, such as trying to enter Japan using a forged or altered passport (not meeting the
conditions provided for in Article 7, Paragraph (1) (i) of the Act). Such cases numbered 1,116,
18
Part 1.
(Cases
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Conditions for landing
Looking at the processing of the hearing for landing in 2010 **, the number of cases where
landing was permitted as it was known that conditions for landing were met as the result of the
hearing for landing, decreased to 2,903 cases (20.8%) from 2009.
Also, cases in which foreign nationals were ordered to leave Japan because they were found
not to meet the conditions for landing at the hearing for landing by a special inquiry ocer and
**(Note 2) In some cases, the total number of new cases for the hearing for landing by conditions for landing (Table 4), is not the
same as that of the changes in the processing of the hearing for landing (Table 5). This is because a case may be assigned by
the immigration inspector to the special inquiry ocer at the end of the year, or the hearing may be prolonged, and it may
be the next year after the case is assigned by the immigration inspector to the special inquiry ocer when the hearing for
landing is processed.
19
Part 1.
who later consented to the ndings numbered 2,662, a decrease of 28.7% from 2009.
Cases in which foreign nationals led objections with the Minister of Justice because they
were not satisfied with the finding by a special inquiry officer that they did not meet the
conditions for landing numbered 1,319, a decrease of 34.5% from 2,014 in 2009. (Table 5)
Table Changes in the prosessing of the hearing for landing
(Cases
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Division
Total 18,240 18,496 12,661 9,938 7,304
*
Othersincludes cases where the jurisdiction has changed or the application has been withdrawn owing to
the departure, escape or death of the applicant during the hearing for landing by the special inquiry ocer.
(2) Foreign Nationals Who Fall under Any of the Reasons for Denial of
Landing
In principle, foreign nationals denied permission for landing are those who (1) are ordered to
leave Japan after a hearing for landing or (2) are ordered to leave Japan after the results of ling
an objection with the Minister of Justice.
The number of foreign nationals denied permission for landing in 2010 was 3,489, a 27.0%
decrease from 4,780 in 2009.
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of foreign nationals
denied permission for landing came consistently from R.O. Korea standing at 1,340, (38.4% of the
total), followed by China standing at 348 (10.0%) and China (Taiwan) standing at 325 (9.3%). The
top three countries accounted for about 58% of the total. (Chart 12)
20
Part 1.
21
Part 1.
Table Changes in the number of lings of objections and decisions by the Minister of Justice
(Cases)
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Division
Filing of Objection () 1,707 3,103 1,973 2,022 1,326
With reason 23 16 10 5 18
Decisions
Outstanding 6 6 8 7 21
Pre-entry Examination
(1) Advance Consultation for Issuance of Visas
The Ministry of Foreign Aairs, which is in charge of visa administration, coordinates with
the Ministry of Justice, which is in charge of immigration administration, with regard to the
entry of foreign nationals. The Minister of Foreign Aairs consults with the Minister of Justice
as the need arises, on whether a visa should be issued to a certain foreign national. This is called
advance consultation for issuance of visas.
The number of cases of advance consultation for visa issuance was 4,615 in 2010, showing a
decrease of 1,890 from 6,505 in 2009 (29.1%).
22
Part 1.
While the number of registered foreign nationals residing in Japan indicates the state of thestock
,
which shows how many foreign nationals live in Japan for a certain period and what is their purpose,
the statistics of foreign nationals on entry and departure from Japan show theflowof foreign
nationals to and from Japan.
In principle, every foreign national who has entered Japan must apply for registration to the
mayor or head of the city, town, or village in which his/her residence is located, in accordance with
the Alien Registration Act (hereinafter referred to as theRegistration Act), within 90 days of the
date of his/her landing (Article 3 of the Registration Act). However, most foreign nationals who have
entered Japan with the status of residence ofTemporary Visitor, accounting for more than 90% of
the total number of foreign entrants, leave Japan without registering.
Therefore, the registered number of foreign nationals with the status of residence ofTemporary
Visitoris small (accounting for only 1.4% of the total number of registered foreign nationals as of the
end of 2010). As a result, the statistics on the foreign nationals registered in Japan can be considered
as the data mainly for foreign nationals who stay in Japan for a relatively long period of time for
such purposes as employment, study or cohabitation, living asettled lifein the local community.
Further, the following persons are not the subject of alien registration: persons with permission
for provisional landing, persons with special cases of landing (excluding those who received landing
permission for temporary refuge), diplomats, etc. having the status of residence ofDiplomat,
tourists on ocial purposes for a foreign government having the status of residence ofOcialand
military personnel, and civilian employees and their family members who fall under the Agreement
under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States of
America, regarding Facilities and Areas and the Status of United States Armed Forces in Japan and
other agreements.
23
Part 1.
Chart 13: Changes in the number of registered foreign nationals and its percentage of the total population in Japan
24
Part 1.
25
Part 1.
Looking at changes in the number of permanent residents which has steadily increased
during the period between the end of 2006 and the end of 2010, it increased by 170,612 (43.3%) at
the end of 2010 from 394,477 as of the end of 2006.
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of permanent
residents came from China. The number of Chinese permanent residents was 169,484 as of the
end of 2010, followed by Brazil, the Philippines, North and South Koreas and Peru. Further, the
numbers of permanent residents from China, Brazil, the Philippines, North and South Korea
and Peru increased by about 1.4 times, 1.5 times, 1.5 times, 1.2 times, and 1.3 times, respectively,
compared to the end of 2006.
On the other hand, the number of registered foreign nationals who wereSpecial Permanent
Residentthat occupied the largest percentage until 2006 is decreasing year by year, while the
26
Part 1.
27
Part 1.
*(Note 1) The number increased by 8,843 (4.6%) compared to the total number 192,668 of the statuses of residence ofCollege
StudentandPre-college Studentat the end of 2009.
**(Note 2) The comparison was made with the total number of the statuses of residence ofCollege StudentandPre-college
Student.
28
Part 1.
29
Part 1.
F. Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan with the Status of Residence for Resident
Activities Based on Civil Status or Position (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 14-2,
15-2)
As of the end of 2010, the number of registered foreign nationals with the status of residence
ofSpouse or Child of Japanese Nationalwas 196,248. Looking at the change from the end of
2006 until the end of 2010,Spouse or Child of Japanese Nationalwas on an increasing trend
until the end of 2006, however, it turned into a decreasing trend after the end of 2007, and the
number as of the end of 2010 decreased by 25,675 (11.6%) from the end of 2009.
According to statistics by nationality, as of the end of 2010, the number of registered foreign
nationals with the status of residence ofSpouse or Child of Japanese Nationalfrom China was
53,697, accounting for 27.4% of the total, followed by the Philippines (41,255 accounting for 21.0%)
and Brazil (30,003 accounting for 15.3%). Looking at the change from the end of 2006 until the
end of 2010 by nationality (place of origin), China took rst place, surpassing Brazil, while Brazil
is decreasing each year and its number as of the end of 2010 decreased to less than half from
the end of 2006.
The number of registered foreign nationals with the status of residence ofLong-Term
Residentwas 194,602 as of the end of 2010 accounting for 9.1% of the total. Looking at the
change from the end of 2006 until the end of 2010, the number was, similarly to the case of
Spouse or Child of Japanese National, on an increasing trend until the end of 2006, however,
it turned into a decreasing trend after the end of 2007 and the number as of the end of 2010
decreased by 27,169 (12.3%) as compared with the end of 2009.
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the number of such foreign nationals
from Brazil was 77,359, accounting for 39.8%, followed by the Philippines (37,870 accounting for
19.5%) and China (32,048 accounting for 16.5%) at the end of 2010. Looking at the change from
the end of 2006 until the end of 2010, the Philippines, which ranked in third place until the end
of 2007 continuously increased and reached second place at the end of 2008 surpassing China,
continued to increase steadily.
Residence Examinations
If any foreign national in Japan desires to
stay longer than the period of stay originally
permitted to him/her, or desires to change his/
her status of residence in order to pursue a new
purpose differing from the purpose for which
the original status of residence was granted,
the foreign national must file an application in
accordance with the Immigration Control Act
and obtain required permission from the Minister
of Justice or the Director-General of the regional
immigration bureau. There is such permission
for extension of period of stay, change of status Residence examination
30
Part 1.
Permission for extension of period of stay 466,304 436,630 434,307 444,330 389,439
Permission for special permanent residence 112 131 114 139 105
Permission for acquisition of status of residence 8,013 8,680 8,957 8,303 7,531
31
Part 1.
In 2010, the number of foreign nationals who obtained such permission was 188,178, an
increase by 39,132 (26.3%) as compared with 2009*.
Among these, the major cases of applying for permission for change of status of residence
were as follows:
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the number of foreign nationals who
obtained such permission from China was 4,874, accounting for 62.2% of the total, followed by
R.O.Korea (1,205, accounting for 15.4%) and China (Taiwan) (279, accounting for 3.6%).
According to statistics by status of residence, foreign nationals who obtained permission
to change their statuses toSpecialist in Humanities/International Servicesrepresented the
largest ratio, totaling 5,422 and accounting for 69.2%, a decrease by 1,255(18.8%) from 2009.
In addition, 1,390 foreign nationals (17.7%) obtained permission to change their statuses to
Engineerin 2010, and these two statuses of residence account for 87.0% of the total. (Table 11)
*(Note) It is considered to be that the number of foreign nationals applying for permission for change of status of residence increased
while the number of foreign nationals applying for extension of period of stay decreased contributed to that, along with the
starting of the new training and technical intern training programs from July, 2010, those who were to apply for extension
of period of stay from the second year to the third year of the program applied not for extension of period of stay with the
status of residence ofDesignated Activities (Technical Intern Training)but for change of status of residence fromDesignated
Activities (Technical Intern Training)toTechnical Intern Training (2).
32
Part 1.
*(Note) The number in 2010 is the total number of foreign nationals who shifted the status of residence toDesignated Activities
(Technical Intern Training)in the old system and those who changed the status of residence toTechnical Intern Training (2)
in the current system.
33
Part 1.
Table 12: Changes in the number of trainees who switch to the Technical Intern Training Program by nationality
People
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality
Total 41,000 53,999 62,520 62,207 49,166
China 34,817 42,871 49,566 49,032 39,616
Viet Nam 2,221 4,155 4,885 4,972 3,349
Indonesia 1,924 3,274 3,393 3,467 2,272
Philippines 1,482 2,407 3,000 3,127 2,806
Thailand 342 783 1,079 1,082 691
Others 214 509 597 527 432
*1Chinadoes not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
*2The training and technical intern training programs herein is referred to as those reviewed in accordance with the
revised Immigration Control Act on July 15, 2009 and enforced in July 2010. TheDesignated Activities (Technical
Intern Training)in the former system correspond to the Technical Intern Training, Items 1-(a) and 1-(b) in the
current system.
*3The numbers corresponding to the years from 2006 to 2009 were those of the foreign nationals who switched their
status of residence toDesignated Activities (Technical Intern Training). The number corresponding to 2010 was
a total number of the foreign nationals who switched their status of residence toDesignated Activities (Technical
Intern Training)in the former system and who switched their status of residence to theTechnical Intern Training,
Item (2)in the current system.
Table 13: Changes in the number of trainees who switch to the Technical Intern Training Program by job type
People
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Job Type
Total 41,000 53,999 62,520 62,207 49,166
Women/Children s apparel production 10,750 11,697 12,707 11,428 10,252
Mold construction 526 800 1,012 877 604
Men s apparel production 741 658 637 631 681
Welding 2,817 3,882 5,457 5,569 4,040
Steel reinforcement construction 409 610 889 987 709
Machining 1,918 2,960 3,539 3,203 1,490
Metal press work 1,768 2,505 3,150 2,769 1,625
Plumbing 88 119 163 215 146
Painting 1,070 1,255 1,644 1,766 1,128
Furniture production 260 392 364 435 259
Casting 811 1,167 1,062 977 752
Steeplejack 610 702 1,125 993 819
Plastic molding 2,686 4,769 4,270 4,454 2,987
Carpenter 350 441 356 402 376
Construction machinery production 77 147 172 179 171
Others 16,119 21,895 25,973 27,322 23,127
*1The training and technical intern training programs herein is referred to as those reviewed in accordance with the
revised Immigration Control Act on July 15, 2009 and enforced in July 2010. TheDesignated Activities (Technical
Intern Training)in the former system correspond to the Technical Intern Training, Items 1-(a) and 1-(b) in the
current system.
*2The numbers corresponding to the years from 2006 to 2009 were those of the foreign nationals who switched their
status of residence toDesignated Activities (Technical Intern Training). The number corresponding to 2010 was
a total number of the foreign nationals who switched their status of residence toDesignated Activities (Technical
Intern Training)in the former system and who switched their status of residence to theTechnical Intern Training,
Item (2)in the current system.
34
Part 1.
35
Part 1.
