Part I
Immigration Control
and Residency
トビラManagement in Recent
Years
第１部 出入国在留管理をめぐる近年の状況

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Chapter 2

Japanese Nationals Departing from and Returning to Japan

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Chapter 4

Implementation of the Technical Intern Training Program

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Chapter 6

Recognition of Refugee Status

Chapter 7

Measures Against Trafficking in Persons and Protection of
Foreign Victims of Domestic ViolencePart I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Enteringand Departing from Japan

Section 1
１

Changes in the Number of Foreign
Nationals Entering and Departing from
Japan

Foreign Nationals Entering Japan(1) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering JapanThe number of foreign nationals entering Japan was only about 18,000 in 1950 when thestatistics relating to immigration control first began to be recorded. As a result of the enforcement of the “Peace Treaty with Japan” (Treaty No. 5 of 1952) on April 28, 1952, Japan
recovered complete sovereignty and acquired the authority to decide whether or not togrant permission for entry based on the Immigration Control Order. The number of foreign
nationals entering Japan has experienced an almost consistent upward trend partly as aresult of cheaper and more convenient flights, which is achieved through improvements ininternational transportation such as through the use of larger jumbo jets, exceeding 1 million
in 1978, 2 million in 1984, 3 million in 1990, 4 million in 1996, 5 million in 2000, 10 million in2013, 20 million in 2016 and 30 million in 2018. The number in 2021 significantly decreased forthe second year in a row, which was 353,119 persons, a drastic decrease of 3,954,138 (91.8%)
compared to the number of 4,307,257 of previous year.
Of the 353,119 foreign nationals entering Japan in 2021, the number of foreign nationals
newly entering Japan was 151,726, which was a decrease of 3,429,717 (95.8%) compared to
3,581,443 in the previous year, while the number of foreign nationals re-entering Japan was
201,393, which was a decrease of 524,421 (72.3%) compared to 725,814 in the previous year.
This is thought to have happened because the COVID-19 pandemic forced measures
including stricter quarantines, as well as immigration restrictions such as visa restrictions,entry restrictions such as denial of landing, and overseas travel restrictions. These measurescaused a significant decrease in international traffic, leading to a drastic decrease in the total
number of foreign nationals entering Japan (Reference 1).

2Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Reference 1

Part I

図表１ 外国人入国者数の推移
Changes in the numberof foreign nationals entering Japan（People）
32,000,000

31,187,179
30,102,102
2,784,670

27,428,782 2,527,870

28,000,000

2,336,762

24,000,000

23,218,912

Upper：Entry with re-entry permission

2,125,937
28,402,509

Lower：New arrivals

19,688,247

20,000,000

1,892,100

16,000,000

27,574,232

14,150,185

1,761,437

25,092,020

11,255,221

12,000,000

21,092,975
1,700,806

9,443,6969,172,146
1,523,970
1,622,148

7,450,103

Arrivals

12,388,748

55,63821,406
269,9038,000,000

1,329,394

9,554,415
5,272,095
7,549,998
3,732,450
1,015,692
7,919,726
3,504,470
2,259,894 576,892
798,022780,2981,295,866
6,120,709
291,309 775,061
271,989

146,881

17,796,147

53,311
721,750

127,051
653,247

2,927,578
208,795
1,987,905
2,934,428

4,256,403

4,307,257
725,8144,000,000

353,119
3,581,443 201,393
151,726

1,087,071

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

0（Year）(*) There are no separate categories for arrivals for 1955 and 1960.

(2) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Nationality/Region
According to the statistics for the number of foreign nationals entering Japan in 2021
by nationality/region, the largest number of foreign nationals came from China at 64,761,
accounting for 18.3% of the total. China was followed by the Republic of Korea (R.O.Korea)
at 36,171 (10.2%), Viet Nam at 27,747 (7.9%), the U.S at 27,288 (7.7%) and the Philippines at
20,275 (5.7%). These top five countries accounted for 49.9% of the total (Reference 2)(*).

(*) In immigration-related statistics, mainland China and Taiwan are described as “China” and “Taiwan”, respectively.
With respect to Hong Kong, persons of Chinese nationality having a SAR (Special Administrative Region) passport(including persons of Chinese nationality with a certificate of identity within the period of validity issued by theformer Hong Kong Government) are described as “China (Hong Kong)”, and persons with the right of residence inHong Kong having a BNO (British National Overseas) passport (British passport issued only to residents in HongKong) (including persons who have a British (Hong Kong) passport issued by the former Hong Kong Government
and entered within its period of validity (by June 30, 1997), are described as “U.K. (Hong Kong)”. BNO passports are
restricted in respect of renewal, and are in gradual transition to SAR passports. On the other hand, in the statistics
relating to foreign residents, the category “China” in the number of alien registrations by 2011 includes Taiwan, but
in the figures from 2012, “China” in the number of foreign residents (the total number of mid to long-term residents(see Data Section 1, Section 4, Subsection 1) as well as special permanent residents) includes “Taiwan” except for
those having been issued with a residence card or a special permanent resident certificate with “Taiwan” listed in
the “nationality/region” box. In addition, BNO passport holders are included in the “U.K.” Moreover, China (others)
includes persons of Chinese nationality with a certificate of identity issued by a government except for the governmentof China and China (Hong Kong) (for example, Macao, etc.).

3

Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Reference 2

Changes in the number of foreign nationals entering Japan by major
nationality/region（People）
9,000,000
8,000,000
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000

China
64,761
R.O.Korea 36,171
Viet Nam 27,747
The U.S.
27,288The Philippines 20,275

01985 1995 2000 2005 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 （Year）

Regarding the top five countries/regions, a comparison of the numbers of foreign nationals
entering Japan between 2021 and the previous year shows that all of the countries/regions
decreased: China by 1,009,560 (94.0%), R.O.Korea by 509,484(93.4%), Viet Nam by 132,079(82.6%), the U.S. by 202,780 (88.1%), and the Philippines by 137,952 (87.2%).
(3) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Gender and Age
Looking at the number of foreign nationals entering in Japan in 2021 by gender, 196,191
were males and 156,928 were females. Males accounted for 55.6% of the total while females
accounted for 44.4%, and therefore, more foreign males came to Japan than females in 2021.
Next, according to the statistics by age, foreign nationals in their 20s represented the largest age group, accounting for 27.7% of the total. Moreover, looking at the numbers for males
and females in each of the age groups, one particular characteristic is that the percentage ofwomen was higher for those under 20 years old, but the percentage of men was higher for
all other age groups (Reference 3).

4Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Reference 3

Part I

Number of foreign nationals entering Japan by gender and age (2021)（People）

60,00050,000male

51,45350,806female47,032

38,23740,00037,47430,00024,83520,00016,96026,56019,046

17,67812,938
10,10010,0000Under 20

20s

30s

40s

50s

60s and older（age）(4) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Purpose of Entry (Status
of Residence)
The number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan in 2021 was 151,726. Looking at thisreference by purpose of entry (status of residence), the most common status of residence
was “Temporary Visitor” standing at 71,771, which accounted for 47.3% of the total numberof foreign nationals newly entering Japan, followed by “Technical Intern Training (i)-(b)”at 21,899, accounting for 14.4%, “Student” at 11,651, accounting for 7.7%, and “Dependent” at
11,313, accounting for 7.5% (Reference 4).

5Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Reference 4C hanges in the number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan bystatus of residence（People）
Year
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

Status of Residence
Total
Diplomat
Official
Professor
ArtistReligious Activities
Journalist
Highly-Skilled Professional (i)-(a)Highly-Skilled Professional (i)-(b)Highly-Skilled Professional (i)-(c)Business Manager
Legal/Accounting Services
Medical Services
Researcher
Instructor
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/
International Services
Intra-company Transferee
Nursing CareEntertainer
Skilled Labor
Specified Skilled Worker (i)Specified Skilled Worker (ii)Technical Intern Training (i)-(a)Technical Intern Training (i)-(b)Technical Intern Training (ii)-(a)Technical Intern Training (ii)-(b)Technical Intern Training (iii)-(a)Technical Intern Training (iii)-(b)Cultural Activities
Temporary Visitor
Student
Trainee
Dependent
Designated Activities
Permanent Resident
Spouse or Child of Japanese National
Spouse or Child of Permanent
Resident
Long-Term Resident

25,092,020 27,574,232 28,402,509
9,092
9,072
12,206
29,68433,21742,934
3,166
3,194
3,185
394
435
474
924
872
949
88
43
69
16
26
37
250
432
624
36
73
118
1,660
1,790
2,237
2
4
5
63
55
58
380
368
364
2,992
3,432
3,463
25,06334,182
43,8808,665
139,929
3,692

9,478
1
42,703
3,551

151,726
2,109
1,973
921
13
45
19
16
74
18
474
1
19
89
2,757
2,532
497
3
1,570
388
1,093
0
218
21,899
0
23
3
1,280
202
71,771
11,651
179
11,313
3,508
1,861
7,356
1,174
4,677

9,998
2,170

10,466
2,081

10,694
1,990

3,188
23
7,218
1,729
3,760
0
1,652
74,804
2
116
63
7,189
815
3,360,831
49,7482,392
17,056
7,381
166
6,306
1,151

16,30917,146

17,515

5,385

7,492
6,222
120,179
137,973
0
12
9
242
0
64
8
5,648
3,377
3,539
24,617,024 27,054,549
123,232
124,269
16,393
13,38927,28827,952
22,44427,7529,964
445,486
4,355
563
0
6,300
167,4058183
226
14,7503,793
27,810,548
121,637
12,98531,78831,712

3,581,443
2,120
3,708
992
117
329
29
26
354
76
1,537
2
38
155
1,280
19,705(*1) The status of residence of “Specified Skilled Worker (i) and (ii)” was newly established on April 1, 2019.
(*2) In 2020, foreign nationals who were granted the residence status of "permanent resident", as support for permanent
residents who had difficulty re-entering Japan within the valid period for a re-entry permit or special re-entry permit,
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

6

Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Part I

A. “Temporary Visitor”
Regarding the number of new entrants to Japan according to the status of residence of“Temporary Visitor” in 2021, by purpose of entry, visiting relatives was 7,965 (11.1%), business
was 5,572 (7.8%), cultural/academic was 18 (0.0%), Also, due to the entry of athletes andofficials of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games held in July 2021, the number offoreigners with other purposes of entry has increased to 58,216, accounting for 81.1% of thetotal of new entrants to Japan with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” (Reference5).
Due to countermeasures at the port of entry related to preventing the spread of COVID-19,
the number of new entrants to Japan for sightseeing purposes is zero.

7

Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Reference 5

Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering with thestatus of residence of “Temporary Visitor” by purpose of entry（People）
30,000,000
27,810,548
27,054,549

27,500,000

213,809543,580

266,000

557,347

12,93825,000,000

209,729557,085

Cultural/Academic (written in blue)
Visiting Relatives

14,912

1,603,433

24,617,024

Others1,646,876

Business
Sightseeing

15,9781,644,281

22,500,000

2021
the number of foreign nationals newly
entering with the status of residence of“Temporary Visitor” by purpose of entry

20,000,000

80,00017,500,000

71,77170,00060,00015,000,000

50,00058,21640,00012,500,000

24,635,372

25,370,830

30,00018

20,00022,189,951

10,00010,000,000

7,965
5,572

0

0

2021
Sightseeing

7,500,000

Visiting Relatives
Others5,000,000

Cultural/Academic（written in blue）

3,360,831
54,353
1,659
73,062
179,1362,500,000

2021
Enlarged due to the decrease in thenumber of foreign nationals newly
entering Japan

3,052,621

71,7710
2017

8Business

2018

2019

2020

2021 （Year）

Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Part I

B. Foreign Nationals Entering Japan for the Purpose of Employment in Professional or Technical Fields
The number of newly entering foreign nationals with a status of residence for employment
in professional or technical fields (excluding the statuses of residence of “Diplomat”, “Official”
and “Technical Intern Training” in the Appended Tables I (1) and I (2) of the Immigration
Control and Refugee Recognition Act (hereinafter referred to as “Immigration Control Act”))
in 2021 was 10,529, a decrease of 30,029 (74.0%) compared to the previous year (Reference
6).
Reference ６

Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering by statusof residence for employment in professional or technical fields（Peple）
120,000

115,835
11,587110,000

100,639
100,000
10,72590,00087,321
9,972

80,000

4,355
9,964
563

3,551
9,478

3,692
70,0008,665
45,48660,00042,70350,00039,92940,55840,000

4,958
1,729
3,188

30,00043,88020,0003,760

Others

7,218

388 Skilled
Labor

34,182

10,52925,063
10,00019,705

0

2017

2018

2019

2020

497 Intra-company
Transferee

4,449

1,093 Specified Skilled
Worker (i)2,532

1,570 Entertainer

2021 （Year）

Engineer/Specialist in
Humanities/Internation
al Services(*) Excludes the statuses of residence of “Diplomat”, “Official”, and “Technical Intern Training” of the Appended Table I(1) and I (2) of the "Immigration Control Act".

9Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from JapanThe number of newly entering foreign nationals with a status of residence for employment
in professional or technical fields in Japan accounted for 6.9% of the total number of newly
entering foreign nationals in 2021.
The characteristic categories of foreign nationals entering Japan for the purpose of employment are as follows.
(a) “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” and “Intracompany Transferee” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 3-1, 4-1)
The total number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan with a status of residence
corresponding to foreign employees working in companies/organizations in Japan was 3,029
in 2021, consisting of two types of statuses of residence: 2,532 with the status of residenceof “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, and 497 with the status ofresidence of “Intra-company Transferee”. Foreign employees with the status of residenceof “Engineer/ “Specialist in Humanities/International Services” had decreased by 17,173(87.2%), and those with the status of “Intra-company Transferee” decreased by 2,691 (84.4%)
compared to the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of newly entering
foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” came from Viet Nam at 628 (24.8%), followed by China at 532 (21.0%),
R.O. Korea at 242 (9.6%), and the U.S. at 207 (8.2%). Those top four countries accounted for
63.5% of the total number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of“Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”.
Further, with regard to newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residenceof “Intra-company Transferee”, the statistics by nationality/region show that the largest
number came from China at 98 (19.7%), followed by Thailand at 70 (14.1%), Sri Lanka at 49(9.9%), Viet Nam at 43 (8.7%), and R.O.Korea at 43 (8.7%).
(b) “Entertainer” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 5-1)
The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Entertainer”
in 2021 was 1,570, decreasing by 5,648 (78.2%) from the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of foreign nationals
newly entering with the status of residence of “Entertainer” in 2021 came from the U.S. at
241 (15.4%) followed by Russia at 117 (7.5%), R.O. Korea at 115 (7.3%), and France at 113(7.2%).
(c) “Skilled Labor” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 6-1)
The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Skilled
Labor”, which is granted to workers and the like who are skilled in industrial fields unique toforeign countries, in 2021 was 388, a decrease of 1,341 (77.6%) from the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of newly entering
foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Skilled Labor” in 2021 came from China at
147 (37.9%), followed by Nepal at 111 (28.6%), India at 40 (10.3%), and New Zealand at 16(4.1%). These top four countries accounted for 80.9% of the total number of newly entering
foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Skilled Labor”.

10Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Part I(d) “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1)7-1)
The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Specified
Skilled Worker (i)” in 2021, which was established on April 1, 2019, was 1,093, a decrease of
2,667 (70.9%) compared to the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of newly entering
foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” came from
Viet Nam at 765 (70.0%), followed by China at 157 (14.4%), Indonesia at 56 (5.1%) andMyanmar at 42 (3.8%). These top four countries accounted for 93.3% of the total number of
newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Specified Skilled Worker (i)”.
C. “Technical Intern Training (i)” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 8-1)
The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “TechnicalIntern Training (i)” was 22,117 in 2021, a decrease of 54,339 (71.1%) compared to the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of newly entering
foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Technical Intern Training (i)” came from
Viet Nam at 16,450 (74.4%), followed by China at 3,505 (15.8%), Myanmar at 825 (3.7%),
Indonesia at 494 (2.2%) and Cambodia at 273 (1.2%) (Reference 7).
Reference 7

Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering withthe status of residence of “Technical Intern Training (i)” by major
nationality/region（People）
100,000
91,17095,00090,00085,00080,00072,58275,00070,00065,00060,00055,00058,69050,00041,34145,00040,00035,00034,072

33,64034,68530,00025,00020,00015,00010,00012,233
9,581

5,000
0
2017

3,233
2,978

3,723
3,316
2018

16,450 Viet Nam

15,746
6,460
4,216
2019

11,049
8,261
3,543
2,746
2020

3,505 China
825 Myanmar
494 Indonesia
273 Cambodia
2021（Year）

11

Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

D. “Student” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 11-1)
The number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan with the status of residence of“Student” in 2021 was 11,651, a decrease of 38,097 (76.6%) when compared to the previous
year, with students from Asia accounting for the top five countries/regions (62.8%).
In terms of nationality/region, China stood at 4,446, accounting for 38.2% of the total, followed by Viet Nam at 1,443 (12.4%), R.O. Korea at 556 (4.8%), Indonesia at 473 (4.1%) and
Malaysia at 394 (3.4%) (Reference 8).
Reference 8

Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering with thestatus of residence of “Student” by major nationality/region（People）
55,00050,00045,00047,666
41,65642,15140,00035,00030,00025,00024,893

26,125
20,67121,06020,00015,00010,000
5,000

7,326
2,850
1,195

0
2017

8,231

2,935
1,112
2018

11,339

8,901

2,896
1,047
2019

2,586
1,426
587
2020

4,446 China
1,443 Viet Nam
556 R.O.Korea
473 Indonesia
394
Malaysia
2021（Year）

E. Foreign Nationals Entering Japan with a Status of Residence for Resident
Activities Based on Personal Status or Position (Reference 9, Data Section
4, Statistics (1) 15-1, 16-1)
In 2021, the number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Spouseor Child of Japanese National” stood at 7,356, and those with the status of residence of “Spouseor Child of Permanent Resident” stood at 1,174, and as those with the status of residence of“Spouse or Child of Japanese National” saw an increase of 1,050 (16.7%), those with the statusof residence of “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” saw an increase of 23 (2.0%) compared to the previous year.
The number of foreign nationals newly entering with the status of residence of “Long-

12

Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Part I

Term Resident” in 2021 had decreased by 708 (13.1%) to 4,677 compared to the previous
year (Reference 9). As a general rule, the status of residence of “Permanent Resident” isexcluded from status of residences that can be determined at time of landing permission (Article
7, Paragraph (1), item (ii) of the Immigration Act). We allow new entry to Japan with thestatus of residence of “permanent resident” for those “permanent residents” who could not reenter Japan within the valid period of their re-entry permit or special re-entry permit due to
COVID-19. In 2021, there were 1,861 new immigrants with the status of residence of “permanent
resident”.
Reference 9

Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering by statusof residence for activities based on personal status or position（People）
33,00030,19929,69330,00028,47727,000

1,990
2,081

2,170

24,00010,694
10,46621,0009,998

18,00015,06815,00013,008

1,861

166
1,151

12,0009,000
16,30917,146

17,515

6,306

1,174

7,356

Permanent
Resident
Spouse orChild of
Permanent
Resident
Spouse orChild ofJapanese
National

6,000

3,000

5,385

4,677

Long-Term
Resident

0
2017

2018

2019

2020

2021（Year）(*) In 2020, foreign nationals who were newly entering Japan and granted the residence status of "Permanent resident",
as support for permanent residents who had difficulty re-entering Japan within the valid period for a re-entry permitor special re-entry permit, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

13

Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

According to the statistics for newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residenceof “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” by nationality/region, the largest number came fromthe Philippines at 1,010 (13.7%). The Philippines was followed by the U.S. at 942 (12.8%) andBrazil at 885 (12.0%).
According to the statistics by nationality/region for newly entering foreign nationals withthe status of residence of “Long-Term Resident”, the largest number came from the Philippines
at 1,709 (36.5%). The Philippines was followed by Brazil at 840 (18.0%) and China at 730(15.6%).

２

Special Landing Permission
The number of cases in which received special landing permission in 2021 was 421,925, a
decrease of 497,386 (54.1%) compared to the previous year.
Of these, 421,279 cases were granting of landing permission for crew members, accounting
for 99.8% of the total number of cases granted special landing permission (Reference 10).

Reference 10

Changes in the number of cases of special landing permission

Division

Year

Total
Permission for Landing at a Port of Call
Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists
Permission for Landing in Transit
Landing Permission for Crew Members

2017

2018

2019

（Cases）

2020

2021

919,311

421,925

13,8617,462

182

2,449,299 2,337,803 2,026,307

119,960

0

7,760

3,003

6

3,034,126 3,007,588 2,913,001

788,305421,279

5,502,177 5,364,421 4,961,505
13,217
4,979

13,331
5,235

Permission for Emergency Landing

464

444

483

556

415

Landing Permission Due to Distress

90

18

92

24

42

Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge

2

2

1

1

1

The following is the number of cases of special landing permission by category.
(1) Permission for Landing at a Port of Call
The number of cases being granted “Permission for Landing at a Port of Call” in 2021 was
182, a decrease of 7,280 (97.6%) compared to the previous year.
(2) Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists
The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists” waszero in 2021, which was a decrease of 119,960 (100%) compared to the previous year.
(3) Permission for Landing in Transit
The number of cases in which received “Permission for Landing in Transit” in 2021 was
six, a decrease of 2,997 (99.8%) compared to the previous year.
(4) Landing Permission for Crew Members
The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Crew Members” in 2021
was 421,279, a decrease of 367,026 (46.6%) compared to the previous year.

14Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Part I(5) Permission for Emergency Landing
The number of cases in which received “Permission for Emergency Landing” in 2021 was415, a decrease of 141 (25.4%) compared to the previous year.
(6) Landing Permission Due to Distress
The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission Due to Distress” in 2021 was
42, an increase of 18 (75.0%) compared to the previous year.
(7) Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge
The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge” in
2021 was one, there was no change compared to the previous year.

３

Foreign Nationals Leaving JapanThe number of foreign nationals simply leaving Japan without having acquired a re-entry
permit was 223,728 in 2021, a decrease of 3,896,551 (94.6%) compared to the previous year.
Of these, foreign nationals leaving Japan with a period of stay of more than one year to
three years numbered 64,707 (28.9% of the total), and foreign nationals leaving Japan for
more than a year numbered 133,657 (59.7% of the total) (Reference 11).

Reference 11 C hanges in the number of foreign nationals simply leaving Japan byperiod of stay

（People）

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

24,770,368

27,252,517

28,083,240

4,120,279

223,728

Within 15 days

23,760,799

26,108,961

26,778,686

3,678,125

29,901More than 15 days to 1 month

539,458

625,674

737,979

163,396

32,251More than 1 month to 3 months

270,021286,553

307,985

79,142

13,520More than 3months to 6 months

50,12552,501

56,11431,705

3,955

More than 6 months to 1 year

46,09451,65057,13853,376

9,200

More than 1 year to 3 years

74,33087,981

99,18365,53064,707More than 3 years

28,33237,85744,73347,904

68,950Unknown

1,209

1,340

1,422

1,101

1,244

Period of Stay

15

Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Article: At the Front Line of Immigration Control Administration(Voice of the immigration inspector in charge of immigration examinations)(Inspection Coordination Department, Haneda Airport District Immigration Services Oﬃce, Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau: Fukunaka Daisuke)

We airport immigration inspectors are in charge of landing examinations for foreigners entering the country by air, as well as confirmation of return to Japan for Japanesenationals, and confirmation of departure for all travelers. Our attitude towards work
cultivated with the aim of becoming a tourism-oriented country has required a major
shift since the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, as in 2020, people in Japan and all over the world were forced to change theirlifestyles and common sense due to COVID-19 and countermeasures against it. It wasa year in which the ISA continued to struggle, using its originality and ingenuity torestore normal lifestyles and economic activities, while taking measures to prevent the
spread of infection so as not to endanger human lives.
Strict immigration restrictions as countermeasures at the port of entry have continued since 2020, but in the midst of that high alert mood, the Tokyo Olympics andParalympics were held in the summer of 2021, and it was necessary to make a flexible
response according to the season and situation, such as implementing smooth immigration procedures for athletes and related parties. Since then, every time the immigration
restrictions were revised, I spent my days in a process of trial and error, taking threesteps forward and two steps back while trying to sense what will happen in the world
tomorrow.
Immigration inspectors engaged in immigration inspection work at airports must interact with real people, grasp the needs of the times and follow individual circumstancesand situations, as we carry out our duties with great responsibility towards Japanese
territory and the people living there beyond or behind the gates we let arrivals passthrough.
In this era of diversification, immigration work brings us into contact withvarious cultures and ways of thinking,so it requires a broad perspective,
flexible thinking, comprehension ability,
and the ability to logically construct explanations. It is difficult to describe thiswork with just the word "rewarding",
but I would like to continue fulfilling
my responsibilities with a calm andcompassionate heart while wishing for
The immigration inspector in charge ofthe peace of everyone living in Japan.
immigration examinations