2007 was a record high of 60,509. However, the number has been on a decrease since then to
53,818 in 2009 and 47,898 in 2010. (Table 14)
Table 14Changes in the number of permanent residence permits by nationality (place of origin)
Cases
Year
Nationality 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(Place of Origin)
Total 51,538 60,509 57,806 53,818 47,898
China 13,744 15,875 16,140 16,957 16,714
Philippines 7,554 8,723 8,982 9,248 9,157
Brazil 16,055 19,793 16,824 11,430 7,549
Korea 3,368 3,788 3,914 4,060 3,760
Peru 2,878 3,241 2,783 2,389 1,756
Others 7,939 9,089 9,163 9,734 8,962
*Chinaincludes Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
15,445,684
36
Part 1.
37
Part 1.
Table 15: Changes in the number of Japanese nationals returning to Japan by period of stay
People
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Period of Stay
Total 17,457,286 17,199,310 15,905,433 15,432,549 16,611,884
Within 5 days 10,223,891 10,125,098 9,344,449 9,341,903 9,904,585
More than 5 days to 10 days 4,480,153 4,370,202 3,935,729 3,613,776 4,002,339
More than 10 days to 20 days 1,098,627 1,066,490 1,007,021 897,894 998,258
More than 20 days to 1 month 379,317 356,190 342,367 298,834 347,066
More than 1 month to 3 months 563,278 566,805 560,726 529,070 542,196
More than 3 months to 6 months 311,045 316,000 319,749 324,165 314,762
More than 6 months to 1 year 267,240 268,808 270,411 290,320 258,013
More than 1 year to 3 years 114,578 113,569 111,398 124,015 124,335
More than 3 years 12,965 10,323 8,354 7,479 8,567
Unknown 6,192 5,825 5,229 5,093 111,763
38
Part 1.
Section 1 Overstayers
Based on the computer statistics of the
Immigration Bureau, the estimated number of
overstayers (those who illegally stay in Japan
beyond the permitted period of stay) was 78,488
as of January 1, 2011. This number has been
steadily decreasing, down by 13,290 (14.5%) from
91,778 on January 1, 2010, in other words, down
by 220,158 (73.7%) from a record high of 298,646
on May 1, 1993.
This decrease was attributable to the eects of
Investigation into violation
comprehensive measures against illegal residents,
including implementation of strict immigration examinations, and efforts for close cooperation
with other related agencies to detect violators of the Immigration Control Act and active publicity
activities to prevent illegal employment.
If the above-mentioned number of overstayers and estimated number of foreign nationals who
may have illegally entered Japan are combined, the number of illegal foreign residents would still be
about 90,000 to 100,000.
39
Part 1.
Table 16: Changes in the estimated number of overstayers by major nationality (place of origin)
People
Date
May 1 May 1 May 1 May 1 May 1 May1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1
Nationality 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
(Place of Origin)
Total 159,828 278,892 298,646 293,800 286,704 284,500 282,986 276,810 271,048 251,697 232,121 224,067 220,552 219,418 207,299 193,745 170,839 149,785 113,072 91,778 78,488
R.O. Korea 25,848 35,687 39,455 43,369 47,544 51,580 52,387 52,123 62,577 60,693 56,023 55,164 49,874 46,425 43,151 40,203 36,321 31,758 24,198 21,660 19,271
China 17,535 25,737 33,312 39,738 39,511 39,140 38,296 37,590 34,800 32,896 30,975 27,582 29,676 33,522 32,683 31,074 27,698 25,057 18,385 12,933 10,337
Philippines 27,228 31,974 35,392 37,544 39,763 41,997 42,547 42,608 40,420 36,379 31,666 29,649 30,100 31,428 30,619 30,777 28,491 24,741 17,287 12,842 9,329
China (Taiwan) 5,241 6,729 7,457 7,871 7,974 8,502 9,409 9,430 9,437 9,243 8,849 8,990 9,126 7,611 6,760 6,696 6,347 6,031 4,950 4,889 4,774
Thailand 19,093 44,354 55,383 49,992 44,794 41,280 39,513 37,046 30,065 23,503 19,500 16,925 15,693 14,334 12,787 10,352 8,460 7,314 6,023 4,836 4,264
Malaysia 14,413 38,529 30,840 20,313 14,511 11,525 10,390 10,141 9,989 9,701 9,651 10,097 9,442 8,476 7,431 6,822 6,397 4,804 2,986 2,661 2,442
Peru 487 2,783 9,038 12,918 15,301 13,836 12,942 11,606 10,320 9,158 8,502 7,744 7,322 7,230 6,624 5,997 5,283 4,481 3,396 2,402 1,794
Singapore 1,435 1,712 1,914 2,342 2,600 2,850 2,946 3,027 3,084 3,178 3,302 3,494 3,556 3,216 3,075 3,587 2,241 2,207 2,128 2,107 1,789
Brazil 944 2,703 2,210 2,603 3,104 3,763 5,026 4,334 3,288 3,266 3,578 3,697 3,865 4,728 4,905 2,762 2,286 2,297 1,939 1,645 1,536
Sri Lanka 2,281 3,217 3,763 3,395 2,980 2,783 2,751 3,071 3,734 3,907 3,489 3,730 3,909 4,242 4,209 4,590 4,042 3,615 2,796 1,952 1,498
Others 45,323 85,467 79,882 73,715 68,622 67,244 66,779 65,834 63,334 59,773 56,586 56,995 57,989 58,206 55,055 50,885 43,273 37,480 28,984 23,851 21,454
Looking at changes after May 1, 1993, when the highest number of overstayers was recorded,
the country (place of origin) of the largest number of overstayers as of May 1, 1993 was Thailand,
followed by R.O. Korea, the Philippines, China, and Malaysia. In the ranking as of January 1, 2011, R.O.
Korea was top followed by China, the Philippines, China (Taiwan), and Thailand.
The changes in the number of overstayers by nationality (place of origin) were as follows.
Although new entries have increased drastically since visa-exemption measures have been
implemented for those who intend to engage in activities that can be performed under the status of
residence ofTemporary Visitor, the number of overstayers from R.O. Korea has been consistently
decreasing since January 1, 1999. The number of those from Thailand has steadily decreased since
May 1, 1993.
The number of those from Malaysia and Peru has also seen a decrease due to a measure to
promote the acquisition of visas, which was taken on June 1, 1993 and on July 15, 1995 respectively.
The number of those from China continued to decrease from 1994 until 2002. Then, it started to
increase in 2003 and further increased in 2004, but it has also shown a decreasing trend since 2005.
The number of overstayers from the Philippines has been decreasing since 1998, but fluctuated
between increasing and decreasing from 2003 to 2006, decreasing after 2007.
40
Part 1.
41
Part 1.
Right to
Hearing requested by suspect
hearing
waived by the
Hearing for deportation by special suspect
inquiry officers
no Detention
Found that there is an error Found that there is no
in the findings error in the findings Right to file
objection
Identified as waived by
Identified as
Objection filed by the suspect the suspect
those not subject those subject to
to the departure the departure
d
Decision by the Minister of Justice
With reasons
Without reasons
Identified as those not
Identified as those subject to the
subject to the departure
Notification to departure order
order
supervising
immigration inspectors
With reasons to Without reasons to
permit special stay permit special stay in
in Japan Japan
Issuance of written departure order
Deportation
Table 18: Changes in the number of cases of violation of the Immigration Control Act by grounds for deportation
People
Year
Grounds 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
for Deportation
Total 56,410 45,502 39,382 32,661 24,213
Illegal entry 10,441 7,454 6,136 5,373 3,867
Illegal landing 506 342 253 186 134
Activity other than those
1,736 1,409 1,153 810 751
permitted
Overstay 42,829 35,417 31,045 25,503 18,578
Criminal oenses etc. 898 880 795 789 883
Illegal work 45,929 36,982 32,471 26,545 18,490
Table 19: Changes in the number of cases of violation of the Immigration Control Act by nationality (place of origin)
People
Year
Nationality 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(Place of Origin)
Total 56,410 45,502 39,382 32,661 24,213
China 16,269 11,981 10,963 9,522 7,294
Philippines 10,420 9,185 7,847 6,370 5,058
R.O. Korea 8,128 6,560 4,993 3,934 3,215
Thailand 3,294 2,467 2,020 1,832 1,475
Viet Nam 1,407 1,571 1,708 1,373 887
Peru 1,306 1,068 1,064 1,216 742
Indonesia 2,443 2,153 2,284 1,632 735
Sri Lanka 1,624 1,449 1,432 1,171 624
Brazil 661 663 537 536 581
Nepal 896 647 588 500 319
Others 9,962 7,758 5,946 4,575 3,283
*Chinadoes not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
42
Part 1.
*(Note) An illegal entrant means a person who enters Japan in violation of the provisions of Paragraph 1, Article 3 of the Immigration
Control Act. The provisions in the said paragraph stipulate that any foreign national who falls under any of the following
items shall not enter Japan: a person who does not possess a valid passport (except for a crew member possessing a valid
crew member s pocket-ledger) (Item 1); and a person who intends to land in Japan without receiving a seal of verication for
landing or undergoing the recording of the prescribed data pursuant to the provision of Article 9, paragraph (4), or without
obtaining authorized permission for landing from an immigration inspector (Item 2). Any foreign national who violates the
provisions is considered as an illegal entrant. In other words, even if a person possesses a valid passport or crew member s
pocket-ledger, the person shall be considered as an illegal entrant if he/she falls under the Item 2 shown above.
43
Part 1.
Table 21: Changes in the number of cases of illegal entry by airplane by nationality (place of origin)
People
Year
Nationality 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(Place of Origin)
Total 7,549 5,448 4,462 3,880 2,849
Philippines 1,956 1,519 1,301 1,153 1,006
China 2,088 1,215 942 698 533
Thailand 934 633 471 387 284
Peru 298 241 261 377 188
R.O.Korea 415 318 224 165 141
Others 1,858 1,522 1,263 1,100 697
*Chinadoes not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
Table 22: Changes in the number of cases of illegal entry by ship by nationality (place of origin)
People
Year
Nationality 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(Place of Origin)
Total 2,892 2,006 1,674 1,493 1,018
China 1,911 1,195 1,078 950 679
R.O. Korea 352 301 254 262 186
Philippines 103 105 75 84 59
Bangladesh 232 194 127 78 23
Iran 63 59 46 33 20
Others 231 152 94 86 51
*Chinadoes not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
(3) Overstay
Among the foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures were carried out for
violating the Act in 2010, the number of those who had stayed beyond the authorized period of
stay decreased by 6,925 (27.2%) from 2009 to 18,578. This accounts for 76.7% of the total number
of foreign nationals violating the Act.
44
Part 1.
(4) Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence
Previously Granted
If a foreign national residing in Japan exclusively engages in work or engages in activity
other than that permitted for his/her status of residence previously granted without obtaining
the required permission, deportation procedures will be carried out by reason of engaging
in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted. The
number of such foreign nationals had decreased by 59 (7.3%) from 2009 to 751 in 2010. This
accounts for 3.1% of the total number of foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures
were carried out for violating the Act.
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number was from China
(291 accounting for 38.7% of the total), followed by R.O. Korea (207 accounting for 27.6%), and the
Philippines (57 accounting for 7.6%), and these three top countries account for 73.9% of the total.
(Table 25)
Table 25: Changes in the number of cases of activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously
granted by nationality (place of origin)
People
Year
Nationality 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(Place of Origin)
Total 1,736 1,409 1,153 810 751
China 469 395 369 266 291
R.O. Korea 412 380 275 306 207
Philippines 399 297 189 85 57
Nepal 18 21 35 10 45
Viet Nam 32 49 56 15 36
China (Taiwan) 34 48 48 25 29
Bangladesh 13 13 26 18 23
India 4 27 23 8 19
Sri Lanka 14 8 16 9 15
Thailand 14 14 14 14 6
Others 327 157 102 54 23
*Chinadoes not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
45
Part 1.
Illegal Workers
(1) Summary
Among the foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures were carried out for
violating the Act in 2010, the number of those who were considered to have been illegally
working was 18,490, accounting for 76.4% of the total number of foreign nationals violating the
Act. This indicates that most illegal foreign residents work illegally.
It has been pointed out that illegal foreign workers, working for substandard wages, take
away employment opportunities from Japanese workers in the present severe employment
climate, and prevent the realization of a fair labor market. Furthermore, there have been human
rights violations against illegal foreign workers. For example, brokers arrange for illegal workers
to come to Japan and gain a huge unfair prot by exploiting the wages that should be earned
by the foreign workers. Foreign workers in these conditions are also unable to receive sucient
compensation in the event of an industrial accident.
46
Part 1.
47
Part 1.
Table 27: Changes in the number of cases of illegal work by type of work
People
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Job Categories
Total 45,929 36,982 32,471 26,545 18,490
Male 24,759 20,926 19,270 16,522 10,943
Female 21,170 16,056 13,201 10,023 7,547
Factory worker 12,986 11,572 11,366 8,220 4,168
Male 8,892 7,898 7,670 5,687 2,846
Female 4,094 3,674 3,696 2,533 1,322
Attendants such as bar hostess 7,701 5,809 4,452 3,323 2,679
Male 356 400 429 331 240
Female 7,345 5,409 4,023 2,992 2,439
Construction worker 5,425 4,458 3,831 3,938 2,383
Male 5,378 4,401 3,792 3,890 2,358
Female 47 57 39 48 25
Other labor worker 3,307 2,792 3,092 2,461 1,715
Male 2,502 2,190 2,342 1,899 1,347
Female 805 602 750 562 368
Waitress and bartender 4,008 3,073 2,149 1,487 1,265
Male 1,336 1,190 807 596 464
Female 2,672 1,883 1,342 891 801
Other service worker 2,815 1,953 1,483 1,312 1,166
Male 1,026 739 598 533 490
Female 1,789 1,214 885 779 676
Others 9,687 7,325 6,098 5,804 5,114
Male 5,269 4,108 3,632 3,586 3,198
Female 4,418 3,217 2,466 2,218 1,916
48
Part 1.
49
Part 1.
Table 29: Changes in the number of cases of receipt and ndings of violation examinations by immigration
inspectors, hearings by special inquiry ocers and decisions of the Minister of Justice
Cases
Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Division
Violation examination by immigration
Finished
*The numbers indicated in ( ) are carry-over cases from a previous year and are included in each of the upper numbers.
The number of requests for hearings conducted after examination of violations in 2010 was
8,164 accounting for 31.7% of the total cases received as examination of violations, increased
from 2009. (Chart 20)
50
Part 1.
The number of objections, which a foreign national unsatised with the decision made by the
special inquiry ocer at the hearing may le with the Minister of Justice, increased to 7,949 in
2010. (Table 29)
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin) in 2010, as well, the largest number of
foreign nationals who were issued written deportation orders came from China (4,110 accounting
for 31.0%), followed by the Philippines (2,380 accounting for 17.9%), and North and South Koreas
(1,700 accounting for 12.8%). (Chart 21)
51
Part 1.
Chart 21: Changes in the number of issuance of written deportation orders by nationality (place of origin)
52
Part 1.
According to statistics by nationality (place of origin) in 2010, the largest number of foreign
nationals who were granted special permission to stay in Japan came from China (1,098
accounting for 17.3%), followed by North and South Koreas (815 accounting for 12.8%). (Table 33)
Table 33: Changes in the number of cases of special permission to stay in Japan by nationality (place of origin)
Cases
Year
Nationality 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(Place of Origin)
Total 9,360 7,388 8,522 4,643 6,359
China 1,827 1,304 1,669 857 1,098
Korea 1,523 1,106 1,416 663 815
Others 6,010 4,978 5,437 3,123 4,446
*Chinadoes not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
According to statistics by means of deportation, 96.9% of foreign nationals who had been issued a
deportation order were deported at their own expense voluntary
( departure), while the number of
foreign nationals who needed to be individually deported at national expense because of having no
money etc. was 291 in 2010. (Table 35)
53
Part 1.
54
Part 1.
*(Note) Carriers are, similarly to captains of ships, in a position to govern their crew and passengers, and imposed the prescribed
responsibilities and duties under the Immigration Control Act. Among these duties, they are obligated to send foreign
nationals falling under certain requirements to the area outside Japan promptly under their own responsibility and at their
own expense (Article 59 of the Act).
For example, persons who are denied landing and issued with a deportation order but fail to leave, or who have landed
with special permission for landing but stay longer than the authorized period of stay, fall under the foregoing category.
55
Part 1.
Departure Orders
(1) Outline
The departure order system was newly established by the amended Immigration Control Act
of 2004 for the purpose of encouraging illegal foreign residents to appear at immigration oces
voluntarily. It entered into force on December 2 of the same year. Under the system, if an
overstayer who appears at an immigration oce voluntarily satises certain requirements, he/
she may depart from Japan without being detained in accordance with simple procedures. (Chart
19) The landing denial period for overstayers who are deported in accordance with deportation
procedures is ve years or ten years, while the landing denial period for those who depart from
Japan under a departure order is shortened to one year to encourage quick departure.
56
Part 1.
57
Part 1.
*(Note) Japan became a signatory to the Convention on October 3, 1981 and to the Protocol on January 1, 1982. The Convention and
the Protocol came into eect in Japan on January 1, 1982.
58
Part 1.
59
Part 1.
Chart 22: Patterns and procedures for application for recognition of refugee status
Patterns and procedures for application for recognition of refugee status
Illegal residents Legitimate residents
Recognition of refugee
Refusal of refugee status
status
There is no probable cause to suspect that the applicant falls under any of the reasons for deportation.
(2) The applicant has applied for permission within six months from the date of landing in Japan (if any event that makes a
foreign resident a refugee occurs during stay in Japan, the date when the resident knows the fact).
(3) The applicant came to Japan directly from a region where there is a fear of persecution.
(4) The applicant has never been sentenced to imprisonment with or without work for a certain criminal offense under the
criminal law, etc. after entering Japan.
(5) A deportation order has not been issued against the applicant.
(6) There is no probable cause to suspect that the applicant may flee from the country.
*(Note 1):Permission for provisional stayaims to ensure that the legal status of illegal residents who are taking application
procedures for recognition of refugee status is stabilized promptly. This system aims to give permission for provisional stay
in Japan to foreign nationals who do not have any status of residence, including those illegal residents, if they apply for
recognition of refugee status, except those who fall under the requirements specied in Paragraph 1, Article 61-2-4 of the
Immigration Control Act.
**(Note 2): If one applicant falls under several reasons for refusal of permission, all reasons are included. (Chart 22)
60
Part 1.
Filing of Objections
The total number of objections led by applicants who were denied refugee status (hereinafter,
referred to asDenial of Recognition of Refugee Status) was 859, decreased by 297 from a year
earlier. (Table 42)
Table 42: Changes in the number of lings of objections and decisions of the Minister of Justice
People
Year 1982
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total
Division 2005
Not recognized as a refugee 2,773 389 446 791 1,703 1,336 7,438
Filing of objection 1,862 340 362 429 1,156 859 5,008
With reason 32 12 4 17 8 13 86
Decision
Finding of Objections
Among the objections led by applicants who failed to obtain refugee status, 451 of them were
handled in 2010, having increased by 143 (approximately 1.5 times more) from a year earlier.
According to the statistics, 13 objections were found to be with reasonable grounds (8 cases a year
earlier), 325 objections were found without reasonable grounds (230 cases a year earlier), and 113
objections were withdrawn by the foreign nationals who led objections (70 cases a year earlier).
(Table 42)
The Refugee Examination Counselors System was started in May 2005 in order to ensure the
equity and neutrality of objection filing procedures. This procedure made it mandatory for the
Minister of Justice to hear the opinions of refugee examination counselors when making decisions on
objections led against denial of refugee status.
The Act provides that refugee examination counselors shall be appointed from among persons of
reputable character who are capable of making fair judgments on the objection led in connection
with denial of refugee status and who have an academic background in law or current international
aairs. They are appointed by the Minister of Justice on recommendations from the Oce of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Japan Federation of Bar Associations,
Refugee Assistance Headquarters, etc.
The Act provides that the Minister of Justice must hear the opinions of refugee examination
counselors on all the cases in which an objection has been led. Prior to this process, a process of
oral statement of opinions by a petitioner, etc. in which a petitioner, etc. states his/her opinions, or
61
Part 1.
a process of questions in which a refugee inquirer or a refugee examination counselor questions the
petitioner, is implemented.
In 2010, the number of oral statements of opinion and processes of questions was 541.
After the oral statement of opinions and the process of questions, refugee examination counselors
exchange opinions with the other refugee examination counselors, then draw up a written opinion
and submit it to the Minister of Justice.
Cases in which written opinions were presented by refugee examination counselors numbered 533
in 2010.
There have been no cases in which the Minister of Justice has made a disposition not in
conformity with the opinions of the refugee examination counselors (should they dier in opinion,
then the opinions of the majority of the counselors prevail).
Landing permission for temporary refuge is granted by the immigration inspector under the
prescribed procedures when it is considered that foreign nationals on board a ship, etc. may possibly
fall under the category of refugees, and that it is reasonable to permit them to land temporarily.
Looking at applications made by persons other than boat people, 110 applications were made in the
past ve years (from 2006 until 2010), and 4 applications were granted such permission.
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Part 1.
Chapter . Promotion of Measures against Tracking in Persons and Proper Protection of Foreign DV Victims
Chapter 4 Promotion of Measures against
Tracking in Persons and Proper
Protection of Foreign DV Victims
63
Part 1.
People
Year
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Breakdown
Total 115 47 40 28 20 29
Legal resident 68 20 27 11 9 23
Outline
Violence by a spouse (DV) is a serious infringement against human rights that include an act that
may constitute a crime. Similarly to cases of tracking in persons, a prompt and accurate response
is required from a humanitarian point of view.
The Immigration Bureau considers that DV is a serious infringement against human rights and
responds to foreign nationals who are DV victims properly by ensuring their physical protection
through coordination with concerned agencies, by, if application for extension of the period of stay
due to an enforcement of separation or impossibility of preparation for documents to be submitted,
or for change of status of residence due to domestic violence is made by victims, permitting such
*(Note) By the amendment to the Immigration Control Act in 2005, aperson who committed, suggested or assisted tracking in
personswas made a subject of deportation (Article 24, item (4), (c)).
64
Part 1.
Chapter . Promotion of Measures against Tracking in Persons and Proper Protection of Foreign DV Victims
applications or by, if they are overstaying on account of DV, giving special permission of residence.
Also, based on the act of partial amendment to theAct for Prevention of Violence from Spouse
and Protection of Victimsthat was enforced in January 2008 and theBasic Policy concerning
Measures for Violence from Spouse and Protection of Victimsthat was prepared in line with the
enforcement of said Act, a manual for specifying treatment, etc., in case of recognizing foreign
nationals suering from DV was prepared to promote further protection of victims and distributed
to regional immigration bureaus, and notication was made to the eect that bureaus should make a
prompt report if they recognized a case of DV.
65
Part 1.
Alien registration starts with the registration application (initial registration) made by each
foreign national who enters Japan or was born in Japan and ends with the termination of the alien
registration card
( registration card)* due to the foreign national
s departure from Japan, death or
other circumstances warranting termination of residence in Japan.
The total number of cases for initial registration in 2010 was 254,577, decreased by 16,436 from
271,013 in 2009.
Looking at the percentage of reasons for the number of cases for initial registration in 2010, the
number of entries is 242,169 (accounting for 95.1% of the total), followed by birth (4.7%), renunciation
or loss of Japanese nationality (0.04%). (Table 46)
Table 46: Changes in the number of initial registration and closed registration by division
Cases
Year
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Division
The total number of cases of termination of registration card decreased to 296,289 by 9,286 in 2010
from 305,575 in 2009.
Looking at the percentage for the number of cases of termination of registration card by reasons
in 2010, the number of departures is 274,271 (accounting for 92.6% of the total), followed by acquiring
Japanese nationality (4.7%) and death (2.3%).
*(Note) The registration card is an original register under the Alien Registration Act that states the residence and status of foreign
nationals residing in Japan.
66
Part 1.
For the purpose of maintaining the accuracy of registration after the initial registration, registered
foreign nationals are obligated, for each prescribed period, to apply forconrmationon whether
the statement on the registration card conforms with facts to the heads of municipalities. If they
receive prescribed confirmation, by the head of the municipality in question, a new registration
certicate is issued.
The number of applications for conrmation of registered matters (re-issuance) in 2010 was 229,529,
slightly increased from the previous year. (Table 48)
67
Part 1.
Further, it is specied in the amendment to the Alien Registration Act in 1980 that conrmation
of registration must also be made in the procedure of exchange issuance when the registration
certicate is noticeably damaged or spoiled, and in the procedure of re-issuance when the registration
certicate is lost by loss, theft or destruction. In the amendment to the said Act in 1987, it is specied
that the period of application for conrmation, which was every ve years, must be made on each
fth birthday, and it is specied in the amendment to said Act in 1999 that, if the foreign national in
question is a permanent resident or special permanent resident, conrmation must be made on each
seventh birthday.
Registration records collected for clarifying residency and status of foreign nationals residing
in Japan are widely used not only in various administrative areas of the Government including
immigration control of foreign nationals, but also in local municipal bodies, that is to say, in resident
administration by municipalities or particularly in their closely related administrative areas. In this
sense, it can be said that it is inseparable from the ocial work of municipalities.
Also, resident foreign nationals or their agents, and Government agencies, need the material to
certify or grasp residency and status of the foreign national in question in an official or private
capacity. Based on application from such foreign nationals, etc., the heads of municipalities issue, as
administrative certication services, a copy of the alien registration card or a certicate of registered
matters, and the number of such issuances in 2010 was 1,553,726.
Further, as alien registration services need to be implemented in a uniform manner across the
nation, the Immigration Bureau holds central seminars for sta of municipalities engaging in alien
registration to provide them with information on alien registration laws and regulations, and ensure
proper and efficient operation of alien registration business. The Bureau also dispatches its staff
to seminars implemented by each prefecture as lecturers to fully disseminate proper treatment of
residence management.
68
Part 2
Major Policies Related to
Immigration Control Administration
in FY 2010
Part 2.
70
Part 2.
71
Part 2.
Based on this decision, the landing permission criteria (Ministerial Ordinance) concerning the
Status of Residence ofMedical Serviceswere amended as follows in November 2010.