16

Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Part I

Section 2 Judgement for Landing
１ Receipt and Processing of Hearings for Landing, and Filing of Objections

Hearing for landing
The number of new cases of hearings for landing (the number of cases which were assigned to a special inquiry officer on account of a foreign national not being granted landing
permission by an immigration inspector) in 2021 was 4,419, a decrease of 20,637 (82.4%)
compared to 2020.
Looking at a breakdown of the number of new cases of hearings for landing, the mostcommon type are cases with suspicions about the purpose of entry, including false applications in which the applicant feigns to be a tourist despite their actual purpose being illegal
activities such as unlawful employment (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article
7, paragraph (1), item (ii) of the Immigration Control Act). There were 2,284 such cases in
2021, an increase of 651 cases (39.9%) from 2021, accounting for 51.7% of the total number of
new cases. This was followed by cases suspected to fall under one of the grounds for denialof landing (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, paragraph (1), item (iv) of
the Immigration Control Act). Such cases numbered 1,445, a decrease of 21,178 cases (93.6%)
compared to 2020, accounting for 32.7% of the total number of new cases in 2021. Furthermore, cases which were assigned on account of the foreign national being suspected of notpossessing a valid passport or visa, such as those attempting to illegally enter Japan using aforged or altered passport (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, paragraph(1), item (i) of the Immigration Control Act) numbered 690, a decrease of 110 cases (13.8%)
compared to 2020, accounting for 15.6% of the total number of new cases in 2021. In addition,
the number of cases that foreign nationals refuse to provide the immigration inspector with
their Biometric information, which became mandatory by law from November 20, 2007
(coming under paragraph (4) of Article 7 of the Immigration Control Act) was 0 in 2021
(Reference 12).

17

Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Reference 12 C hanges in the number of new cases of hearings for landing bygrounds for landing（Cases）

Conditions for Landing

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

9,776

11,756

13,402

25,056

4,419

Using counterfeit passports or visas,etc.
(Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-(i))

1,812

1,940

2,206

800

690

False landing application,etc.
(Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-(ii))

6,693

8,686

10,240

1,633

2,284

―

―

―

―

―

1,270

1,128

953

22,623

1,445

1

2

3

0

0

Ineligiblity for the period of stay relating to
the application(Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-(iii))
Falling under the grounds for denial of
landing(Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-( ⅳ ))Not providing Biometric information(Not conforming to Article 7-(4))

With regard to results of the hearings for landing in 2021(*), the number of cases wherelanding permission was granted as it was found during the hearing that the foreign national
conformed to the conditions for landing was 1,484, a decrease of 20,869 (93.4%) compared to2020.
In addition, cases in which foreign nationals were ordered to depart Japan because they
were found not to meet the conditions for landing at the hearing for landing by a special inquiry officer and who later submitted to the findings numbered 11, a decrease of 1,336 (99.2%)
compared to 2020. Cases in which foreign nationals filed an objection with the Minister ofJustice because they were not satisfied with the findings by the special inquiry officer thatthey did not meet the conditions for landing numbered 2,791, an increase of 1,863 (200.8%)
compared to 2020 (Reference 13).
Reference 13

Changes in the processing of the hearings for landing

Division

Year

2017

（Cases）

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

9,770

11,763

13,40925,0644,420

Landing permission

1,421

1,260

1,197

22,353

1,484

Expulsion order

5,986

7,934

9,440

1,347

11

Filing of objection

1,770

1,911

2,103

928

2,791

Withdrawal of the landing application

481

585

581

360

126

Others

112

73

88

76

8

（*） “Others” includes cases where the jurisdiction has changed or the application was withdrawn owing to thedeparture, etc.

(*) The reason why the total number in the changes in the number of new cases of hearings for landing by grounds forlanding (Reference12) and the total number in the changes in the processing of the hearings for landing (Reference13)
are inconsistent is because, depending on the case, the processing of the hearing may carry over to the following year,
for example, when a case was handed over at the end of the year by an immigration inspector to a special inquiry
officer.

18

Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Part I

２ Foreign Nationals Falling Under Any of the Grounds for Denial of Landing
In principle, foreign nationals denied permission for landing are those who (i) are ordered
to depart Japan as a result of a hearing for landing or (ii) are ordered to depart Japan as aresult of filing an objection with the Minister of Justice.
The number of foreign nationals denied permission for landing in 2021 was 156, a decreaseof 1,755 (91.8%) compared to 2020.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of foreign nationals
denied permission for landing came from China standing at 36 (23.1%), followed by Korea at
18 (11.5%) and the Philippines at 13 (8.3%). These top three countries accounted for 42.9%of the total (Reference 14).

19

Part I

Chapter 1

Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

Reference 14

Changes in the number of foreign nationals who were denied landingby major nationality/region（People）
10,647
9,179

10,000
8,000

Total

7,181

6,000
4,000

1,911

2,000

156

0
2017

2018

2019

3,800

2020

2021

3,765

3,600
3,400
3,200
3,000
2,800
2,600
2,400
2,200
2,092

2,000
1,800
1,600

1,420

1,200
1,000
800

1,398
1,307

1,400
1,213
1,159

990
734

715

474

583

600
400

925

584
375
204

200

125
113

0
2017

20

341
262

2018

2019

2020

36 China
18 R.O. Korea
3 Thailand
1 Turkey
0 Indonesia

2021 （Year）

Chapter 1 Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

３

Part I

Special Permission for Landing
The number of cases in which the Minister of Justice granted special permission for
landing to foreign nationals in 2021 was 2,780, a decrease of 1,968 (242.4%) compared to 2020
(Reference 15).

Reference 15

Changes in the number of objections filed and decisions by the
Minister of Justice（Cases）

Year

Division

2018

2019

2020

2021

1,781

1,919

2,120

935

2,792

4

5

2

3

1

Order to depart

439

404

375

70

5

Special Permission for Landing

1,241

1,333

1,584

812

2,780

Withdrawal

89

160

152

49

6

Outstanding

8

17

7

1

0

With reason(Landing Permission)
Without
reasonDecisionsFiling of Objection (*)2017（*） “Filing of Objection” includes the number of outstanding cases of the previous year.

Section 3
１

Pre-entry Examination

Advance Consultation for Visa Issuance
The number of cases of advance consultation for visa issuance was 8,931 in 2021, showing
an increase of 2,917 (48.5%) compared to the previous year.

２

Certificate of Eligibility
The number of cases of applications for Certificates of Eligibility was 306,878 in 2021, adecrease of 103,528 (25.2%) compared to the previous year.
The advance consultation for visa issuance and the examination of Certificates of Eligibility
are jointly called pre-entry examinations. In recent years, the number of processed cases ofapplications for the issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility has steadily accounted for most of
the total number of processed cases of pre-entry examinations (Reference 16).

Reference 16
Division

Changes in the number of cases of pre-entry examination
Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

（Cases）

2021

Advance consulation for visa issuance

7,875

5,336

4,634

6,014

8,931

Application for a certificate of eligibility

481,120533,568

591,858

410,406

306,87821

Part I

Chapter 2

Japanese Nationals Departing from and Returning to Japan

Chapter 2 Japanese Nationals Departingfrom and Returning to Japan

Section 1
１

Number of Japanese Nationals Departingfrom Japan

Total Number of Japanese Nationals Departing from JapanThe number of Japanese nationals departing from Japan in 2021 was 512,244, a decrease of
2,661,975 (83.9%) compared to the previous year (Reference 17).

Reference 17

Changes in the number of Japanese nationals departing from Japan(People)22,000,000
20,080,669

20,000,000

18,954,031
17,818,590

17,889,292
17,116,420

18,000,000

17,403,565
16,637,224
16,213,789

16,000,000

15,298,125

14,000,000
12,000,000

10,997,431

10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000

4,948,366
3,909,333

4,000,000

3,174,219
2,466,326

42,900 119,420

1955

２

265,6831960

2,000,000

936,205

1965

1970

512,244

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

0

2021 (Year)

Number of Japanese Nationals Departing from Japan by Gender and Age
According to the statistics by gender, the number of Japanese nationals departing fromJapan in 2021 was composed of 307,960 males and 204,284 females; males accounted for 60.1%of the total and females accounted for 39.9%. There have been no significant changes in thepercentages of either males or females since 2001, and the percentage of males continues to
exceed that of females.
According to the statistics by age, the number of Japanese nationals departing from Japan
in 2021 was composed of 105,880 Japanese nationals in their 40s, which accounted for 20.7%of the total, followed by 102,577 in their 30s, accounting for 20.0%, 89,034 in their 50s, accounting for 17.4%, 84,429 in their 20s, accounting for 16.5%, 80,891 in their under 20, accountingfor 15.8% and 49,433 in their 60s, accounting for 9.7%.
According to the statistics on percentages of males and females by age group, the per-22

Chapter 2

Japanese Nationals Departing from and Returning to Japan

Part I

centages of Japanese females ages under 20 and 20s exceeded those of males, but with theother age groups, the percentages of males departing from Japan exceeded that of females.
(Reference 18).
Reference 18

Number of Japanese nationals departing from Japan by gender andage (2021)(People)male
female80,00071,45570,00062,68761,41460,00050,00040,00039,756

41,135

41,142 43,287

39,89034,42527,62030,00031,506

17,92720,00010,0000Under 20

20s

30s

40s

50s

60s and older(Age)

３ Number of Japanese Nationals Departing from Japan by Airport and Seaport
Looking at the number of Japanese nationals departing from Japan in 2021 by airports
and seaport of departure, the number of departing passengers using airports was 511,892,
accounting for 99.9% of the total.
Looking at the Japanese nationals departing from Japan using airports in 2021, the numberof users of Narita Airport was 237,871, accounting for 46.5% of the total number of departing
passengers from airports, the number of users of Haneda Airport was 217,808, accounting
for 42.5%, and the number of users of Kansai Airport was 43,970, accounting for 8.6%. These
three airports accounted for 97.6% of the total number of departing passengers from airports.
On the other hand, looking at the Japanese nationals departing from Japan using seaports
during 2021, the number of Moji Port users was 73, accounting for 20.7% of the total numberof departing passengers from seaports, followed by Yokosuka Port at 68 (19.3%), andShimizu Port at 52 (14.8%). These three seaports accounted for 54.8% of the total number of
departing passengers from seaports. Yokohama Port at 24 (6.8%) and Naha Port at 22 (6.3%)
followed these three seaports.

23

Part I

Chapter 2

Japanese Nationals Departing from and Returning to Japan

Section 2

Number of Japanese Nationals Returning
to Japan

The total number of returning Japanese nationals in 2021 was 500,938. By period of stayin foreign countries after departure, 128,042 Japanese nationals returned to Japan after morethan one year to three years of their departure, accounting for 25.6% of the total. Due tocountermeasures at the port of entry in each country affected by the spread of COVID-19,
overseas travel was restricted, making it a different situation than usual (Reference 19).
Reference 19 C hanges in the number of Japanese nationals returning to Japan byperiod of stay

（People）

Year
Peroid of Stay
Total
Within 5 days
More than 5 days to 10 days
More than 10 days to 20 days
More than 20 days to 1 monthMore than 1 month to 3 months
More than 3 months to 6 months
More than 6 months to 1 year
More than 1 year to 3 years
More than 3 years
Unknown

24

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

17,876,453
10,590,134
4,106,292
1,116,348
412,805
686,350
400,249
310,126
122,306
10,610121,233

18,908,954
11,396,585
4,295,947
1,143,763
410,416
693,432
402,650
313,425
123,677
9,193
119,866

20,030,055
12,150,774
4,607,708
1,182,976
416,356
688,694
412,104
318,140
123,794
8,405
121,104

3,683,270
1,891,374
890,991
254,898
105,794
191,495
124,322137,036
51,4162,281
33,663500,938
11,08230,67536,47429,19390,89961,35663,887
128,042
3,811
45,519

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Chapter 3 Foreign Nationals Residing

in JapanSection 1
１

Number of Foreign Residents in Japan

Number of Foreign Residents in Japan
While the number of foreign nationals entering Japan shows the “flow” of foreign nationals,
the number of foreign nationals residing in Japan comprises the statistics on “stock” to show
how many foreign nationals reside in Japan at a certain point in time.
At the end of 2021, the number of mid to long-term residents (see Data Section 1, Section
4, Subsection 1) in Japan was 2,464,219 and the number of special permanent residents was
296,416. Adding these two numbers together, the total number of foreign residents was
2,760,635, a decrease of 126,481 (4.4%) compared to the end of the previous year.
In addition, the percentage of foreign nationals residing in Japan was 2.20% out of the total
population of Japan which was 125,500,000 as of the end of 2021 (population estimate as of
October 1, 2021 (Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)),
which was 0.09 points lower than the 2.29% at the end of the previous year (Reference
20).