A. In the Case that Foreign Nationals Desire to Be Engaged as Dentists
The following restrictions were eliminated: restriction of business activity which permitted
relevant national people to work as trainees, restriction on working years (within six years
after acquisition of dental qualications in Japan), and restriction of regions to work.
B. In the Case that Foreign Nationals Desire to Be Engaged as Public Health Nurses,
Midwives, or Nurses
The following restrictions were eliminated: restriction of business activity which permitted
relevant national people to work as trainees and restriction on working years (within four
years after acquisition of qualications for public health nurses and midwives or within seven
years after acquisition of nursing qualications in Japan).
As measures to promote acceptance of highly-skilled foreign professionals are likely to bring quite
positive socio-economic impacts on our society. They are also likely to contribute to enhancement of
competitiveness. Therefore, the introduction of a preferential system utilizing points-based system
for our conventional immigration control policy targeting highly-skilled foreign professionals is
expected to be launched in accordance with the Basic Plan for Immigration Control (4th edition),
which was formulated by the Ministry of Justice in March 2010. After the formulation of the Plan,
the point-based system has been positioned as a policy which is deemed to be particularly benecial
to economic growth in Japan or which is one of the policy for regulatory/systemic reforms having a
high demand/employment eect, in theNew Growth Strategy (decided by the Cabinet on June 18,
2010)andEconomic measures in three stages toward the realization of the New Growth Strategy
(decided by the Cabinet on September 10).
In response to these government decisions, the Immigration Bureau has considered the
introduction of a Preferential System Utilizing Points-Based System for Highly-Skilled Foreign
Professionals and pursued consultations on it with relevant government ministries.
When international students who graduated from vocational/technical schools in Japan and hold
Senmonshiwhich is generally considered as almost equivalent to college degree, get job oers in
Japan, they are able to change their status of residence fromStudentto the statuses which allows
72
Part 2.
73
Part 2.
74
Part 2.
Chapter . Eorts for Smooth Introduction of the New System of Residence Management
(2) Measures to be introduced under the New System of
Residence Management
The new system of residence management is expected to facilitate the following processes for
foreign nationals residing in Japan for a medium to long term: (i) issuance of a residence card
after obtaining a permit, such as landing permission, permission for extension of period of stay,
and permission for changes of status of residence; (ii) report of changes by foreign nationals to
the Minister of Justice during the period of their stay; and (iii) provision of information about
foreign nationals to the Minister of Justice from organizations, to which they belong such as a
school at which they study. This will enable the Minister of Justice to precisely and continuously
keep information related to the residence conditions of foreign nationals. Information about the
situation of foreign nationals residing in Japan for a medium to long term will be precisely kept
under the system and will be reected in the Basic Residents
Registration for Foreign Nationals
in municipalities, which will be newly established in accordance with the Act for Partial
Amendment of the Basic Residents
Registration Act. As a result, foreign residents will be able to
receive enhanced administrative services.
Along with the introduction of the system to keep precise information necessary for residence
management, provisions to enhance convenience, including extension of the maximum period of
stay and review of the re-entry permit system, will be established.
The detailed provisions are as shown below. Measures under the new system of residence
management shall be implemented from the date designated by the cabinet order within three
years from the date of promulgation (specically, it is expected to be enforced in July 2012).
A. Measures for Establishing a System that Enables the Minister of Justice to Keep Necessary
Information Continuously
(A) The Minister of Justice shall grant a residence card specifying basic matters for
identication, status of residence, period of stay, etc., to foreign nationals residing in Japan
with the status of residence under the Immigration Control Act as medium to long-term
residents (hereinafter referred to asmedium to long-term residents
), except those who fall
under any of the following: (i) those whose period of stay for three months or less has been
approved; (ii) those whose status of residence asTemporary Visitorhas been approved;
(iii) those whose status of residence asDiplomatorOcialhas been approved; or (iv)
those who are stipulated as equivalent to the above foreign nationals by the Ordinance of
the Ministry of Justice.
(B) Medium to long-term residents shall inform the Minister of Justice of the addresses of the
main residence in Japan where they decide to reside after landing through the head of the
municipality where they live, within a certain period of time (The place of residence will be
included on their residence cards).
(C) Medium to long-term residents shall inform the Minister of Justice of any change in not
only the matters contained in their residence cards (change of place of residence will be
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Part 2.
informed through the municipal head), but also the organizations to which they belong and
their personal status or position, according to their status of residence.
(D) The Minister of Justice shall be allowed to obtain information about medium to long-term
residents from the organizations to which they belong.
(E) The Minister of Justice shall be allowed to conduct surveys to conrm matters notied, if
necessary, in order to continuously keep information about medium to long-term residents.
(F) Registration of a false place of residence and failure to continue to engage in activities as a
spouse while residing in Japan for six months or more in spite of residing under the status
of residence as a spouse without due reason, shall be added to the causes for revocation of
status of residence.
(G) With regard to forgery of residence cards, penal provisions and reasons for deportation
shall be established. Penalty related to illegal employment shall be revised.
(B) The validity period of re-entry permits shall be extended. In principle, foreign nationals
who have valid passports and residence cards and who re-enter Japan within one year from
their departure shall not need to apply for re-entry permits.
A. The Minister of Justice shall grant a special permanent resident certicate that certies legal
status as a special permanent resident.
B. Special permanent residents shall be allowed to extend the valid period of re-entry. In
principle, special permanent residents who have valid passports and special permanent
resident certicates and who re-enter Japan within two years from their departure shall not
need to apply for re-entry permits.
76
Part 2.
Chapter . Eorts for Smooth Introduction of the New System of Residence Management
Basic Residents
Register System for Foreign Residents
Under the new system of residence management, the Alien Registration Act was eliminated, while
foreign residents became subject to the Basic Residents
Registration Act and other appropriate
regulations. The date when the amended Basic Residents
Registration Act was enforced was the
same as the date when the amended Immigration Control Act and relevant regulations were
enforced.
77
Part 2.
from the date designated by the cabinet order within three years from the date of promulgation.
Remembering such provisions will be enforced in July 2012, the Immigration Bureau requested
public comments on the specications of residence cards etc. in July 2010. And now, the bureau is
advancing the consideration on issues including details of necessary governmental and ministerial
ordinances and how to perform operations. In line with the advance of review, the bureau has also
discussed with relevant ministries and local governments on how to associate with each other under
the new system, while preparing system development.
The Immigration Bureau has also prepared and distributed leaets to introduce the details of the
revised Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control Act. Additionally, the bureau has
provided further information on the revised contents on its website and updated the contents to
t to the current circumstance in concert with the progress of preparation of enforcement of those
provisions. In addition, after the promulgation of the revised Immigration Control Act, the bureau
held briefing sessions for embassies in Tokyo. Moreover the Immigration Bureau will strive to
implement aggressive campaigns until the provisions are enforced.
78
Part 2.
Chapter . Eorts for Smooth Introduction of the New System of Residence Management
in registration cards, it is important to enhance the accuracy of the registration cards under the
existing system in order to ensure a smooth transition. Therefore, the Immigration Bureau is
taking a series of measures.
Specifically, in FY 2007, posters in various languages were posted at the counters, etc., of
municipal oces and regional immigration oces all over the country, to call on foreign residents
to apply for registration with accurate details. Further, the Team for Enhancement of Accuracy
and Improvement of Operations was set up in the Registration Division of the Immigration
Bureau in April 2008. This team instructs municipalities on operations including regular
inspection of registration cards. If any registration card is to be terminated due to some reasons
including departure from Japan, the bureau actively promotes the relevant municipalities to
conrm that the relevant registration card is terminated. In addition, as a trial, ahead of data
provision to every municipality, supposed to be implemented approximately six months before
the enforcement of the amended Immigration Control Act, the bureau implemented a model
operation in Hamamatsu in Shizuoka and Suginami-ku in Tokyo in 2010. Based on the result of
the operation, the bureau intends to improve the accuracy of data provision.
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Part 2.
Automatic Gates
Smooth and strict examinations have been
further assisted by installation of automatic
gates, which allow Japanese nationals who have
registered themselves as a user of automatic
gates, or foreign nationals who meet certain
requirements such as having been issued with a Automatic Gates
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Part 2.
To protect the lives and safety of the general public, it is extremely important to unfailingly
prevent terrorists, etc., who are disguised as tourists, from entering the country. Since the terrorist
attacks on the United States in 2001, the Immigration Bureau has been continuously implementing
strict immigration examination in order to turn back such terrorists as they attempt to enter the
country.
81
Part 2.
enter the country illegally with fake fingerprints by damaging them directly or going through a
surgical procedure, or with altered passports, in order to avoid detection of their displacement in the
past. If such fake ngerprint cases occur, the Immigration Bureau should not only adopt procedures
for displacement, but also cause them to be subject to strict punishment, including criminal
punishment. Therefore, the bureau makes a report and accusation of illegal entry to investigative
authorities, and is striving to detect fake ngerprints by upgrading devices
Immigration Examination through the Use of Personal Countermeasures against forging or alteration of documents
Identication Information
82
Part 2.
83
Part 2.
84
Part 2.
Training and intern training programs are intended to develop human resources who are
responsible for economic development of their countries of origin through the transfer of technology
and skills to technical interns etc. However, recently, an increasing number of accepting organizations
that do not understand the objectives of the programs treat the trainees and interns improperly and
pay them low wages. In addition, it has been pointed out that some accepting organizations do not
provide adequate guidance and supervision for their umbrella organizations, and there are brokers
who obtain unfair prots from intermediary services for trainees.
In order to respond to the present situation, the new technical intern training programs were
launched in July 2010. As a result, intern training are required to involve activities to acquire skills
under the contract of employment, in principle, so that interns can be protected in accordance
with the relevant Labor Standards Act and other labor-related laws and regulations, including the
Minimum Wage Act. In the case of acceptance under the supervision of organizations, accepting
organizations had previously supervised technical internships only in the first year. After the
revision, such organizations are required to implement technical intern training in the second year or
later under their responsibility and supervision.
The new programs require accepting organizations to receive lectures on information necessary
for legal protection of technical interns, which will be given by an expert. In order to reinforce
the instruction, supervision and support system of supervising organizations, it also stipulates the
requirements of supervising organizations as follows: (i) the sta of supervising organizations shall
visit the facility where programs are conducted at least once a month to confirm the situation
of technical intern training programs and give directions; (ii) board members of supervising
organizations shall conduct an audit at least once every three months, and report the results to the
relevant regional immigration bureau; (iii) supervising organizations shall provide counseling staff
who give advice to technical interns.
Under the provisions including the ordinance of the Ministry of Justice, the Immigration Bureau
may make a nding ofmisconductwith regard to organizations that have acted inappropriately
regarding training and technical intern training programs and suspend such organizations
from accepting trainees and technical interns for one, three or five years depending on types
of misconduct, as the ministerial ordinance stipulates. The number of organizations that were
recognized to engage inmisconductduring the year 2010 was 163.
According to the type of receiving arrangement, there were three organizations (1.8%) accepting
trainees under the company-arranged scheme and 160 organizations (98.2%) accepting trainees under
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Part 2.
Name lending 0 1 30 31
4th
Category Failure to report serious cases, etc. 0 0 0 0
(*1) If one accepting organization is recognized as having committedmisconductof more than one category,it is listed
for the respective categories, and as such,the number of accepting organizations is not identical to the number of
recognized cases by category.
(*2) Since July 2010, illegal actions have been identied in accordance with ministerial ordinances concerning landing
criteria. The numbers of illegal actions are calculated in tunewith the types categorized in the Guidelines Concerning
Entry and Residence Management of Technical Intern Trainees (revised in 2007).
86
Part 2.
The Immigration Bureau has implemented proper and smooth implementation of immigration and
residence examination as described above, while taking the following measures on acceptance of
foreign students in 2010.
87
Part 2.
Chart23: Changes in the number and percentage of overstayers who entered Japan with the status of
residence ofCollege StudentandPre-college Student
(*) Since July 1, 2010, a part of the revised Immigration Control Act has been enforced. In association with the integration
of the two categories of status of residence,College StudentandPre-college Studentinto the one categoryCollege
Student , the number of overstayers with the new status of residence,College Student , in January 2011 corresponds to
the total number of overstayers with the conventional statuses of residence,College StudentandPre-college Student .
In order to understand the composition ratio of overstayers with the status of residence ofCollege Studentfrom 2006
compared to the ratio of the new status, the numbers of overstayers with the status of residence ofCollege Student
andPre-college Studentin each year from January 2006 to January 2010 were respectively summed up.
Table 51: Changes in the number and percentage of overstayers who entered Japan with the status of
residence ofCollege StudentandPre-college Student
People
Date January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1
Division 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total number of overstayers 193,745 170,839 149,785 113,072 91,778 78,488
College Student 14,935 12,729 10,978 8,276 5,842 4,322
Percentage of total ( ) 7.7 7.5 7.3 7.3 6.4 5.5
(*) The number of overstayers with the status of residence,College Studentincludes the number of foreign nationals
whose status of residence wasPre-college Studentunder the previous Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition
Act, which had been enforced before July 1, 2010, at the time when they became considered overstayers.
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Part 2.
Chapter . Establishment of an Special Exception to the Period of Stay for Foreign Nationals Applying for Permission to Extend period of Stay etc.
Chapter 6 Establishment of a Special
Exception to the Period of Stay
for Foreign Nationals Applying for
Permission to Extend period of
Stay etc.
In case an application of permission for extending period of stay or for changing status of
residence is made by the expiration date of period of stay, but procedures are not completed by the
expiration date, the foreign national is allowed by the amended Immigration Control Act to stay with
the status of residence either until the procedure is completed or for two months after the expiration
date of period of stay even after the period of stay is expired, whichever comes earlier (implemented
on July 1, 2010).
In addition, if a foreign national desires to re-enter Japan within the relevant period, he or she is
permitted to enter, provided that he or she apply for permission of re-entry.
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Part 2.
The Great East Japan Earthquake (the3.11 Earthquake), which occurred on March 11, 2011, was
one the largest earthquakes ever recorded in Japan. The earthquake and subsequent tsunamis (huge
tidal waves) and accidents in a nuclear power plant caused an unprecedented catastrophe all over
eastern Japan around the Pacic Coast in the Tohoku area.
The Immigration Bureau took the following measures for protecting rights and benets of foreign
national victims aected by the earthquake.
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Part 2.
Chapter . Eorts of the Immigration Bureau Concerning the Great East Japan Earthquake
Implementation of Prompt Acceptance of Rescue Teams
from Foreign Countries, Regions, and International
Organizations
From March 12 to May 30, rescue teams of approximately 1,100 people from 21 countries and
regions including the U.S., Russia, France, and South Korea entered Japan from Narita Airport,
Haneda Airport, Misawa Air Base, and Yokota Air Base. For the purpose of landing examination of
rescue teams, the Immigration Bureau used simple and prompt methods, including no requirement of
landing permission stamp on their passports by issuing temporal landing permission cards prepared
by immigration inspectors in advance.
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students might obtain visas at Japanese Embassies and Consulates as short a time as possible.
The Immigration Bureau also took measures for the trainees and technical interns who left Japan
promptly after the earthquake without re-entry permission to obtain visas at Japanese Embassies
and Consulates, if they desired to continue the training and technical intern training, which they
had obtained, after re-entry to Japan, provided that the conditions of the environment to implement
relevant training and internship were met, and they were specially permitted to enter Japan
provided that the continuity of their activities were recognized in landing examination.
*(Note 1) The termaected regionis referred to as any municipalities subject to the Disaster Relief Act based onapplication of
the Disaster Relief Act concerning the Great East Earthquake (the 11th Report)issued by the Ministry of Health, Welfare,
and Labour on March 24, 2011.
**(Note 2) Relevant information on registered foreign nationals included identities (name, date of birth, nationality, gender), alien
identication number, address, household, port of entry, entry date, organization (place of employment or training, name of
education body, etc.).
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Chapter . Eorts of the Immigration Bureau Concerning the Great East Japan Earthquake
Section 3 Cooperation for Alien Registration
The Immigration Bureau cooperated with relevant organizations for following alien registration.
At first, the Immigration Bureau notified all municipalities throughout Japan on measures that
if foreign nationals had resided in aected areas, and if they requested for relevant municipalities
to issue certificates of registered matters of alien registration records at evacuation centers, the
municipalities, where such foreign nationals stayed, were permitted to issue provisional cards
instead of relevant certificates as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Immigration Bureau prepared
alien registration records for all registered foreign nationals in relevant municipalities based on
the data from the Ministry of Justice, for the purpose of support of reproduction of municipal alien
registration records by municipalities that lost alien registration records, as well as support of safety
conrmation of aected people, and the bureau provided relevant records for relevant municipalities,
if they requested them.
For the purpose of support of municipalities which had significant difficulty in usual activities
in alien registration due to the damage caused by the disaster, the Immigration Bureau decided
to cover a part of tasks concerning alien registration usually conducted by such municipalities for
a certain period. If any municipality requested for the bureau to cover it, the bureau immediately
carried out the tasks *.
In addition, the Immigration Bureau made an eort to notify and promote municipalities not to
hesitate to ask and consult with the bureau about wide range of issues, so that such municipalities
could consult with the bureau at ease even if no person in charge of alien registration was able to
respond to foreign nationals due to the disaster.
The Immigration Bureau implemented more positive public relations activities, based on the
recognition that it was important to promptly provide necessary information for foreign nationals
aected by the 3.11 Earthquake particularly from a standpoint of supporting such victims.
In particular, for the purpose of responding to consultations on various procedures including re-
entry permission, the Immigration Bureau established inquiry counters exclusively used for aairs
concerning the 3.11 Earthquake at all regional immigration bureaus in Japan. The bureau also
established telephone consultation services with exclusive lines, responding to inquiries on the phone
at weekends as well.
The Immigration Bureau also established a website titledImmigration Bureau Great East Japan
Earthquake Special Homepageand posted information on measures of support for aected people
in multiple languages (Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese), including extension
of period of stay for foreign nationals living in aected areas and inquiries on embarkation of foreign
*(Note) The Immigration Bureau covers a part of tasks concerning alien registration for ve municipalities in Iwate, Miyagi, and
Fukushima.
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nationals who had resided in aected areas and information on various types of support for foreign
embassies in Japan and local governments.
Furthermore, in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration(IOM), the
Immigration Bureau provided necessary information. For example, the staff members of the
Immigration Bureau went to the affected areas with the IOM staff and provided information, by
distributing leaets concerning measures of support for aected people taken by the bureau.
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96
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97
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98
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Under the Immigration Control Act, the Minister of Justice is authorized to grant special
permission to stay to an oender against the law, and his decision shall be made individually with
respect to each case by comprehensively judging it from various factors, including the reason for
stay, family conditions, behavior, current situation both at home and abroad, need for humanitarian
considerations, and impact on other illegal residents.
The Immigration Bureau is taking various measures, including formulation and announcement
of theGuidelines on Special Permission to Stay in Japanand announcement of theCases where
Special Permission to stay was granted and Cases where Special Permission to Stay in Japan was
denied,to enhance the transparency and predictability of special permission to stay.
Whether or not to grant special permission to stay shall be decided by the Minister of Justice
based on comprehensive consideration of various factors with regard to each case, and general
criteria shall not be t for such permission. However, in order to further enhance the transparency
and fairness of the special permission to stay, theGuidelines on Special Permission to Stay in
Japan,has been decided and announced.
TheseGuidelines on Special Permission to Stay in Japanprovides more details concerning
matters to be considered in judging whether to grant special permission to stay or not. It also
presents the concept for judgment. The guideline, therefore, is to be applied to judge whether to
grant special permission to stay or not.
Although only the Japanese Edition of the guideline had been published until May 2010, the
guideline was translated in multiple languages of English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and
Tagalog and posted on the websites.
The Immigration Bureau has made public, examples of those who are granted special permission
to stay and those who are not granted on the website of the Ministry of Justice since August 2004.
For the purpose of enhancing the transparency and fairness of the special permission to stay, the
bureau classied and organized such examples for better understanding and published them in a
table. In addition, the bureau also published new examples in the same form in April, 2011.
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Part 2.
In July 2010, based on prolonged periods of refugee examination, the Immigration Bureau set
six months as the standard period to process one refugee application and decided to process all
applications within the period by the end of March 2011 in principle. In addition, the Immigration
Bureau decided to announce the average processing (examination) period for refugee applications on
a website of the Ministry of Justice on a quarter basis.
As of the end of June 2010 before establishment of the targets, there were 612 applications which
had not been processed for over six months since they applied for refugee status. Now, as of the end
of March, 2011, the number of unprocessed applications was reduced to 35. This gure shows that
our goal was nearly achieved.
In the future, the Immigration Bureau will promote more proper and prompt refugee examination
by collecting and organizing basic materials concerning information on the pending refugees
countries of origin and improving systems to improve expertise of sta members, and maintaining
the standard period of six months.
After the Japan Federation of Bar Associations proposed to enrich materials by establishing a data
center concerning information on refugees
countries of origins so that applicants can browse and use
them, the Immigration Bureau has posted information concerning refugees
countries of origins and
international aairs since November 2010 on websites of the Ministry of Justice (In particular, reports
of the United Kingdom Home Oce and the United States Department of State are translated in
Japanese and introduced on the websites.)
Resettlement to a third country is intended to transfer and resettle refugees who have evacuated
from their countries of origins are temporarily taking shelter in a refugee camp in a neighboring
country etc., to another country which agrees to accept such refugees from the countries where they
were originally taken under protection. Resettlement to a third country is deemed to be one of the
permanent solutions for refugee problems, as well asvoluntary repatriationandresettlement to
the rst countries of asylum.
The UNHCR encourages each country to accept refugees based on resettlement to a third country
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Part 2.
from the standpoint of proper sharing of burdens in relation to refugee problems in the international
community.
Until now, Japan has also taken measures to support resettlement of those recognized as
Indochinese refugees and other refugees. To cope with various problems relating to refugees in
the Asian region, the government reached a Cabinet understanding on the introduction of the
third country resettlement system Concerning
( the Implementation of Pilot Cases relating to the
Acceptance of Refugees by Resettlement to a Third Country) on December 16, 2008.
In accordance with the content of the said Cabinet understanding and theDetailed Measures
for Implementing Pilot Cases relating to the Acceptance of Refugees by Resettlement to a Third
Country(Decision by the Liaison and Coordination Conference for Countermeasures for Refugees
on December 19, 2008), relevant administrative authorities were to accept approximately 30 refugees
from Myanmar, who were staying in the Mela Camp in Thailand, and support their resettlement, on
an annual basis as a pilot case since FY 2010 in mutual cooperation. In the future, the pilot case will
be investigated and reviewed from a variety of angles. Based on the investigation and review, such
administrative authorities will further consider their future acceptance systems. In FY 2010, five
families (27 people) came to Japan as the rst group in 2010.
The Immigration Bureau mainly took charge of screening procedures for refugees to be accepted,
and conducted an on-site interview survey at the camp by refugee inquirers in February 2011. The
bureau will continue to make efforts for smooth acceptance of refugees by resettlement to third
countries in cooperation with related organizations.
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Part 2.
Negotiations on Treaties
(1) AddressingBasic Policy on Comprehensive Economic
Partnerships
Under theBasic Policy on Comprehensive Economic Partnershipsdecided by the Cabinet
on November 9, 2010, the Government of Japan will consider measures to address the issues
relating to the movement of natural persons from abroad, such as nurses and certified care
workers, on the basis of its eorts to promote theemployment and human resources strategies
described in itsNew Growth Strategy
, and it will do so with due attention to future domestic
demographic trends, the possible eect of such movement on employment in Japan, requests
from other countries, as well as securing Japan
s economic growth and social stabilization.
Based on theBasic Policy on Comprehensive Economic Partnerships
, a group to studythe
movement of natural personswas established under the Minister of State for National Policy.
The Immigration Bureau participated in the group from the aspect of immigration control. As
a result of the study the Cabinet decided on the extension of period of stay for Indonesian and
Filipino candidates for nurse and certified care workers based on the Economic Partnership
Agreement on March 11, 2011*.
*(Note) Based on Economic Partnership Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines, the Indonesian and Filipino candidates
for nurses and certied care workers entering and residing in Japan shall return to their home countries, if they cannot
obtain relevant national licenses during their periods of stay in accordance with the Agreements. The number of people who
obtained relevant licenses, however, was very limited. The relevant canditates for nurses and certied care workers, who
entered Japan in FY 2008 and 2009 before 2010 when the Government s support measures were launched in earnest, were
decided to be covered by permission of extension of period of stay for an additional year so that they could have one more
chance to take the relevant examination.
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Part 2.
As of May 2011, the Immigration Bureau has been mainly involved in negotiations on
conclusion of the EPA with Australia.
International Conventions
(1) G8 Rome/Lyon Group Migration Experts Sub-Group Meeting
The Migration Experts Sub-Group Meeting, one of the sub groups of the G8 Rome/Lyon
Group, which is a working experts
group to discuss measures against international terrorism and
transnational organized crime at the G8 level, is discussing measures that the G8 members can
take cooperatively in the area of illegal immigration and the forging or alteration of documents.
In 2010, three meetings in total were held in Canada. Ocials from the Immigration Bureau
attended all three meetings to exchange information and opinions with their counterparts in
other countries.
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Part 2.
Since FY 1987, the Immigration Bureau has been inviting executive ocers of the immigration
control authorities of Asian countries and regions to seminars every year to exchange opinions and
information on immigration control aairs in Asia. These constructive exchanges have helped the
participating countries to eectively design and implement immigration control measures.
The 24th seminar was held in December 2010. The seminar was attended by the immigration
authorities of 19 countries and regions in Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Rim, etc. (Australia,
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, China (Hong Kong), Indonesia, R.O. Korea, Laos, China (Macao),
Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the U.S., and Viet
Nam), and by responsible persons from three international organizations: The European Union
(EU), the IOM, and the UNHCR as observers. They actively exchanged opinions on the topics:the
developments over the past year in the immigration control administration of each participating
country (region),Eective utilization of various information for appropriate boarder inspection and
residence examination,andcountermeasures against illegal residents.
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Part 2.
Recognizing that public relations and enlightenment activities inside and outside the country
play a great role in the smooth implementation of immigration control, the Immigration Bureau has
promoted more active public relations activities than ever before.