Reference 20

Changes in the number of foreign residents, and changes in thenumber of foreign residents as a percentage of the total populationof Japan(People)

2.32

（％）
2.40

2.29

3,500,000

2.20

2.16

Percentage of the total population

3,000,000

2.20

2.02

2.00

1.88
1.76
1.63

2,500,000

1.62

1.59

1.80

1.67
2,760,635

1.49

2,887,116

1.40

1.26

2,000,000

1.60

2,933,137

1.20

1.03
2,731,093

2,066,445

1,500,000

1.00

0.85
0.71

0.69

0.67

0.68

0.67

0.67

2,033,656

0.70

1,000,000

2,561,848

0.80

2,087,261

0.60

2,382,822
850,612500,000

782,910

665,989
708,458

1960

1965

1970

0.20

1,296,562

2,121,831

1,053,041

0
1955

0.40
2,232,189

1,594,001

751,842

650,566
641,482

1,906,689

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

0.00
2021 （Year）(*1) These numbers are based on the statistics as at the end of December each year.
(*2) The numbers until 1985 represent the number of alien registrations, the numbers between 1990 and 2011 represent
the sum of the number of alien registrations who stayed in Japan with the status of residence eligible for mid to longterm residents and the number of special permanent residents, and the numbers from 2012 onwards represent the
number of foreign residents adding together mid to long-term residents and special permanent residents.
(*3) The “percentage of the total population of Japan” is calculated based on the population as of October 1 eachyear taken from the “Population Estimates” and the “Population Census” of the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry ofInternal Affairs and Communications.

25Part I

Chapter 3２Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Number of Foreign Residents by Nationality/Region
According to the statistics of the number of foreign residents by nationality/region at theend of 2021, China marked the largest number at 716,606, accounting for 26.0% of the total.
China was followed by Viet Nam at 432,934 (15.7%), R.O. Korea at 409,855 (14.8%), thePhilippines at 276,615 (10.0%), and Brazil at 204,879 (7.4%).
According to the changes in the number of foreign residents by year, China decreased by
61,506 (7.9%) at the end of 2021 compared to the end of the previous year. Viet Nam wason an upward trend, but this changed to a decrease of 15,119 (3.4%) at the end of 2021 compared to the end of the previous year. R.O.Korea is on a downward trend, with a decrease of
17,053 (4.0%) at the end of 2021 compared to the end of the previous year. The Philippines
also decreased, by 3,045 (1.1%) at the end of 2021 compared to the end of the previous year.
Brazil also decreased by 3,659 (1.8%) at the end of 2021 compared to the end of the previous
year (Reference 21).

Reference 21

Changes in the number of foreign residents by major nationality/
region(People)900,000
813,675

800,000

764,720
730,890700,000

678,391

657,180
646,330

400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
63,9209,110
1,866 0586,400
560,799
501,960

Korea

489,431 481,249

465,477 457,772 453,096 450,663
449,634 446,364 448,053 432,934
Viet Nam
426,908 R.O.Korea
411,968
409,855
322,486
330,835
298,382
282,798 279,660 276,615
262,405 271,289
243,662
228,702
216,042
The Philippines
217,585 229,595
260,553
249,969
202,985 209,183
199,990Brazil173,437
211,677
163,890
204,879
208,538
201,865
200,208 190,609 181,317
180,923 191,362
171,766
175,410
99,865
146,956
133,21172,256
67,641
52,36727,990 41,354
16,602
8,880
2,981

1984
(*1)

China
716,606

622,507600,000
500,000

695,522652,595 649,078 654,777 665,847

778,1121995 2000 2005 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 (Year)The numbers until 2011 represent the number of foreign nationals with alien registrations who stayed in Japan
with a status of residence eligible for mid to long-term residents and the number of special permanent residents,
and the numbers from 2012 onwards represent the number of foreign nationals adding together mid to long-term
residents and special permanent residents.
(*2) “China” until 2011 includes Taiwan, and “China” from 2012 onwards excludes those who were issued with residencecards and special permanent resident certificates with “Taiwan” listed in the “nationality/region”box.
(*3) Up until the end of 2011, R.O.Korea and Korea used to be calculated jointly as “Korea”, but from the end of 2012,
they are calculated separately as “R.O.Korea” and “Korea” , for the purpose of the statistics.

26

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

３ Number of Foreign Residents by Purpose（Status of Residence）(1) “Permanent Resident” and “Special Permanent Resident” (Data Section 4,
Statistics (1) 14)
According to the statistics for the number of foreign residents by status of residence
at the end of 2021, those with the status of “Permanent Resident” (excluding “Special
Permanent Residents”) comprised the largest group. The number of those with the status of“Permanent Resident” was 831,157, an increase of 23,640 (2.9%) from the end of the previous
year, accounting for 30.1% of the total (Reference 22).

27

Part I

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Reference 22

Changes in the number of foreign residents by status

Status

Year

Total

2018

2019

2020

2021

2,561,848 2,731,093 2,933,137 2,887,116 2,760,635

Professor

7,403

7,360

7,354

6,647

6,519

Artist

426

461

489

448

385

Religious Activities

4,402

4,299

4,285

3,772

3,034

Journalist

236

215

220

215

207

Highly-Skilled Professional (i)-(a)

1,194

1,576

1,884

1,922

1,885

Highly-Skilled Professional (i)-(b)

6,046

8,774

11,886

13,167

12,257Highly-Skilled Professional (i)-(c)

257

395

570

676

648

Highly-Skilled Professional (ii)

171

316

584

789

945

24,03325,67027,24927,23527,197

Legal/Accounting Services

147

147

145

148

139

Medical Services

1,653

1,936

2,269

2,476

2,482

Researcher

1,596

1,528

1,480

1,337

1,161

Instructor

11,524

12,462

13,331

12,241

12,915Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/
International Services

189,273

225,724

271,999

283,380

274,740

Intra-company Transferee

16,486

17,32818,193

13,415

8,593

Nursing Care

18

185

592

1,714

3,794

Entertainer

2,094

2,389

2,508

1,865

1,564

Skilled Labor

39,17739,915

41,69240,491

38,240Specified Skilled Labor (i)1,621

15,66349,666

Specified Skilled Labor (ii)

0

0

0

Business Manager

Mid to long-term resident

2017（People）

Technical Intern Training (i)-(a)

5,971

5,128

4,975

1,205

211

Technical Intern Training (i)-(b)118,101

138,249

164,408

74,47624,005

Technical Intern Training (ii)-(a)

3,424

3,712

4,268

4,490

2,818

Technical Intern Training (ii)-(b)146,729

173,873

210,965

258,173

202,006

Technical Intern Training (iii)-(a)

0

220

605

707

779

Technical Intern Training (iii)-(b)

8

7,178

25,751

39,14946,304

2,859

2,825

3,013

1,280

821

Student

311,505

337,000

345,791

280,901

207,830

Trainee

1,460

1,443

1,177

174

145

Dependent

166,561

182,452

201,423

196,622

192,184

Designated Activities

64,776

62,956

65,187

103,422

124,056

Permanent Resident

749,191

771,568

793,164

807,517

831,157

Spouse or Child of Japanese National

140,839

142,381145,254

142,735

142,044

Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident

34,63237,99841,51742,90544,522Long-Term Resident

179,834

192,014204,787

201,329

198,966

Special Permanent Resident

329,822

321,416

312,501

304,430

296,416

Cultural Activities(*) The status of residence of “Specified Skilled Worker (i) and (ii)” was newly established on April 1, 2019.

28

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Looking at changes in the number of foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Permanent Resident” between the end of 2017 and the end of 2021, there was a steady increase,and the number increased by 81,966 (10.9%) at the end of 2021 from 749,191 at the end of2017.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of foreign nationals
with the status of residence of “Permanent Resident” came from China totaling 296,660 at theend of 2021, followed by the Philippines, Brazil, R.O. Korea, and Peru.
On the other hand, the number of foreign nationals with the status of “Special Permanent
Resident” has been decreasing year by year, and therefore its percentage to the total
number of foreign residents has also been decreasing accordingly, reaching 10.7% at the endof 2021. Looking at the changes over a longer period, the percentage of foreign nationals
equivalent to the status of “Special Permanent Resident” accounted for approximately 90%
for two decades just after World War II. However, the decrease in the number of “Special
Permanent Residents” itself and the increase in the number of foreign nationals newly visiting Japan for various purposes (so-called “newcomers”) are both driving the percentage of“Special Permanent Residents” down, which clearly shows the changes in the situation offoreign residents in Japan.
(2) Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan for the Purpose of Employment inProfessional or Technical Fields
At the end of 2021, the number of mid to long-term residents with a status of residence forthe purpose of employment in a professional or technical field (except for “Diplomat”, “Official”
and “Technical Intern Training” out of the statuses of residence given in Appended Table I(1) and (2) of the Immigration Control Act) was 446,371 accounting for 16.2% of the total,
an increase of 18,770 (4.4%) compared to the end of the previous year, and an upward trend
has been continuing since the end of 2012 (Reference 23).

29

Part I

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Reference 23

Changes in the number of mid to long-term residents by status ofresidence for employment in professional or technical fields
446,371(People)440,000

427,601
408,351

420,000

34,285400,000

20,963380,000

14,924

350,680

360,000

18,520340,000

11,061

320,000

306,136

300,000

17,97525,670280,000

7,668
11,524

17,328260,000
240,000

13,331
27,24968,951Others15,735Highly-Skilled
Professionals

12,915

Instructor

27,197

Business
Manager

16,554
12,241
27,235

13,41518,193

12,462

8,593

Intra-company
Transferee

38,240SkilledLabor

40,491
41,692

24,033Engineer/
Specialist in
Humanities/
International
Services

39,915
16,486220,000
39,177200,000
180,000
160,000
140,000

271,999

120,000
100,000

283,380

274,740

225,724
189,273

80,00060,00040,00020,000
0
2017
(*1)

2018

2019

2020

2021

Excludes “Diplomat”, “Official” and “Technical Intern Training” of the Appended Tables I (1) and I (2) ofImmigration Control Act.
(*2) “Highly Skilled Professionals” is the total for “Highly-Skilled Professionals (i)-(a), (b), (c), and Highly Skilled
Professionals (ii)”30

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Trends of the distinctive categories of foreign nationals residing in Japan for the purposeof employment will be described below.
A. “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” and “Intracompany Transferee” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 3-2, 4-2)
At the end of 2021, the number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residenceof “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” or “Intra-company Transferee”
corresponding to foreign employees working in companies/organizations was 274,740 for“Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” and 8,593 for “Intra-company Transferee”, and when compared to the end of the previous year, the respective numbers have been
decreasing 8,640(3.0%) and have been decreasing 4,822(35.9%).
At the end of 2021, the percentages of mid to long-term residents with the statuses ofresidence of “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” and “Intra-company
Transferee” to the total number of mid to long-term residents with a status of residence for the
purpose of employment in professional or technical fields were 61.5%, and 1.9%, respectively.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of mid to long-term
residents with the status of residence of “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” came from China at 81,221 (29.6%), followed by Viet Nam at 64,200 (23.4%), R.O. Korea
at 22,652 (8.2%), and Nepal at 19,406 (7.1%).
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of mid to long-term
residents with the status of residence of “Intra-company Transferee” came from China at 2,509(29.2%), followed by R.O. Korea at 811 (9.4%) and the Philippines at 777 (9.0%).
B. “Skilled Labor” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 6-2)
At the end of 2021, the number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residenceof “Skilled Labor”, which is granted to workers and the like who are skilled in industrial fields
unique to foreign countries, was 38,240, a decrease of 2,251 (5.6%) when compared to the endof the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of mid to long-term
residents with the status of residence of “Skilled Labor” came from China at 15,437(40.4%),
followed by Nepal at 12,112 (31.7%), India at 5,379 (14.1%), and Thailand at 1,140 (3.0%).
C. “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1)7-2)
At the end of 2021, the number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residenceof “Specified Skilled Worker”, which is established and operation started on April 1, 2019, was49,666, an increase of 34,003 (217.1%) compared to the end of the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of mid to long term
residents with the status of residence of “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” came from Viet Nam at
31,721 (63.9%), followed by the Philippines at 4,607 (9.3%), Indonesia at 3,889 (7.8%) and China
at 3,694 (7.4%).