Main public relations activities include conducting press releases of statistics concerning
immigration control administration such as the numbers of those entering or leaving Japan and
of overstayers and posting and disseminating such information through websites of the Ministry
of Justice. In addition, the Immigration Bureau publishes information including cases of special
Scene from the Illegal Work Prevention Campaign Request for employersassociations to take countermeasures
against illegal foreign workers by the National Police Agency,
the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Health, Labor, and
106 Welfare
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108
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*(Note)The target regional immigration bureaus for bidding are the four immigration bureaus, which are the Tokyo Regional
Immigration Bureau, the Yokohama District Immigration Oce, the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau, and the Osaka
Regional Immigration Bureau.
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Data Section
Data Section
Apr.1, 2010. Establishment of the The Haneda Airport Branch Oce was abolished and the Haneda
Haneda Airport District Airport District Immigration Oce was established.
Immigration Oce of
the Tokyo Regional
Immigration Bureau
Mar.24 - Establishment of a period Due to the holding of 2010 Japan APEC Meetings, the Immigration
-Nov. 15 for stepped-up landing Bureau implemented the prompt immigration procedure for APEC
examination ocials. Meanwhile, the bureau established a period for stepped-up
landing examination for airports and seaports in Japan for the purpose
of prevention of activities of terrorists and anti-globalism groups in the
nation. Furthermore, the Immigration Bureau implemented thorough
and strict immigration examination through the utilization of personal
identication information in close cooperation with relevant organizations.
Jun. 1 - Implementation of the Appealing to foreign nationals, employers, local authorities, foreign
-Jun. 30 Illegal Work Prevention embassies in Japan, etc. for understanding and cooperating of prevention
Campaign of illegal employment
Jul. 1 New establishment of the The Immigration Bureau newly established the East Japan Immigration
Immigration Detention Detention Facilities Visiting Committee in the Tokyo Regional
Facilities Visiting Immigration Bureau and the West Japan Immigration Detention
Committee Facilities Visiting Committee in the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau
respectively.
Review of training and The Immigration Bureau newly created a status of residence ofTechnical
technical intern training Intern Trainingand required interns to conduct skill acquirement
programs activities in accordance with their contracts of employment in principle
when interns take practical training, while the bureau ensured that
technical interns could enjoy the protection under labor-related laws
including the Labor Standards Act and the Minimum Wages Act.
Integration of the two In order for international students to stably reside in Japan, the
categories of status of distinction of two categories of status of residence betweenCollege
residence,College studentStudentandPre-college Studentwere obliterated and integrated into
andPre-college Student one category asStudent.
Creation of special In case an application is made before the expiry date of period of stay,
exception to period of stay foreign nationals are permitted to reside in Japan under the relevant
status of residence by the earlier date of either when he or she is forced
by legal action, or when two months pass from the expiration date of
stay previously determined, even after the termination of period of stay,
provided that the decision of his/her application has not been handled by
the expiry date of period of stay.
Creation of special Even if relevant foreign nationals fall under one of the reasons for denial
provisions to denial of of landing in case the Minister of Justice nds it reasonable enough, the
landing newly-created special provisions permits immigration inspectors to stamp
a seal for verication of landing, without repeating the special procedure
for landing through three steps processed respectively by immigration
inspectors, special inquiry ocers, and the Minister of Justice.
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Data Section
Nov. 30 Enforcement of the Limitations, including the length of working years of medical foreign
Ministerial Ordinance workers, are eliminated (such workers are those who have national
to amend a part of the licenses approved in Japan including foreign dentists and nurses).
Ministerial Ordinance
to Provide for Criteria
Pursuant to Article 7,
Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of
the Immigration Control
and Refugee Recognition
Act
Dec. 7 - Holding of the 24th The Ministry of Justice held theImmigration Control Seminar,
-Dec. 8 Immigration Control inviting ocials from 19 countries and regions in the Pacic Rim area
Seminar and 3 international organizations to exchange information and views on
immigration control administration.
Dec. 17 Enforcement of partial Activities listed in the lower eld in the Appendix Table 1-5 in the
amendment ofactivities Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee
listed in the lower eld in Recognition Act (limited to the parts involved in the paragraph (d)),
the Appendix Table 1-5 in were amended in accordance with the same item (the Notication
the Article 7, Paragraph (1), from the Ministry of Justice No. 131 in 1990). As a result, the following
Item (ii) of the Immigration activities were provided asDesignated Activities:an activity by the
Control and Refugee foreign patients who reside in Japan for a signicant long term and
Recognition Act (limited are admitted to hospitals for medical treatment; and an activity by the
to the parts involved in foreign caretakers who care for relevant patients. Furthermore, the
the paragraph (d)),in Appendix Table 4 in the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration
accordance with the same Control Act (the Notication from the Minister of Justice No. 54 in 1981)
item. was revised so that sta members in a hospital, where the relevant
patient and its family or relative are admitted, can apply for issuance of
their certicates of eligibility instead of them. In addition, an ordinance
of designation by the Minister of Justice as those with the status of
residence ofDesignated Activitiesin accordance with the Item (iv) in
the lower eld of activities (Designated Activities) is listed in the lower
elds of the Appendix Table 4 and Appendix Table 1-5 in the Ordinance
for Enforcement of the Immigration Control Act.
since Mar. Response to the For the purpose of landing examination of rescue teams, the Immigration
11, 2011. Great East Japan Bureau used simple and prompt methods, including no requirement of
Earthquake landing permission stamp on their passports by issuing temporal landing
permission cards prepared by immigration inspectors in advance.
Apr. 1 Establishment of the In the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau, the Survey and Record
Management and Department was abolished, while the Management and Investigation
Investigation Department Department and the Survey Department were established.
and the Survey Department
in the Nagoya Regional
Immigration Bureau.
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114
Data Section
4-1Changes in the Number of New Arrivals ofIntra-company Transfereeby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 5,564 7,170 7,307 5,245 5,826
China 1,535 2,639 2,570 1,858 1,937
United States of America 610 583 673 371 528
India 380 608 626 433 520
R.O. Korea 675 745 649 592 505
Philippines 375 417 495 397 498
Viet Nam 35 57 137 81 231
Thailand 141 238 260 235 222
China (Taiwan) 214 233 243 218 211
Germany 225 207 199 137 155
United Kingdom 288 204 187 107 142
Others 1,086 1,239 1,268 816 877
4-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofIntra-company Transfereeby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 14,014 16,111 17,798 16,786 16,140
China 4,147 5,712 6,557 6,307 6,238
Korea 2,092 2,181 2,265 2,242 2,079
India 1,357 1,411 1,709 1,731 1,610
United States of America 1,469 1,468 1,583 1,364 1,286
Philippines 702 709 826 782 777
Germany 566 589 615 538 505
United Kingdom 712 651 615 511 450
Thailand 223 325 388 430 430
France 538 529 553 467 414
Viet Nam 65 97 184 157 287
Others 2,143 2,439 2,503 2,257 2,064
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Data Section
5-1Changes in the Number of New Arrivals ofEntertainerby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 48,249 38,855 34,994 31,170 28,612
United States of America 6,772 6,075 6,653 7,288 6,785
United Kingdom 2,712 2,500 2,908 2,575 3,009
Philippines 8,608 5,533 3,185 1,873 1,506
R.O. Korea 1,674 1,553 1,329 1,173 1,450
Russia 3,454 2,562 2,249 2,467 1,432
China 4,978 3,156 1,820 1,694 1,386
Germany 1,868 2,052 1,682 1,601 1,241
France 1,150 1,417 1,605 1,246 1,116
Italy 1,867 1,575 1,130 1,325 1,105
Austria 868 644 1,160 759 826
Others 14,298 11,788 11,273 9,169 8,756
5-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofEntertainerby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 21,062 15,728 13,031 10,966 9,247
Philippines 14,149 11,065 9,199 7,465 6,319
China 2,153 1,193 907 778 671
Korea 450 441 398 363 374
United States of America 284 305 326 310 318
Russia 767 504 393 333 268
Indonesia 787 430 264 218 203
Brazil 230 228 211 197 159
Thailand 215 176 145 174 136
Romania 580 312 238 181 121
Australia 119 124 109 111 88
Others 1,328 950 841 836 590
6-1Changes in the Number of New Arrivals ofSkilled Laborby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 4,239 5,315 6,799 5,384 3,588
China 2,325 2,903 3,270 2,495 1,924
Nepal 452 919 1,749 1,356 563
India 348 509 620 666 451
Thailand 191 156 179 192 134
R.O. Korea 269 158 132 157 90
Australia 30 25 32 30 45
Viet Nam 61 58 60 30 39
Philippines 62 68 59 52 36
Indonesia 59 67 64 47 31
Sri Lanka 27 41 49 29 26
Others 415 411 585 330 249
6-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofSkilled Laborby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 17,869 21,261 25,863 29,030 30,142
China 9,807 11,766 14,142 15,595 16,350
Nepal 1,388 2,213 3,791 4,970 5,283
India 1,938 2,302 2,756 3,224 3,465
Korea 1,617 1,620 1,587 1,592 1,510
Thailand 749 830 900 994 1,021
Bangladesh 274 375 433 418 367
Philippines 236 268 268 278 283
Indonesia 167 200 229 203 193
Viet Nam 168 194 192 175 183
Sri Lanka 133 162 188 195 181
Others 1,392 1,331 1,377 1,386 1,306
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Data Section
7-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofThechnical Intern Training (1)by Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 50,423
China 39,341
Viet Nam 4,096
Philippines 2,773
Indonesia 2,568
Thailand 1,091
Cambodia 151
Mongolia 108
Laos 87
Nepal 60
Myanmar 46
Others 102
*The number of alien registrations includes Technical Intern Training 1-(a) and 1-(b).
8Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofThechnical Intern Training (2)by Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 49,585
China 38,983
Viet Nam 3,826
Philippines 2,827
Indonesia 2,775
Thailand 741
Mongolia 108
Laos 101
Myanmar 95
Cambodia 62
Sri Lanka 35
Others 32
*The number of alien registrations includes Technical Intern Training 2-(a) and 2-(b).