31

Part I

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan(3) “Technical Intern Training”(*) (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 8-2, 9, 10-2)
The number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residence of “TechnicalIntern Training (i)” at the end of 2021 was 24,216, a decrease of 51,465 (68.0%) when compared to the end of the previous year. According to the statistics by nationality/region, thenumber of those from Viet Nam was 17,793, accounting for 73.5% of the total. Viet Nam wasfollowed by China at 3,644 (15.0%), Myanmar at 937 (3.9%), and Indonesia at 735 (3.0%).
The number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residence of “TechnicalIntern Training (ii)” at the end of 2021 was 204,824, a decrease of 57,839 (22.0%) when compared to the end of the previous year. According to the statistics by nationality/region, thenumber of those from Viet Nam was 116,646 accounting for 56.9% of the total. Viet Nam wasfollowed by China at 28,790 (14.1%), Indonesia at 20,147 (9.8%) and the Philippines at 16,287(8.0%).
In addition, with the establishment of the status of residence of “Technical Intern Training(iii)” on November 1, 2017, the number of mid to long-term residents with this status of residence at the end of 2021 was 47,083, an increase of 7,227(18.1%). According to the statistics
by nationality/region, the number of those from Viet Nam was 26,124 accounting for 55.5% of
the total. Viet Nam was followed by the Philippines at 6,518 (13.8%), China at 5,055 (10.7%)
and Indonesia at 4,125 (8.8%).
(4) “Student” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 11-2)
The number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residence of “Student” at theend of 2021 was 207,830, a decrease of 73,071 (26.0%) compared to the end of the previous
year, comprising 7.5% of the total number of foreign residents.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the number from China was 96,594 accounting for 46.5% of the total, followed by Viet Nam at 46,403 (22.3%).
(5) F oreign Nationals Residing in Japan with a Status of Residence for
Resident Activities Based on Personal Status or Position (Data Section 4,
Statistics (1) 15-2, 16-2)
The number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residence of “Spouse or Childof Japanese National” at the end of 2021 was 142,044, accounting for 5.1% of the total numberof foreign residents, a decrease of 691 (0.5%) when compared to the end of the previous
year.
Looking at these numbers by nationality/region, China stood at 26,575, accounting for
18.7% of the total, followed by the Philippines at 25,538 (18.0%), and Brazil at 16,544 (11.6%).
At the end of 2021, the number of mid to long-term residents with the status of residenceof “Long-Term Resident” was 198,966 accounting for 7.2% of the total number of foreign
residents, the number at the end of 2021 has decreased by 2,363 (1.2%) compared to the endof the previous year.
Looking at these number by nationality/region, Brazil was 68,492 accounting for 34.4% of
the total number, followed by the Philippines at 54,946 (27.6%) and China at 26,624 (13.4%).

(*) “Technical Intern Training (i)” represents the sum of “Technical Intern Training (i)-(a)” and “Technical Intern
Training (i)-(b)”, and “Technical Intern Training (ii)” represents the sum of “Technical Intern Training (ii)-(a)” and“Technical Intern Training (ii)-(b)”, and “Technical Intern Training (iii)” represents the sum of “Technical Intern
Training (iii)-(a)” and “Technical Intern Training (iii)-(b)”.

32

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Section 2 Examination of Statuses of Residence
The total number of applications related to residence examinations was 1,551,001 in 2021, adecrease of 40,576 (2.6%) when compared to the previous year (Reference 24).
Reference 24 C hanges in the number of permission examined in status ofresidence examinations
Year（Cases）

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

1,188,257

1,323,871

1,420,031

1,591,577

1,551,001

Permission for change of status ofresidence

215,599

325,149

269,153

392,415367,189

Permission for extension of period of
stay

610,924

603,043

743,254873,416

848,305

Permission for permanent residence

28,86931,451

32,15029,747

36,691

73

75

63

30

67

Permission for acquisition of statusof residence

12,976

13,188

14,46915,72015,867

Re-entry permission

35,31037,03038,232

28,73841,660Permission to engage in an activity
other than those permitted by
the status of residence previously
granted284,506

313,935

322,710

251,511

241,222

Division

Permission for special permanent
residence（*1） “Permission for permanent residence” is the permission provided for in Article 22 of the Immigration Control Act.
（*2） “Permission for special permanent residence” is the permission for special permanent residence provided for in
Article 5 of the Special Act on the Immigration Control of Inter Alia, Those Who Have Lost Japanese Nationality
on the Basis of the Treaty of Peace with Japan.

Residence examination counter

33

Part I

Chapter 3

１Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Permission for Change in the Status of Residence
In 2021, the number of cases in which obtained permission for a change in the status ofresidence was 367,189, a decrease of 25,226 (6.4%) when compared to the previous year.

(1) Permission to Change Status of Residence from the Status of Residenceof “Student” to a Status for Employment Purposes
Foreign nationals studying at Japanese universities or vocational/technical schools havethe status of residence of “Student”. Not a few of them wish to stay in Japan to work for acompany or some other organization in Japan even after finishing their studies at school.
The number of foreign nationals who were granted permission to change their statusof residence to a status of residence for the purpose of employment was 28,974 in 2021, adecrease of 715(2.4%) compared to 2020.
According to the statistics by status of residence, the number of foreign nationals who
obtained permission to change their status to that of ”Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/
International Services” made up the largest number, totaling 24,861, a decrease of 1,407(5.4%)
compared to 2020 (Reference 25).
Reference 25 C hanges in the number of cases of permission for change of thestatus of residence from student, etc. to a status for employment bystatus of residence（people）

Status of Residence

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

22,41925,94230,947

29,68928,974

Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/
International Services

20,48624,18828,59526,26824,861

Designated Activities

36

14

316

873

1,696

Professor

626

538

640

785

890

Business Manager

712

560

500

477

554

Instructor

93

137

166

389

198

Medical Services

254

246

280

307

177

Nursing Care

18

83

173

220

240

Highly-Skilled Professional

43

65

156

218

216

Researcher

102

85

81

103

98

Religious Activities

25

15

10

11

19

Artist

9

2

13

9

11

Others

15

9

17

29

14

According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of foreign nationals
who obtained permission to change their status for employment purposes was from China at
9,331, accounting for 32.2%, followed by Viet Nam at 6,885(23.8%) and Nepal at 4,403(15.2%)(Reference 26).

34

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Reference 26 C
 hanges in the number of cases of permission for change of thestatus of residence from student, etc. to a status for employment by
nationality/ region(People)Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

22,41925,94230,947

29,68928,974China

10,326

10,886

11,58010,933

9,331

Viet Nam

4,633

5,244

7,030

6,582

6,885

Nepal

2,026

2,934

3,591

3,552

4,403

R.O.Korea

1,487

1,575

1,663

1,376

1,117

Sri Lanka

242

432

704

1,145

1,477

Taiwan

810

1,065

1,259

927

672

Myanmar

212

348

593

672

614

Indonesia

253

362

469

540

608

Bangladesh

110

233

467

501

542

the Philippines

230

319

447

458

411

Others

2,090

2,544

3,144

3,003

2,914

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

(2) P ermission to Change Status of Residence in Order to Participate in“Technical Intern Training (ii)” and “Technical Intern Training (iii)”
The Technical Intern Training Program was established in 1993 to enable foreign nationals
to acquire skills etc. through on-the-job training while in employment, thereby contributing
to effective technology transfer and human resources development as part of Japan’s international contributions.
The Technical Intern Training Program has been transferred to a new program pursuant to the “Act on Proper Technical Intern Training and Protection of Technical Intern
Trainees” (Act No. 89 of 2016; hereinafter referred to as “Technical Intern Training Act”),
which came into effect on November 1, 2017, and with regard to the old program prior to theenforcement of the Technical Intern Training Act, as under the current program, permission
to change the status of residence of “Technical Intern Training (ii)” was required to engage
in work requiring the skills, etc. already acquired through “Technical Intern Training (i)” toincrease proficiency in the skills, etc.
The skills, etc. in the “Technical Intern Training (ii)” are ones that are publicly evaluated in Japan and also meet demand in the countries sending the trainees. Specifically, as
of March 17, 2022, there are 55 job categories such as formwork and machine processing,which can be tested through the evaluation system for the Basic National Trade Skills Test,and 30 job categories such as welding and spinning operations for which there is no national
examination but is an official evaluation system approved by the Director-General for Human
Resources Development of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, making a total of 85
job categories.
The number of foreign trainees who were permitted to change their status of residence
to “Technical Intern Training (ii)” in 2021 had decreased by 83,232 (55.4%) compared to theprevious year to 67,001.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of trainees who

35

Part I

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japanobtained permission to change their status of residence to “Technical Intern Training (ii)” in
2021 came from Viet Nam at 37,944 (56.6%), followed by China at 8,495 (12.7%), Indonesia at
6,920 (10.3%), the Philippines at 4,509 (6.7%), and Myanmar at 3,185 (4.8%) (Reference27).
In addition, “Technical Intern Training (iii)” has been newly established under the current
program as a status of residence for those who have completed “Technical Intern Training(ii)” to acquire further proficiency, and only excellent supervising organizations and implementing organizations are able to accept trainees with this status of residence (The total
number of applicable skills, etc. was 79 as of March 17, 2022).
The number of foreign trainees who were permitted to change their status of residence
to “Technical Intern Training (iii)” in 2021 had increased by 12,465 (86.4%) compared to theprevious year to 26,888.
According to the statistics of foreign nationals who received permission to change theirstatus of residence to “Technical Intern Training (iii)” in 2021 by nationality/region, theorder was Viet Nam at 15,203 (56.5%) followed by the Philippines at 3,690 (13.7%), Indonesia
at 2,602 (9.7%), China at 2,493 (9.3%)and Myanmar at 991 (3.7%) (Reference 28).
According to the statistics of the technical intern training plans accredited in FY2021 byjob categories, the largest numbers for technical intern training (ii) were “Ready-made meal
manufacturing”, “Crop farming”, “Care worker”, and for technical intern training (iii) were
“Ladiesʼ and childrenʼs dress making”, “Scaffolding”, “Welding”(References 29, 30).
Reference 27 C hanges in the number of trainees who changed to “Technical Intern
Training (ii)” by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

89,281

180,475

132,841

150,233

67,001

Viet Nam

39,94486,892

71,27583,46837,944

China

25,74946,32527,44026,137

8,495

Indonesia

6,868

17,994

11,455

13,542

6,920

The Philippines

8,758

14,03910,986

12,192

4,509

Myanmar

2,146

4,571

3,715

5,824

3,185

Others

5,816

10,654

7,970

9,070

5,948

（*1） “China ” dose not include Taiwan, China(Hong Kong) or China(others).
（*2） The number of foreign nationals who were granted permission to change their status of residence to “TechnicalIntern Training (ii)” includes those who were granted permission to change their status of residence from “TechnicalIntern Training (i)” or a status of residence other than “Technical Intern Training (i)” to “Technical Intern Training(ii)”. The number of foreign nationals who were granted permission to change their status of residence in 2017and 2018 includes those who were granted permission to change their status of residence from “Technical Intern
Training (ii)” under the old system to “Technical Intern Training (ii)” under the new system in accordance with theimplementation of the Technical Intern Training Act.
（*3） The numbers given in the 2019 version do not include the number of foreign nationals who were granted
permission to change their status of residence in (*2).

36

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Reference 28 C hanges in the number of trainees who changed to “Technical Intern
Training (iii)” by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region
Total

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

0

1,708

4,688

14,423

26,888Viet Nam

0

961

2,573

7,721

15,203

The Philippines

0

222

669

2,151

3,690

Indonesia

0

119

254

1,029

2,602

China

0

243

631

1,928

2,493

Myanmar

0

49

261

607

991

Others

0

114

300

987

1,909

（*1） “China ” dose not include Taiwan, China(Hong Kong) or China(others).
（*2） Although the status of residence of “Technical Intern Training (iii) (a) and (b)” was newly established on
November 1, 2017, no foreign nationals received permission to change their status of residence to “Technical Intern
Training (iii) (a) and (b)” in 2017.
（*3） The number of foreign nationals who were granted permission to change their status of residence to “TechnicalIntern Training (iii)” given in the 2019 version represents the number of foreign nationals who were granted
permission to change their status of residence from “Technical Intern Training (ii)” to “Technical Intern Training (iii).”
This reference table includes the number of foreign nationals who were granted permission to change their status ofresidence to “Technical Intern Training (iii)” from statuses of residence other than “Technical Intern Training (ii)”.

Reference 29 N umber of accreditations of the technical intern training plan for“Technical Intern Training (ii) ” by job categories（Cases）

Job categories

Fiscal year

2019

2020

2021

Total

150,274

137,408

59,558

Ready-made meal manufacturing

14,464

13,382

7,044

Crop farming

11,836

9,308

5,356

Care worker

1,604

5,272

4,282

Scaffolding

8,403

9,765

3,351

Welding

10,008

7,969

2,791

Plastic molding

7,754

6,414

2,632

Construction machinery operations

3,717

4,754

2,230

Manufacturing work for non-heatedfishery processed foodstuff

4,879

3,832

2,163

Ladiesʼ and childrenʼs dress making

6,944

5,119

1,880

Industrial packaging

4,546

4,384

1,782

Others76,11967,20926,04737

Part I

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Reference 30 N umber of accreditations of the technical intern training plan for“Technical Intern Training (iii) ” by job categories(Cases)Fiscal year

Job categories

2019

2020

2021

Total

25,842

26,19938,325

Ladiesʼ and childrenʼs dress making

2,733

2,343

2,922

Scaffolding

1,501

1,677

2,570

Welding

1,539

1,433

2,531

Ready-made meal manufacturing

2,485

1,812

2,497

Plastic molding

1,113

1,247

2,442

Crop farming

1,547

1,942

2,114

Painting

1,001

908

1,646

Reinforcing bar construction

932

1,000

1,424

Machining

720

769

1,415

Industrial packaging

554

874

1,338

11,717

12,194

17,426

Others(3) Permission to Change Status of Residence to “Specified Skilled Worker (i)”and “Specified Skilled Worker (ii)”
In 2021, 39,004 people were granted permission to change their status of residence to“Specified Skilled Worker (i)”.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of people who were
granted permission to change their status of residence to “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” camefrom Viet Nam at 25,199 (64.6%), followed by the Philippines at 3,961 (10.2%), Indonesia at
2,838 (7.3%), China at 2,823 (7.2％ ), and Myanmar at 1,823 (4.7%) (Reference 31).
There were no cases where permission was granted to change the status of residence to“Specified Skilled Worker (ii)”.
Reference 31 C hanges in the number of people who changed to “Specified Skilled
Labor (i)” by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region

Year

2019

2020

2021

Total

1,062

10,86339,004

Viet Nam

600

6,986

25,199The Philippines

110

942

3,961

Indonesia

77

700

2,838

China

95

1,039

2,823

Myanmar

63

404

1,823

Others

117

792

2,360

（*1） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

38

Chapter 3２

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Permission for Extension of the Period of Stay
The number of cases in which obtained permission for extension of their period of stay in
2021 was 848,305, a decrease of 25,111 (2.9%) compared to the previous year.

３

Permission for Permanent Residence
The number of cases in which were granted permission for permanent residence in 2021
was 36,691, an increase of 6,944 (23.3%) when compared to the previous year (Reference
32).

Reference 32 C hanges in the number of cases of permission for permanent
residence by nationality/region
Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

（Cases）

2021

Total

28,86931,451

32,15029,747

36,691

China

12,816

14,626

15,542

14,874

19,426

The Philippines

3,549

3,077

2,998

2,580

2,888

Brazil

2,716

2,255

2,318

2,112

2,551

R.O.Korea

2,241

2,742

2,521

1,966

2,210

Viet Nam

873

1,343

1,405

1,635

1,995

Others

6,674

7,408

7,366

6,580

7,621

(*1) The number for “China” is the number including China (Hong Kong), China (others), and excluding those whohave already received residence cards with “Taiwan” in the nationality/region section.
(*2) This table does not include the number of permits for special permanent residence.

４

Permission for Acquisition of a Status of Residence
The number of cases in which were granted permission for acquisition of a status ofresidence in 2021 was 15,867, an increase of 147 (0.9%) when compared to the previous year.

５

Re-entry Permission
The number of cases in which were granted re-entry permission in 2021 was 41,660, an
increase of 12,922 (45.0%) when compared to the previous year.
In addition, the number of foreign nationals who departed from Japan having obtained
special re-entry permission in 2021 was 234,720 accounting for 83.5% of the total number of
281,209 foreign nationals who departed from Japan through re-entry permission.

６

Permission to Engage in an Activity Other Than Those
Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted
The number of cases in which obtained permission to engage in an activity other thanthose permitted by the status of residence previously granted in 2021 was 241,222, a decrease of 10,289 (4.1%) compared to the previous year.

39Part I

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Number of Issuance of Residence Cards
Section 3 and Special Permanent Resident Certificates
１

Residence Cards
The number of residence cards issued in 2021 was 1,432,785. According to the statistics by
category, the number of residence cards issued at the time of granting permission relating
to landing/status of residence was 1,275,848 accounting for 89.0% of the total, followed by applications for extension of the period of validity at 118,958 (8.3%), reissuance at 34,347 (2.4%),
and notification of a change in the registered matters aside from the place of residence at 3,579(0.2%).
By category of Regional Immigration Services Bureaus, the Tokyo Regional Immigration
Services Bureau issued 706,695 residence cards, accounting for 49.3% of the total, followed by
Nagoya at 262,985 (18.4%), Osaka at 181,899 (12.7%) and Fukuoka at 130,574(9.1%) (Reference 33).

Reference 33

40

Number of issuances of residence cards (2021)
Landing/
residency
status ofresidence
relatedpermission（Cases）

Notification ofchange in theregistered
Extension of Application
matters
the period of for reissuanceaside fromvalidity
the place ofresidence

Regional
Immigration
Service
Bureaus

Total

Total

1,432,785

1,275,848

3,579

118,958

34,347

53

Sapporo24,97423,741

33

860

337

3

Sendai35,64232,366

58

2,712

506

0

Tokyo

706,695

623,759

1,937

62,04018,92237

Nagoya262,985

230,020

949

26,212

5,804

0

Osaka

181,899

160,944259

15,7994,897

0Hiroshima

63,10458,390

145

3,475

1,087

7

Takamatsu

26,91225,496

34

1,065

312

5

Fukuoka

130,574

121,132

164

6,795

2,482

1

OthersChapter 3２

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Part I

Special Permanent Resident Certificates
The number of special permanent resident certificates issued in 2021 was 68,035. According to the statistics by category, the number of special permanent resident certificates issued
at the time of extension of the period of validity was 64,009 accounting for 94.1% of the total,
followed by applications for reissuance at 2,988 (4.4%), permission for special permanent
resident (Article 4) at 534 (0.8%), and notification of a change in the registered matters
aside from the place of residence at 387 (0.6%) (Reference 34).

Reference 34 Number of issuances of special permanent resident certificates (2021)（Cases）

Permission Permission
for special for special
permanent permanent
residenceresidence(Article 4) (Article 5)534

67

Notification
Applicationof a change
to swichin theExtension
Application
Application
over to Application
registeredof theforfor
the special for new issuance inmatters
period of reissuancepermanent issuanceaside fromvalidity
advanceresident
the place ofcertificate
residence
387

64,009

2,988

47

3

0

Total

68,03541

Part I

Chapter 3

Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

Article: At the Front Line of Immigration Control Administration(Voice of the immigration inspector in charge of status examinations)(Status Division, Sapporo Regional Immigration Services Bureau:
Aizawa Katsutoshi)

The Status Division, the Sapporo Regional Immigration Services Bureau, divides duties
by status of residence, and I am mainly in charge of examining status of residence for"Technical Intern Training". My work mainly consists of examining residence applications related to technical intern training.
The Technical Intern Training Program is intended to enable foreign nationals tocome to Japan as technical intern trainees and acquire skills, technology, and knowledge
under their respective implementing organizations, developing human resources thatwill contribute to the economic development of their own countries after returning totheir home countries. Technical intern trainees are now accepted nationwide and workto acquire various skills while engaging in a wide range of job categories.
Technical intern trainees engage in activities according to a technical intern planaccredited by the Organization for Technical Intern Training, and if the examination by
my department is prolonged, it may hinder practical training, so I try to conduct prompt
examinations in my daily work.
Due to the recent impact of COVID-19, special measures have been established in
immigration control administration, and there are more opportunities to receive opinions
and consultations from related organizations. I myself sometimes receive direct consultation from supervising organizations and implementing organizations to which technicalintern trainees belong. When doing so, I of course provide appropriate guidance basedon laws, regulations, standards, etc. and I am conscious of how I can solve the problem
depending on the content of their consultation and individual circumstances, so
I try to respond with consideration for
their position.
Finally, I can feel in my daily work that
the Technical Intern Training Programis a system that has been establishedthrough the cooperation of various relatedorganizations, both public and private. I
hope to play a small but important role insupporting the system and doing work tocontribute to the benefit of society as a The immigration inspector in chargeof status examinations
whole.

42

Chapter 4

Implementation of the Technical Intern Training Program

Part I

Chapter 4 Implementation of theTechnical Intern Training
Program

Section 1

Outline of the Program

The Technical Intern Training Program is a program which accepts people from thedeveloping countries or regions for a certain period and enables them to acquire, increase
and attain proficiency in (hereinafter referred to as “acquire” in this Chapter) the skills,
techniques or knowledge (hereinafter referred to as “skills” in this Chapter) cultivated inJapan, and contributes to “human resource development” which leads to the development of
the country or region through such people utilizing these skills acquired in Japan after they
have returned to their home country.
The Technical Intern Training Program established in 1993 was a program which enabledforeign nationals who had acquired skills above a certain level through training, to enter into
a new employment contract and to further acquire the skills in a more practical way after
they had completed the training at the same institution where they had received the training.
In response to criticism that some of the organizations accepting the trainees and technicalintern trainees did not fully understand the original purpose of the program, and were treating them in all essence as low wage workers, a new status of residence of “Technical Intern
Training” was established in the Act for Partial Amendment of the Immigration Control andRefugee Recognition Act and Special Act on the Immigration Control of, Inter Alia, Those
Who Have Lost Japanese Nationality Pursuant to the Treaty of Peace with Japan, and Other
Related Laws enacted in July 2009, and measures have been taken to legally protect thetechnical intern trainees and stabilize their legal status such as ensuring that the labor laws
and regulations will be applied under an employment relationship from the first year of entry
into Japan.
However, while there has still been criticism that for example, there are still those who failto understand the purpose of the program and misunderstand that this is a way of securing
inexpensive labor that makes up for the shortage of labor in Japan, thereby resulting in violations of labor-related laws and regulations and human rights violations, on the other hand,requests have been received for expansion of the Technical Intern Training Program such as
expansion of the job categories and extension of the technical intern training period.
For this reason, in order to properly implement the technical intern training for foreign
nationals and to protect the technical intern trainees, the Technical Intern Training Act
incorporating a program for accreditation of technical intern training plan and license of
supervising organization, as well as measures to establish the Organization for TechnicalIntern Training to conduct the administrative affairs thereof, was enacted on November 18,
2016, promulgated on the 28th of the same month, and entered into effect on November 1,
2017.

43

Part I

Chapter 4

Implementation of the Technical Intern Training Program

Section 2
１

Applications and processing of license of
supervising organizations

Applications for license of supervising organizations
From November 1, 2017, in order to accept technical intern trainees through the “supervising-organization-type technical intern training”, juridical persons, which intend to becomea supervising organization are required to obtain a license of supervising organization fromthe competent ministers (Minister of Justice and Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare).
The number of new applications for license of supervising organization was 269 in FY 2021
(Reference 35).

２

License of supervising organizations
The number of new license of supervising organizations was 277 in FY 2021 and as ofMarch 31, 2022, there were 3,503 supervising organizations (reflecting discontinuance ofsupervision businesses and changes of license classification), of which 1,781 organizations
have received a license for general supervision business, and 1,722 have received a license
for specified supervision business (Reference 35).

Reference 35 C hanges in the number of new applications and grant of license of
supervising organization（Cases）

Fiscal year

2019

2020

2021

Number of applications

523

401

269

Number of licenses

422

434

277

(*) Because the processing of the application may span the fiscal years, the number of permits in each fiscal year is notpart of the number of applications in each fiscal year.				