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Data Section
9-1Changes in the Number of New Arrivals ofCollege Studentby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 26,637 28,779 34,005 37,871 48,706
China 9,154 10,272 14,342 16,839 22,752
R.O. Korea 4,849 5,301 5,516 5,487 7,271
United States of America 2,553 2,686 2,853 2,988 3,162
China (Taiwan) 1,682 1,842 1,944 2,030 2,709
Viet Nam 532 636 643 821 1,302
Thailand 766 690 747 859 1,062
Indonesia 430 529 685 772 878
France 449 484 545 652 797
Germany 527 539 513 618 761
Malaysia 489 511 648 639 612
Others 5,206 5,289 5,569 6,166 7,400
9-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofCollege Studentby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 131,789 132,460 138,514 145,909 201,511
China 88,074 85,905 88,812 94,355 134,483
Korea 17,097 17,902 19,441 19,807 27,066
Viet Nam 2,472 2,930 3,202 3,552 5,147
Thailand 2,203 2,361 2,502 2,656 3,542
Nepal 1,138 1,398 1,554 1,681 3,022
Indonesia 1,710 1,869 2,112 2,349 2,725
Malaysia 2,211 2,234 2,377 2,492 2,676
United States of America 2,020 2,144 2,276 2,312 2,660
Bangladesh 1,665 1,684 1,873 1,797 1,715
Myanmar 871 970 1,022 1,114 1,684
Others 12,328 13,063 13,343 13,794 16,791
10Changes in the Number of New Arrivals ofPre-college Studentby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 19,135 19,160 24,111 28,278 14,772
China 9,543 8,987 12,566 18,053 8,819
R.O. Korea 4,673 5,586 6,171 4,516 2,774
China (Taiwan) 956 1,206 1,434 1,311 633
Viet Nam 346 252 313 479 359
Thailand 406 409 489 522 315
Nepal 288 260 384 546 298
Myanmar 123 154 163 233 166
China (Hong Kong) 72 116 240 188 118
Australia 189 167 169 150 114
Sweden 109 136 156 197 105
Others 2,430 1,887 2,026 2,083 1,071
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Data Section
11-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofTraineeby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 70,519 88,086 86,826 65,209 9,343
China 52,901 66,576 65,716 50,487 5,602
Indonesia 4,407 5,069 5,085 3,053 743
Philippines 3,738 4,919 4,938 3,970 730
Viet Nam 5,148 6,704 6,763 4,355 663
Thailand 2,121 2,583 2,324 1,725 587
India 142 143 150 159 184
Malaysia 230 254 257 132 124
Korea 139 133 147 94 82
Brazil 99 94 82 70 68
Sri Lanka 178 142 119 113 63
Others 1,416 1,469 1,245 1,051 497
12Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofDesignated activities (technical intern training)by Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
13Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofPermanent Residentby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 394,477 439,757 492,056 533,472 565,089
China 117,329 128,501 142,469 156,295 169,484
Brazil 78,523 94,358 110,267 116,228 117,760
Philippines 60,225 67,131 75,806 84,407 92,754
Korea 47,679 49,914 53,106 56,171 58,082
Peru 25,132 27,570 29,976 31,711 32,416
Thailand 9,815 11,107 12,519 13,883 15,055
United States of America 10,512 11,125 11,814 12,708 13,065
Viet Nam 7,462 7,930 8,494 9,187 9,602
United Kingdom 3,081 3,301 3,563 3,899 4,147
Indonesia 2,034 2,436 2,967 3,462 3,894
Others 32,685 36,384 41,075 45,521 48,830
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Data Section
14-1 Changes in the Number of New Arrivals ofSpouse or Child of Japanese Nationalby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 26,087 24,421 19,975 14,951 11,452
China 5,399 6,602 6,552 6,251 4,099
Philippines 8,257 6,687 5,133 3,308 2,384
Brazil 6,745 5,146 2,895 483 921
United States of America 730 716 730 701 635
R.O. Korea 891 904 873 852 565
Thailand 695 807 743 706 510
China (Taiwan) 257 293 293 257 211
Indonesia 288 344 253 267 205
United Kingdom 248 206 237 173 201
Viet Nam 177 167 194 210 155
Others 2,400 2,549 2,072 1,743 1,566
14-2 Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofSpouse or Child of Japanese Nationalby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 260,955 256,980 245,497 221,923 196,248
China 55,860 56,990 57,336 56,510 53,697
Philippines 49,195 51,076 49,980 46,027 41,255
Brazil 74,001 67,472 58,445 43,443 30,003
Korea 22,429 22,340 21,990 21,052 19,761
United States of America 9,076 9,131 9,285 9,140 8,848
Thailand 10,405 9,997 9,588 9,113 8,651
Peru 6,430 5,928 5,278 4,418 3,423
United Kingdom 2,533 2,624 2,748 2,740 2,658
Indonesia 3,009 3,129 3,028 2,854 2,657
Viet Nam 1,431 1,602 1,764 1,827 1,819
Others 26,586 26,691 26,055 24,799 23,476
15-1Changes in the Number of New Arrivals ofLong-Term Residentby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 28,001 27,326 20,123 9,946 8,178
Brazil 18,342 15,976 9,635 1,037 2,246
Philippines 3,410 4,068 3,811 2,854 2,195
China 3,437 3,853 3,646 3,520 2,097
Peru 1,346 1,700 1,119 655 660
Viet Nam 239 205 438 672 189
R.O. Korea 151 160 151 160 124
Indonesia 133 161 132 134 85
Thailand 140 190 168 144 80
United States of America 60 69 65 81 56
Bolivia 129 243 195 35 56
Others 614 701 763 654 390
15-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations ofLong-Term Residentby Nationality (Place of Origin) People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nationality(Place of Origin)
Total 268,836 268,604 258,498 221,771 194,602
Brazil 153,141 148,528 137,005 101,250 77,359
Philippines 29,907 33,332 35,717 37,131 37,870
China 33,305 33,816 33,600 33,651 32,048
Peru 20,612 20,255 18,969 16,695 14,849
Korea 8,891 8,803 8,722 8,622 8,374
Viet Nam 5,236 5,342 5,526 5,847 5,771
Thailand 3,015 3,265 3,388 3,532 3,641
Bolivia 3,092 3,087 2,938 2,539 2,219
Indonesia 1,588 1,691 1,755 1,774 1,735
United States of America 1,587 1,605 1,570 1,518 1,470
Others 8,462 8,880 9,308 9,212 9,266
120
Data Section
1-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations of Korean Nationals by Status of Residence People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Status of Residence
Total 598,219 593,489 589,239 578,495 565,989
Professor 996 965 1,006 1,025 1,009
Artist 43 37 36 43 46
Religious Activities 1,032 1,047 1,049 1,049 1,011
Journalist 59 66 68 64 54
Investor/Business Manager 1,609 1,900 2,249 2,492 2,723
Legal/Accounting Services 3 4 4 6 6
Medical Services 15 17 18 21 23
Researcher 261 269 258 258 232
Instructor 85 85 86 94 90
Engineer 6,176 7,733 8,647 8,015 7,050
Specialist in Humanities/International Services 5,919 6,926 8,118 8,962 9,233
Intra-company/Transferee 2,092 2,181 2,265 2,242 2,079
Entertainer 450 441 398 363 374
Skilled Labor 1,617 1,620 1,587 1,592 1,510
Technical Intern Training 1-(a) 5
Technical Intern Training 1-(b) -
Technical Intern Training 2-(a) -
Technical Intern Training 2-(b) -
Cultural Activities 404 458 398 364 335
Temporary Visitor 7,250 6,824 5,007 4,184 3,386
College Student 17,097 17,902 19,441 19,807 27,066
Pre-college Student 8,254 9,742 10,286 7,804
Trainee 139 133 147 94 82
Dependent 17,070 17,859 18,484 18,533 18,026
Designated Activities 2,836 3,444 3,389 4,711 5,820
Permanent Resident 47,679 49,914 53,106 56,171 58,082
Spouse or Child of Japanese National 22,429 22,340 21,990 21,052 19,761
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident 2,652 2,661 2,699 2,643 2,574
Long-Term Resident 8,891 8,803 8,722 8,622 8,374
Special Permanent Resident 438,974 426,207 416,309 405,571 395,234
Without Acquiring Status of Residence 1,993 1,802 1,597 1,425 1,074
Temporary Refuge - - - - -
Others 2,194 2,109 1,875 1,288 730
121
Data Section
2-1Changes in the Number of New Arrivals of Chinese National by Status of Residence People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Status of Residence
Total 589,066 714,791 769,691 753,606 1,140,579
Diplomat 324 462 594 517 684
Ocial 738 1,160 2,135 2,337 3,097
Professor 494 492 539 496 464
Artist 9 12 4 7 2
Religious Activities 8 7 5 4 4
Journalist - - - - 2
Investor/Business Manager 61 65 98 114 167
Legal/Accounting Services - 2 - - -
Medical Services - - - 3 -
Researcher 139 132 130 150 115
Instructor 22 21 20 21 12
Engineer 3,546 5,403 4,571 1,404 983
Specialist in Humanities/International Services 602 768 778 553 592
Intra-company Transferee 1,535 2,639 2,570 1,858 1,937
Entertainer 4,978 3,156 1,820 1,694 1,386
Skilled Labor 2,325 2,903 3,270 2,495 1,924
Technical Intern Training 1-(a) 1,250
Technical Intern Training 1-(b) 18,883
Cultural Activities 1,077 913 788 792 773
Temporary Visitor 476,534 589,453 635,513 632,379 1,032,649
College Student 9,154 10,272 14,342 16,839 22,752
Pre-college Student 9,543 8,987 12,566 18,053 8,819
Trainee 61,963 68,188 68,860 53,876 28,964
Dependent 6,280 8,277 9,685 9,174 8,218
Designated Activities 283 215 194 124 146
Spouse or Child of Japanese National 5,399 6,602 6,552 6,251 4,099
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident 615 809 1,011 945 560
Long-Term Resident 3,437 3,853 3,646 3,520 2,097
2-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations of Chinese Nationals by Status of Residence People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Status of Residence
Total 560,741 606,889 655,377 680,518 687,156
Professor 2,507 2,453 2,476 2,440 2,339
Artist 128 129 119 117 108
Religious Activities 103 114 113 120 129
Journalist 12 10 12 10 12
Investor/Business Manager 1,553 1,729 2,096 2,555 3,300
Legal/Accounting Services 7 9 6 7 6
Medical Services 64 91 114 134 187
Researcher 951 901 904 936 894
Instructor 109 101 99 104 101
Engineer 17,634 23,247 27,665 27,166 25,105
Specialist in Humanities/International Services 21,883 26,692 31,824 34,210 34,433
Intra-company/Transferee 4,147 5,712 6,557 6,307 6,238
Entertainer 2,153 1,193 907 778 671
Skilled Labor 9,807 11,766 14,142 15,595 16,350
Technical Intern Training 1-(a) 1,553
Technical Intern Training 1-(b) 37,788
Technical Intern Training 2-(a) 1,142
Technical Intern Training 2-(b) 37,841
Cultural Activities 1,148 1,122 939 923 902
Temporary Visitor 9,026 8,467 7,235 6,332 6,036
College Student 88,074 85,905 88,812 94,355 134,483
Pre-college Student 21,681 22,094 25,043 32,408
Trainee 52,901 66,576 65,716 50,487 5,602
Dependent 39,478 43,592 49,776 55,640 59,567
Designated Activities 68,531 73,049 84,478 90,030 44,328
Permanent Resident 117,329 128,501 142,469 156,295 169,484
Spouse or Child of Japanese National 55,860 56,990 57,336 56,510 53,697
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident 4,301 5,215 6,170 7,087 7,415
Long-Term Resident 33,305 33,816 33,600 33,651 32,048
Special Permanent Resident 3,086 2,986 2,892 2,818 2,668
Without Acquiring Status of Residence 3,219 2,593 2,171 2,101 1,929
Temporary Refuge - - - - -
Others 1,744 1,836 1,706 1,402 800
122
Data Section
3-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations of Philippine Nationals by Status of Residence People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Status of Residence
Total 193,488 202,592 210,617 211,716 210,181
Professor 69 73 77 81 76
Artist 5 3 3 3 2
Religious Activities 270 266 253 236 225
Journalist - 1 1 1 1
Investor/Business Manager 38 38 40 38 43
Legal/Accounting Services - - - - -
Medical Services - - - - -
Researcher 33 38 35 47 42
Instructor 67 88 117 117 159
Engineer 1,579 2,004 2,276 2,118 1,968
Specialist in Humanities/International Services 757 825 895 951 940
Intra-company/Transferee 702 709 826 782 777
Entertainer 14,149 11,065 9,199 7,465 6,319
Skilled Labor 236 268 268 278 283
Technical Intern Training 1-(a) 301
Technical Intern Training 1-(b) 2,472
Technical Intern Training 2-(a) 217
Technical Intern Training 2-(b) 2,610
Cultural Activities 31 22 16 19 19
Temporary Visitor 12,732 10,856 8,698 6,705 5,326
College Student 640 643 614 615 713
Pre-college Student 199 171 144 133
Trainee 3,738 4,919 4,938 3,970 730
Dependent 1,590 1,801 2,047 2,134 2,197
Designated Activities 6,052 6,363 7,660 8,608 5,291
Permanent Resident 60,225 67,131 75,806 84,407 92,754
Spouse or Child of Japanese National 49,195 51,076 49,980 46,027 41,255
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident 1,570 2,032 2,472 2,765 2,899
Long-Term Resident 29,907 33,332 35,717 37,131 37,870
Special Permanent Resident 39 42 42 45 45
Without Acquiring Status of Residence 3,484 3,025 3,050 2,782 2,358
Temporary Refuge - - - - -
Others 6,181 5,801 5,443 4,258 2,289
123
Data Section
4-1Changes in the Number of New Arrivals of Brazilian Nationals by Status of Residence People
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Status of Residence
Total 40,897 37,527 31,002 15,874 22,210
Diplomat 70 63 136 84 100
Ocial 94 83 261 154 212
Professor 5 9 6 11 17
Artist 5 6 3 2 4
Religious Activities 33 35 35 17 31
Journalist 2 1 3 2 5
Investor/Business Manager 4 - 3 2 2
Legal/Accounting Services - - - - -
Medical Services - - - - -
Researcher 2 4 2 2 6
Instructor 2 4 6 2 1
Engineer 8 5 7 3 6
Specialist in Humanities/International Services 28 22 16 5 9
Intra-company Transferee 51 50 52 44 63
Entertainer 760 658 656 515 382
Skilled Labor 33 27 10 10 6
Technical Intern Training 1-(a) -
Technical Intern Training 1-(b) -
Cultural Activities 15 13 8 11 12
Temporary Visitor 13,944 14,624 16,600 12,920 17,491
College Student 131 114 111 122 129
Pre-college Student 29 28 34 28 15
Trainee 280 311 229 250 369
Dependent 179 159 108 109 105
Designated Activities 12 20 12 17 19
Spouse or Child of Japanese National 6,745 5,146 2,895 483 921
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident 123 169 174 44 59
Long-Term Resident 18,342 15,976 9,635 1,037 2,246
4-2Changes in the Number of Alien Registrations of Brazilian Nationals by Status of Residence People
Year 18 19 20 21 22
Status of Residence
Total 312,979 316,967 312,582 267,456 230,552
Professor 30 36 38 37 35
Artist 15 12 13 12 11
Religious Activities 108 121 123 110 112
Journalist 3 4 3 4 4
Investor/Business Manager 29 27 29 28 28
Legal/Accounting Services - - - - -
Medical Services - - - - -
Researcher 10 11 11 13 14
Instructor 10 14 17 9 8
Engineer 54 53 57 54 47
Specialist in Humanities/International Services 105 108 112 103 82
Intra-company/Transferee 80 93 108 94 73
Entertainer 230 228 211 197 159
Skilled Labor 92 93 85 72 65
Technical Intern Training 1-(a) -
Technical Intern Training 1-(b) -
Technical Intern Training 2-(a) -
Technical Intern Training 2-(b) -
Cultural Activities 12 9 7 9 9
Temporary Visitor 836 809 681 588 510
College Student 361 357 355 365 377
Pre-college Student 61 53 53 51
Trainee 99 94 82 70 68
Dependent 492 497 480 451 368
Designated Activities 203 179 148 122 121
Permanent Resident 78,523 94,358 110,267 116,228 117,760
Spouse or Child of Japanese National 74,001 67,472 58,445 43,443 30,003
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident 1,021 1,400 1,773 1,905 1,979
Long-Term Resident 153,141 148,528 137,005 101,250 77,359
Special Permanent Resident 23 24 26 22 20
Without Acquiring Status of Residence 3,264 2,254 2,327 2,129 1,309
Temporary Refuge - - - - -
Others 176 133 126 90 31
124
Data Section
125
126
Data Section
New Residence Management System (for foreign nationals with the status of residence for a medium to long term)
Limitation to
The Minister of Justice
necessary information (Immigration Bureau)
Municipalities
in accordance with
statuses of residence
Conventionally the Computer
Information on Statutory Computer
same and recording recording
maintained through address entrusted function
municipalities
* Applicationfor special Notification of change of name,
permanent residence date of birth, gender,
nationality, and application for Notification Notification
extension of valid period of moving of moving in
* Permission of (reflected on special permanent out
special residence resident certificate)
Special permanent
Provision of
resident certificate administrative services
based of Basic Residents'
Registration System
- Residence-related
Notification of change of address attestation
(reflected on special permanent resident certificate) - National health insurance
*As necessary, regional immigration bureaus -Care insurance
may receive applications and permit special - National pension
permanent. - Child allowance
- School admission notification
Substantial reduction of the number of entries for certification Alleviation of re-entry permission
- Number -- If special permanent residents left Japan
- Name provided that they re-enter the nation within
- Date of Birth two years, they do not have to apply for
- Gender permission of re-entry
- Nationality/address or whereabouts in - Number
-- If they do not return to Japan for a long
the country where the applicant is from - Name
- Date of Birth
period, re-entry permission is required, but
- Place of Birth
- Gender the valid period will be extended (from four
- Passport number and its date of issue
- Status of residence - Nationality to six years)
- Current address - Address
- Name of head of household/relationship - Date of issue
to the householder - Expiration date of valid
registration
- Issued date period
Special permanent
- Photograph
resident certificate
Certificate of Alien
- Next application period for
confirmation/renewal period
- Photograph
- Signature
Data Section
127
Data Section . Outline of New System of Residence Management
Data Section
Section 1 Summary
Most administrative litigation, etc. relating to the Immigration Bureau (hereinafter referred to as
Immigration Litigation) are litigations demanding nullication of a issuance of written deportation
order issued to foreign nationals illegally residing in Japan, or those demanding reversal of non-
recognition as a refugee. The number of litigation cases, which were led and allowed in 2010, was
268 in the merit of the case (last year: 240). Looking at yearly changes from 2006 to 2010, the number
of litigation cases, which were newly allowed, was consistently increasing until 2008, although the
number decreased in 2009, it began to rise again in 2010. Also, the number of completed litigations
by year was, in the merit of the case, 190 cases in 2006, 250 cases in 2007, 355 cases in 2008, 310 cases
in 2009, and 288 cases in 2010, thus it still remains at high levels. (Table 52)
As a background to recent increases, the reform of the judicial system can be cited to aim to
ensure more prompt proceedings through proper and sucient procedures. In particular, theAct
for Partial Amendment of the Administrative Litigation Actwas put into force on April 1, 2005.