Section 3
１

Applications and processing of accreditation of technical intern training plans

Applications for accreditation of technical intern training plans
From November 1, 2017, in order for an implementing organization to accept technicalintern trainees, it is necessary for the technical intern training plan prepared for eachtechnical intern trainee to be accredited by the Organization for Technical Intern Training.
The number of applications for accreditation of technical intern training plans by FY 2021
was 175,634, of which 2,764 applications were for individual-enterprise-type technical training
plans, and 172,870 applications were for supervising-organization-type technical intern training plans (Reference 36).

44

Chapter 4

Implementation of the Technical Intern Training Program

Part I

２ Number of cases of accreditation of the technical intern training plans
The number of cases of accreditation of the technical intern training plans was 171,387 in
FY 2021, with the number of cases of accreditation of 2,721 individual-enterprise-type technical training plans and the number of cases of 168,666 supervising-organization-type technicalintern training plans (Reference 36).
Reference 36 C hanges in the number of applications and accreditations of thetechnical intern training plan

（Cases）

Fiscal year
Individual-enterprise-type

2019

2020

2021

9,809

4,442

2,764

Supervising-organization-type

360,436

237,510

172,870

Total

370,245

241,952

175,634

9,857

4,710

2,721

Number of accreditations Supervising-organization-type356,310

251,698

168,666

Total

366,167

256,408

171,387

Number of applications

Individual-enterprise-type(*) Because the processing of the application may span the fiscal years, the number of permits in each fiscal year is notpart of the number of applications in each fiscal year.

Section 4

Responses to Cases of Inappropriate
Acceptance

Under the technical intern training program, if there is a violation of the licensing or accreditation criteria, or a violation of the laws or regulations, etc. by a supervising organization or
implementing organization, depending on the severity or manner of the violation, the license of
the supervising organization or the accreditation of the technical intern training plan may be
revoked, an order may be issued for suspension of business (only supervising organizations) or
improvement, and the name of such organizations may be published. In addition, supervisingorganizations and implementing organizations, whose license or accreditation has been revoked,
will not be able to continue with the technical intern training, and will not be allowed to accept
new technical intern trainees for the next five years. During FY 2021, the accreditation of thetechnical intern training plans for 177 implementing organizations and the license of 13 supervising organizations was revoked (Reference 37). Furthermore, the Organization for TechnicalIntern Training is working to optimize the technical intern training program and protect thetechnical intern trainees by conducting regular on-site inspections and setting up consultation andreporting desk operated in the native language of the trainees. In FY 2021, 23,701 consultations
were provided in the native language and 104 reports were accepted, and in addition, support
was given in 39 cases to enable a technical intern trainee to change the implementing organization, and support was given in 117 cases (cumulative from April, 2018 to the end of March, 2022)
for accommodation.
The number of technical intern trainees who disappeared from their program increased
again, from 5,885 in 2020 to 7,167 in 2021 (Reference 38). The motives for disappearance arepartly due to improper treatment of implementing organizations, but disappearances are often
considered to be due to the financial circumstances of technical intern trainees. As such, we are
striving to eliminate malicious sending organizations by using the framework of Memorandumof Cooperation with the government of the sending country, and taking other measures such as

45

Part I

Chapter 4

Implementation of the Technical Intern Training Program

giving priority to field surveys of implementing organizations which have experienced disappearances, as well as stopping acceptance of new technical intern trainees for sending organizations
and supervising organizations that have frequently caused disappearances, taking into account
who bears responsibility, etc.
In response to these disappearances, the “Project Team for Operation of the Technical Intern
Training Program”, chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary of Justice, was established on
November 16, 2018, on the orders of the Minister of Justice. The project team reviewed theimplementation status of the Technical Intern Training Act and considered measures to improve
its operation. On November 12, 2019, in order to reduce the number of technical intern trainees
disappearing from the program, the Minister of Justice announced additional measures.
Based on this, on March 23, 2020, the Technical Intern Training Act Enforcement Regulations
were partially revised. Since April 1 of the same year, the ISA has started measures such as obligating payment of remuneration for technical intern trainees with a method that can be verified
by the fact, such as by direct deposit.
Furthermore, for technical intern trainees, the ISA has made efforts to create multilingual
videos that introduce the outline of the system and where to seek consultation, create leafletsfor preventing disappearances, and stop accepting new technical intern trainees from sendingorganizations with a high number of technical intern trainees disappearing.
Reference 37

Changes in the number of administrative dispositions, etc.
Fiscal year

Number of
Implementing
Organizations
Number ofSupervising
Organizations

2019

Revocation of technical interntraining plans
Orders for Improvement
Revocation of the license of
the supervising organizations
Orders for Improvement

2020（Cases）

2021

23

77

177

2

6

6

4

13

13

0

2

10

Reference 38 C
 hanges in the number of technical intern trainees disappearing by
nationality/ region
Nationality/Region
Total
Viet Nam
China
Cambodia
MyanmarIndonesia
Others
(*)

46

Year

（People）

2017
7,089
3,751
1,594
656
446
242
400

2018
9,052
5,801
1,537
758
345
339
272

2019
8,796
6,105
1,330
462
347
307
245

2020
5,885
3,741
964
494
250
240
196

The indication of China in the table does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

2021
7,167
4,772
896
667
447
208
177

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I

Chapter 5 Deportation Procedures for

Foreign Nationals

Section 1

Foreign Nationals Overstaying Their Authorized Period of Stay

Investigation of violation
Based on the computer statistics of the ISA, the estimated number of foreign nationals whooverstayed (those who illegally stay in Japan beyond their authorized period of stay) was 66,759
as of January 1, 2022. This was a decrease of 16,109 (19.4%) when compared to the 82,868 as ofJanuary 1, the previous year.
In 2021, the number of new entries to Japan decreased significantly from the previous year
due to the spread of COVID-19, which is considered to be the factor behind the decrease in thenumber of foreign nationals overstaying their authorized period of stay.

１ Number of Foreign Nationals Overstaying Their Authorized Period of Stay by Nationality/Region
At the time of May 1, 1993, when the highest number of foreign nationals overstaying
their authorized period of stay was recorded, the nationality / region of the largest numberof foreign nationals was Thailand, followed by R.O.Korea, the Philippines, China and Malaysia.
Looking at trends in recent years, the R.O.Korea has consistently been on a declining
trend since 1995. Viet Nam had been on the rise since 2013, but as of January 1, 2022, there
was a significant decrease to 7,148 (down 54.4% year-on-year). As of January 1, 2022, there
were 7,783 (down 10.4% year-on-year) from Thailand, which had been increasing due to therelaxing of the visa requirements and other factors in 2013（Reference 39, 40）.

47

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Reference 39

Changes in the estimated number of foreign nationals overstaying
the authorized period of stay by nationality/region（People）

Date
Nationality/
RegionTotal

January 1
2018

January 1
2019

January 1
2020

January 1
2021

January 1
2022

66,49874,16782,892

82,86866,759R. O. Korea

12,876

12,766

12,563

12,433

11,631Thailand

6,768

7,480

8,872

8,691

7,783

China

9,390

10,11910,902

10,335

7,716

Viet Nam

6,760

11,131

15,561

15,6897,148

The Philippines

4,933

5,417

6,061

5,761

5,148

Indonesia

2,076

3,323

4,180

3,869

3,450

Taiwan

3,784

3,747

3,730

3,724

3,319

Malaysia

1,784

1,808

1,846

1,826

1,693

Sri Lanka

816

861

1,112

1,287

1,316

Nepal

325

462

759

1,241

977

Others

16,986

17,053

17,30618,012

16,578Reference 40

Changes in the estimated number of foreign nationals overstaying
the authorized period of stay by major nationality/region
Nationality/Region（People）

Total

350,000

Total

R.O.Korea

China

The Philippines

Indonesia

Thailand

Viet Nam

60,000300,000

50,000250,000
40,000200,000
30,000150,000
Total：66,759

20,000R.O.Korea：11,631

100,000

Thailand：7,783
China：7,716

10,00050,000Viet Nam：7,148
The Philippines：5,148
Indonesia：3,450

0

1993

1995

2005

2010

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

0

(Year）(*) It shows the number of foreign nationals overstaying as of May 1 in 1993 and 1995 and as of January 1 in each otheryear.

２ Number of Foreign Nationals Overstaying Their Authorized Period of Stay by Status of Residence
Taking a look at the foreign nationals overstaying their authorized period of stay as ofJanuary 1, 2022 by status of residence prior to illegally overstaying in Japan, the number of48

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I

foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” continued from January
1, the previous year to make up the largest number at 43,266 accounting for 64.8% of thetotal number, followed by “Designated Activities” at 5,305 (7.9%), “Technical Intern Training(ii)(b)” at 4,346 (6.5%), “Technical Intern Training (i)(b)” at 3,230 (4.8%) , “Student” at
2,436 (3.6%), and “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” at 2,300 (3.4%). In addition, whencompared to January 1, the previous year ,there was a decrease in the number of foreign
nationals with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” by 6,826 (13.6%), “DesignatedActivities” by 599 (10.1%), “Technical Intern Training (ii)(b)” by 2,883 (39.9%), “TechnicalIntern Training (i)(b)” by 2,492 (43.6%), “Student” by 2,605 (51.7%) and “Spouse or Child ofJapanese National” by 308 (11.8%)（Reference 41）.
Reference 41 C
 hanges in the estimated number of foreign nationals overstaying
the authorized period of stay by status of residence（People）

Status of
Residence

Date January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1 January 1
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

Total

62,81865,27066,49874,16782,892

82,86866,759Temporary Visitor

42,47844,16744,59247,39951,23950,09243,266

DesignatedActivities

1,633

1,910

2,286

4,224

5,688

5,904

5,305

Technical Intern
Training(ii)-(b)

3,413

3,748

3,988

5,318

7,048

7,229

4,346

Technical Intern
Training (i)-(b)

2,439

2,741

2,894

4,015

5,309

5,722

3,230

Student

3,422

3,807

4,100

4,708

5,543

5,041

2,436

Spouse or Child ofJapanese National

3,433

3,287

3,092

2,946

2,687

2,608

2,300

Others

7,633

7,520

7,832

9,781

5,378

6,272

5,876

(*) The number of foreign nationals overstaying with the status of residence of “Student” includes the number offoreign nationals whose status of residence was “Pre-college Student” under the previous Immigration Control Act,
which was revised on July 1, 2010, at the time when they came to be considered to be overstaying.

Cases of Violation of the Immigration
Control Act Necessitating the ImpleSection 2
mentation of Deportation Procedures or
Departure Orders
１

Outline
The number of foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures or departureorders (hereinafter, “deportation procedures, etc.”) were enforced on account of violation of
the Immigration Control Act was 18,012, an increase of 2,137 (13.5%) compared with 2020.
Of these, 4,365 were handed over to immigration inspectors as those subject to the departureorder system.
The number of foreign nationals violating the Immigration Control Act, which had beenon the rise before the outbreak of COVID-19, began to decline in 2020 due to the impact of
COVID-19. In 2021, while taking measures to prevent infection, the ISA strengthened the col-49

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

lection and analysis of information related to illegal foreign residents, worked to crack downon the problem, and strived to promote the processing of cases where they have turned
themselves in, wishing to return to their home countries.
According to the statistics of the number of foreign nationals by grounds for deportation,
the largest number of foreign nationals was deported for overstaying at 16,638 (92.4%),
followed by criminal offenses at 574 (3.2%) and illegal entry at 182 (1.0%). Overstaying
continued to account for a predominant percentage (Reference 42).
Looking at the statistics for the number of cases of violation of the Immigration Control
Act by nationality/region, the largest number of such foreign nationals was from Viet Nam
at 9,668 (53.7%), followed by China at 2,915 (16.2%) and Thailand at 1,064 (5.9%). These top
three countries made up 75.8% of the total (Reference 43).
Reference 42 C hanges in the number of cases of violation of the Immigration
Control Act by grounds for deportation（People）

Grounds for Deportation

Year

Total

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

13,686

16,26919,386

15,87518,012Illegal entry

577

409

349

225

182

Illegal landing

151

140

134

56

50

Activity other than those permitted

648

476

255

96

37

11,502

14,353

17,627

14,465

16,638Criminal offenses

470

460

448

504

574

Others

338

431

573

529

531

Illegal worker

9,134

10,086

12,816

10,993

13,255

Overstay

Reference 43 C hanges in the number of cases of violation of the Immigration
Control Act by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2020