This aimed to dene a more eective remedial procedure for the rights and interests of people in
connection with administrative litigations, the amendment of which involved the establishment of
a system of provision (suggestion) of information on the statute of limitations, etc., extension of the
statute of limitations, simplied and more easy-to-understand eligibility for defendants in nullication
litigation, etc. and so on. Such amendments can be regarded as the background to the increase in the
number of newly led cases. Also, eorts are being made to further accelerate court proceedings as
a whole due to theAct for Prompt Proceedingswhich was promulgated and came into force in
July 2003, and which can be regarded as the background to the increase in the number of completed
cases.
The Immigration Litigation of recent years also observes new types of ling for litigation, such as
obligating special permission for residence, provisionally obligating provisional release permission,
issuance of detention orders and their injunction or provisional injunction. The circumstances
in which obligating litigation and injunction litigation were made statutory and a provisional
remedy system prior to judgment on merit was dened by theAct for Partial Amendment of the
Administrative Litigation Act, where litigation systems of these types were actively utilized, can be
regarded as the background.
128
Data Section
of invalidity,etc.)
Certicate of eligibility(Demand for canceling
disposition of 6 18 8 10 15
non-issuance;conrmation of invalidity,etc.)
Procedures for refugee status concerned 59 82 72 50 55
(Demand for canceling;conrmation of invalidity,etc.)
Others 2 3 4 1 5
Civil case 11 2 1 1 0
129
Data Section
relevant applicants to behave well just at the time of permission of extension of stay. Although
the adoption of requiring a history report of any criminal punishment in a certain period before
relevant permission of extension of stay is a factor to decide whether applicants will behave well
or not, it should be understood that such punishment has nature to characteristically show bad
behavior at the time of relevant permission of extension of stay. Furthermore, in consideration
of the status oflong-term residentsin the Immigration Control Law described before and the
nature of the public notice to long-term residents, it is natural to think that the public notice
to long-term residents should be revised in accordance with various factors. A wide range of
discretionary powers are given to the Minister of Justice and other authorities in terms of the
way to decide on the public notice to long-term residents and the decision whether to permit
extension of stay or not. The way and decision should be precisely judged in a timely fashion
based on various reasons including public safety which is one of the purposes of immigration
control. The Minister of Justice and other authorities, therefore, cannot be determined to
have abused their discretionary powers, even if the adequateness of the status oflong-term
residenceis denied due to the history of criminal punishment or other reasons, and extension of
stay is not permitted.
Requiring a history report of any criminal punishment within a certain period prior to
the extension of period of stay and other relevant factors are criteria for the requirement of
good behavior and conduct, because such factors are distinctive characteristics which show
the relevant applicant may not behave well at the time of extension of piriod of stay. Even
if his/her suspended period is expired, or even if the course of probation is good, the nature
as characteristics including any such history of criminal punishment is not lost immediately.
If relevant authorities use the history of criminal punishment and other relevant factors as
criterion of the requirement of good behavior and conduct, it cannot be determined that they
abused their discretionary powers.
[Osaka District Court judgment on February 10, 2010]
130
Data Section
Court case 4:
[ Persecutionunder the Refugee Convention]
Persecutionunder the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees should be interpreted
as an infringement oflife or libertyor oppression.
In addition, as the contents of thislibertyare not always clear from a standpoint of the
Convention, in the common sense, it is possible to define it as a concept including mental
131
Data Section
liberty and economic liberty. Considering that people can be designated asrefugeesif they
have fear when they face a situation that they might be persecuted (see Article 1-A-(2) of the
Refugee Convention), withlibertyandlifetreated equally, thelibertywhich opposes to
infringement or other illegal actions corresponding topersecutioncan be rationally interpreted
as the liberty mainly concerning life activities, that is physical activities (personal liberty). In
addition, regarding refugee
s fundamental rights such as Self-employment including industry,
handicrafts and commerce (Article 18), Liberal professions(Article 19)and education other than
elementary education (Article 22-2)the Refugee Convention stipulates that the contracting
states shallaccord to a refugee lawfully in their territory treatment as favourable as possible
but notin any event, not less favourable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same
circumstances. As a result, when saidlibertygenerally includes economic liberty, and the
infringement against such liberty corresponds topersecution, although a host country in
accordance with the Refugee Convention designates a person as a refugee due to infringement
against a right in his/her home country, the person may obtain fewer rights from the host
country compared with those given by the home country. Thelibertyof which counterpart
is infringement or other relevant actions corresponding topersecutionshould be interpreted
as the liberty which does not cover economic activities in principle. In this context, it should be
interpreted thatpersecutioncorresponds to attack or oppression that causes suering which
general people cannot tolerate, and means infringement or suppression against life or physical
health or comparably serious infringement or suppression against liberty. In addition, if a person
wants to justify that he or she hasowes to well-founded fear of being persecuted, it should be
understood to be not only a subjective reason that he or she has fear of being persecuted but
also an objective reason such that if a general person is in the same situation, the person also
feel fear of being persecuted.
[Tokyo District Court Judgment on February 4, 2011]
132
Data Section
133
Data Section
Given the signicant changes in the circumstances aecting immigration control in recent years,
and in response to an increase in the quantity and in the complexity of immigration duties, measures
have been taken to improve and expand the organization and sta for immigration control.
At the end of FY 2010, immigration control administration work was carried out by about 3,700
ocials at the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice and regional immigration bureaus. Due
to an array of problems in immigration control policy and legal enforcements, further improvement
and expansion of the organization and sta are still needed.
Section 1 Organizations
134
Data Section
Immigration
Information Management Maintenance of information support systems for immigration
Development Office control
Violation examinations
Adjudication Division Hearings and objections concerning the landing and deportation
of foreign nationals
Issuance of detention orders and deportation orders
Departure orders
Filing of objections concerning denial of recognition of refugee
status and revocation of refugee status
Violation investigations
Enforcement Division Execution of detention orders and deportation orders
Security of detention facilities, provisional release of detainees,
Senior Assistant and treatment of detainees
for Enforcement Affairs
* Other than the positions mentioned above, one Assistant Deputy Vice-Minister of Justice and three
Attorneys legal specialists are assigned to the Immigration Bureau.
135
Data Section
136
Data Section
137
Data Section
Personnel Reinforcement
The number of immigration control sta was 3,823 in FY 2011, up about 23% (703) from FY 2006
(3,120), ve years ago. During this period, the number of cases handled by immigration control oces
remained at a high level, and the immigration control duties have been getting more complicated
and difficult due to the necessity of implementing stricter immigration examinations to prevent
terrorism and illegal entry, coping with forged or altered documents that have become increasingly
more sophisticated, strengthening residence management related to foreign residents after entry,
enforcing strengthened detection of illegal foreign residents, some of whom are potential criminals,
and implementing measures against foreign residents disguised as legal residents. (Chart 26, Table
54)
138
Data Section
In FY 2011, 167 persons were additionally assigned as immigration inspectors and immigration
control ocers. An outline of the sta increase is as follows:
139
Data Section
140
Data Section
Sta Training
As the number of foreign nationals entering and departing from Japan has been increasing year by
year and the types of residence have diversied, the volume of immigration services has increased
and the contents of routine duties to be performed by immigration inspectors and immigration
control ocers have become more complicated and dicult. It is therefore indispensable to enhance
the skills and abilities of the ocers of the Immigration Bureau, and so we are in the process of
enriching and reinforcing our training program targeted for those ocers.
In addition to systematic training for newly
employed persons, mid-career persons and
managers implemented by the Research and
Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice,
which is a training organization of the Ministry
of Justice, the Immigration Bureau implements
various kinds of training programs by not only
the sta with expertise but also experts outside
the Bureau invited to give a lecture for the
purpose of enhancing the professional knowledge Training
141
Data Section
of sta. There are several sorts of sta training such as training for persons engaged in the detection
of document forgery, training for persons engaged in entry and residence examination work, training
for persons engaged in refugee recognition work, training for persons engaged in information system
operation, and training for human rights and mental health.
Also, as the work of the Immigration Bureau is mainly concerned with international people, the
Bureau makes efforts to improve language skills necessary for the work by arranging language
classes for sta.
142
Data Section
Section 1 Budgets
Chart 26 shows the trends in budgets for immigration control administration. Despite severe
scal and administrative limitations in recent years, the scal authorities approved the Immigration
Bureau
s expenses to implement necessary immigration control duties and related policy projects
leading to improvement and enhancement of immigration control administrative capabilities.
For the budget about computer operation, the cost of adapting to the new system of residence
management was approved in the budget of FY 2011 in succession to the approval of the budget in
2010. (Charts 27 and 28).
Chart 27: Changes in the budget for immigration control administration
143
Data Section
Section 2 Facilities
As of March 31, 2011, eight regional immigration bureaus in the nation are housing in an
independent oce of the Ministry of Justice (Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka), a joint oce of the Ministry of
Justice (Sendai, Takamatsu), an administrative joint oce (Sapporo, Hiroshima), and a private facility
(Fukuoka) respectively.
Three Immigration centers existing in the nation were completed after the year 1993, which are
maintained as independent oces of the Ministry of Justice (Omura) and the general oce of the
Ministry of Justice (East Japan, West Japan).
Under globalization, more and more foreign nationals are entering and staying in Japan. In line
with the internationalization and re-expansion of the Haneda Airport, the Haneda Airport District
Immigration Oce of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau was established in 2010.
The Immigration Bureau will continue to upgrade its immigration control facilities as needed for
the purpose of ensuring proper implementation of immigration control policy. (Table 55)
Table 55: Changes in the capacity for detention
People
Fiscal Year
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Division
Total 3,848 3,848 3,998 3,998 4,010
Immigration Centers 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800
Regional Immigration Bureaus 2,048 2,048 2,198 2,198 2,210
As of every March 31the number for 2011 is an estimate.
144
2011 Immigration Control
November 2011
146