2021

Total

13,686

16,26919,386

15,87518,012

Viet Nam

2,931

4,395

6,549

6,286

9,668

China

3,901

4,185

4,256

3,127

2,915

Thailand

2,096

2,101

2,295

1,410

1,064

the Philippines

1,310

1,692

1,566

1,225

804

Indonesia

727

850

1,246

1,059

728

Nepal

198

374

598

490

499

Turkey

127

209

271

237

408

Sri Lanka

145

150

296

170

274

Brazil

232

275

285

316

216

R.O.Korea

440

353

324

242

210

Others

1,579

1,685

1,700

1,313

1,226

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

50

2019

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I

２ Number of Cases of Violation of the Immigration Control Act by Grounds for Deportation(1) Illegal Entry
Of the foreign nationals against whom the deportation procedures were enforced for being
in violation of the Immigration Control Act in 2021, the number of illegal entrants(*) was 182,
accounting for 1.0%, a decrease of 43 (19.1%) compared to 2020. Looking at past records, thenumber increased from 2003 but started to decrease since 2006. The fact that the numberof illegal entrants as a percentage of the total number of foreign nationals in violation of the
Immigration Control Act is decreasing is one of the reasons to consider that the countermeasures to prevent illegal entry have been quite effective.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number was from the Philippines at 57 (31.3%), followed by China at 46 (25.3%) and R.O. Korea at 24 (13.2%) (Reference 44).
According to the statistics by means of transportation used for illegal entry, the number ofillegal entrants using aircraft was 141. Though it showed a decrease of 57 (28.8%) compared
to 2020, the percentage of illegal entry using aircraft was still high at 77.5%. In addition,
the number of illegal entrants using a vessel was 41, accounting for 22.5%, a decrease of 14(51.9%) compared to 2020 (Reference 45, 46).
Reference 44

Changes in the number of cases of illegal entry by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

577

409

349

225

182

the Philippines

117

128

90

82

57

China

104

99

87

43

46

R.O.Korea

32

32

26

19

24

Peru

20

10

10

2

10

Russia

3

14

10

2

7

Sri Lanka

24

11

11

6

6

Pakistan

24

1

7

1

6

Thailand

20

23

13

13

4

Bangladesh

5

9

4

4

3

Iran

115

16

18

8

3

Others

113

66

73

45

16

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

(*) An illegal entrant means a person who enters Japan in violation of the provisions of Article 3, paragraph (1) of the
Immigration Control Act. The provisions in the 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 (i)); and a person who intends to land in Japan without
receiving a seal of verification for landing or undergoing the recording of the prescribed data pursuant to the provisionof Article 9, paragraph (4) of the Immigration Control Act, or without obtaining authorized permission for landing
from an immigration inspector (Item (ii)). Any foreign national who violates the provisions is considered an illegal
entrant.

51

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Reference 45 C hanges in the number of cases of illegal entry using aircraft bynationality/ region（People）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

482

332

282

198

141

the Philippines

114

122

86

80

56

China

48

52

50

30

22

R.O.Korea

17

13

12

12

10

Peru

20

10

10

2

10

Russia

3

12

6

1

7

Others

280

123

118

73

36

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

Reference 46 C hanges in the number of cases of illegal entry by vessel bynationality/ region
Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

（People）

2021

Total

95

77

67

27

41

China

56

47

37

13

24

R.O.Korea

15

19

14

7

14

The Philippines

3

6

4

2

1

Others

21

5

12

5

2

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (otheers).

(2) Illegal Landing
Of the foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures were enforced owing to violation of the Immigration Control Act during 2021, the number of those who illegally landed
in Japan without receiving a seal of verification for landing or undergoing the recording of
the prescribed data pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (4) of the Immigration
Control Act, or without obtaining permission for landing from an immigration inspector was
50 (0.3%), which was a decrease of 6 (10.7%) compared to 2020 (Reference 47).

52

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I

Reference 47 C hanges in the number of cases of illegal landing by nationality/
region（People）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

151

140

134

56

50

Russia

11

20

9

12

19

United States of America

12

13

22

6

9

China

15

10

16

3

5

the Philippines

3

1

9

0

3

Canada

0

3

2

3

3

Others

110

93

76

32

11

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

(3) Overstay
Of the foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures were enforced for being inviolation of the Immigration Control Act during 2021, the number of those who overstayed
the authorized period of stay was 16,638 (92.4%), which was an increase of 2,173 (15.0%)
compared to 2020 and still overwhelmingly high.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number was from Viet Nam
at 9,232 (55.5%), followed by China at 2,690 (16.2%), Thailand at 1,033 (6.2%), Indonesia at
717 (4.3%), the Philippines at 646 (3.9%) (Reference 48).
Reference 48 C hanges in the number of cases of foreign nationals overstaying theauthorized period of stay by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region
Total
Viet Nam
China
ThailandIndonesia
the Philippines
Nepal
TurkeySri Lanka
R.O.Korea
Uzbekistan
OthersYear

201711,502
2,515
3,534
2,017
619
961
139
86
73
358
14
1,186

2018
14,353
3,951
3,819
2,018
806
1,401
335
170
102
269
150
1,332

2019
17,627
6,156
3,878
2,259
1,208
1,344
531
238
250
274
150
1,339

2020
14,465
5,956
2,857
1,375
1,046
1,018
444
222
145
201
140
1,061

2021
16,638
9,232
2,690
1,033
717
646
465
402
248
169
128
908

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

(4) Activity Other Than Those Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted
If a foreign national residing in Japan clearly engages solely in working activities, such as
the ones for which he/she receives remuneration, other than those permitted for the statusof residence previously granted without obtaining the required permission, deportation

53

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

procedures will be enforced on grounds of engaging in activities other than those permitted
under the status of residence previously granted. Of the foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures were enforced for being in violation of the Immigration Control Act in
2021, the number of foreign nationals against whom the procedures were enforced becauseof the activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted was
37(0.2%), which was a decrease of 59 (61.5%) compared to 2020.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number was from Viet Nam
at 17 (45.9%), followed by the Philippines at 7 (18.9%) and Nepal at 5 (13.5%), and these top
three countries accounted for 78.4% of the total (Reference 49).
Reference 49 C
 hanges in the number of cases of activities other than thosepermitted under the status of residence previously granted bynationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region
Total
Viet Namthe Philippines
Nepal
Cambodia
China
Others

Year

2017

2018
648
280
124
47
3
41
153

2019
476
234
39
22
24
47
110

2020
255
134
18
33
2
21
47

2021
96
45
18
12
9
2
10

37
17
7
5
3
3
2

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

３

Illegal Foreign Workers(1) Summary
Of the foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures were enforced for being inviolation of the Immigration Control Act in 2021, the number of those who were considered
to be illegally working was 13,255 (73.6%). This indicates that most illegal foreign residents
who are hiding out somewhere in Japan are working illegally.
It has been pointed out that illegal foreign workers working for substandard wages, have aserious negative impact on a fair labor market as they, for example, take away employment
opportunities from Japanese workers. Moreover, 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 profit by exploiting the wages that should be earned by the foreign workers. Some foreign workers in these conditions are also unable to receive sufficientcompensation in the event of an industrial accident. Thus, the ISA promotes crackdown on
foreign nationals who encourage illegal work.
(2) Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Nationality/Region
The illegal foreign workers came from 44 countries/regions, mainly from neighboring
Asian countries, which indicates that foreign nationals from various countries/regions arestill working illegally.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, illegal workers from Viet Nam made up
the largest number at 7,845 (59.2%), followed by China at 2,425 (18.3%), Thailand at 975

54

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I(7.4%), Indonesia at 678 (5.1%) and the Philippines at 480 (3.6%). These top five countries
represented 93.6% of the total (Reference 50).
Reference 50

Changes in the number of cases of illegal work by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region
Total

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

9,134

10,086

12,816

10,993

13,255

Male

6,120

6,754

8,903

7,923

9,634

Female

3,014

3,332

3,913

3,070

3,621

2,152

3,035

4,941

4,943

7,845

Male

1,657

2,259

3,766

3,801

5,893

Female

495

776

1,175

1,142

1,952

2,915

3,112

3,155

2,361

2,425

Male

1,982

2,170

2,188

1,693

1,745

Female

933

942

967

668

680

1,855

1,868

2,047

1,254

975

Male

966

903

1,035

631

513

Female

889

965

1,012

623

462

588

594

1,014

933

678

Male

514

498

827

780

555

Female

74

96

187

153

123

711

660

764

649

480

Male

366

369

398

331

264

Female

345

291

366

318

216

77

71

111

162

176

Male

52

52

92

126

138

Female

25

19

19

36

38

239

169

163

109

118

Male

118

69

76

56

42

Female

121

100

87

53

76

53

42

87

71

98

Male

48

41

81

65

96

Female

5

1

6

6

2

146

117

91

65

90

Male

95

70

61

53

63

Female

51

47

30

12

27

7

35

65

90

68

Male

7

34

64

89

68

Female

0

1

1

1

0

391

383

378

356

302

Male

315

289

315

298

257

Female

76

94

63

58

45

Viet Nam

China

ThailandIndonesia

the Philippines

Nepal

R.O.Korea

Sri Lanka

Mongolia

Uzbekistan

Others（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

55

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals(3) Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Gender
The composition of illegal foreign workers by gender was 9,634 males (72.7%) and 3,621
females (27.3%).
(4) Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Type of Work
According to the statistics by type of work, the largest number of illegal foreign workers
were construction workers at 3,294 (24.9%), followed by agricultural workers at 3,154 (23.8%)
and factory workers at 2,531 (19.1%).
In addition, according to the statistics by gender, the largest number of males worked
as construction workers, followed by agricultural workers then factory workers, while thelargest number of females worked as agricultural workers, followed by factory workers, andnon-restaurant industry service workers (Reference 51).
Reference 51

Changes in the number of cases of illegal work by type of work
（People）

Year

Job Categories
Total

2018

2019

2020

2021

9,134

10,086

12,816

10,993

13,255

Male

6,120

6,754

8,903

7,923

9,634

Female

3,014

3,332

3,913

3,070

3,621

1,548

1,835

2,569

2,272

3,294

Male

1,529

1,818

2,550

2,241

3,265

Female

19

17

19

31

29

2,501

2,504

2,904

2,463

3,154

Male

1,585

1,480

1,646

1,575

1,900

Female

916

1,024

1,258

888

1,254

1,411

1,875

2,454

2,033

2,531

Male

942

1,236

1,686

1,378

1,672

Female

469

639

768

655

859

1,059

998

1,380

1,156

1,287

Male

811

794

1,089

862

1,003

Female

248

204

291

294

284

495

589

647

493

697

Male

152

213

268

226

358

Female

343

376

379

267

339

267

275

292

215

266

Male

100

124

129

114

124

Female

167

151

163

101

142

1,853

2,010

2,570

2,361

2,026

Male

1,001

1,089

1,535

1,527

1,312

Female

852

921

1,035

834

714

Construction worker

Agricultural worker

Factory worker

Other labor worker

Non-restaurant industry workers

Restaurant industry workers

Others56

2017

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I(5) Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Place of Work
Illegal foreign workers are known to be working in 47 prefectures throughout Japan.
According to the statistics on the place of work of the illegal foreign workers by prefecture,
Chiba prefecture had the largest number at 2,064 (15.6%), followed by Ibaraki prefecture at
1,973 (14.9%), Saitama prefecture at 1,632 (12.3%), Gunma prefecture at 1,439 (10.9%) andTokyo at 1,287 (9.7%) (Reference 52).
According to the statistics by region, the number of illegal foreign workers in Tokyo andthe six prefectures (Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Gunma, and Tochigi) in the Kanto
district was 9,438 (71.2%), making up most of the total, and the number of illegal workers in
the nine prefectures in the Chubu district (Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi, Toyama, Ishikawa,
Fukui, Shizuoka, Gifu and Aichi) was also at a high level of 1,924 (14.5%). Illegal foreign
workers in the Kanto and Chubu districts making up 85.7% (11,362) of the total accounted
for a substantial percentage of the total number of illegal foreign workers.
Reference 52

Changes in the number of cases of illegal foreign workers by area
（People）

Prefecture

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

9,134

10,086

12,816

10,993

13,255

Chiba

1,505

1,666

1,878

1,488

2,064

Ibaraki

2,213

1,975

2,126

1,512

1,973

Saitama

765

860

1,290

1,290

1,632

Gunma

453

456

826

851

1,439

Tokyo

1,184

1,437

1,551

1,428

1,287

Aichi

811

912

1,606

1,452

1,265

Osaka

294

317

464

459

587

Kanagawa

446

556

625

534

566

Tochigi

195

274

305

287

477

Hyogo

112

209

297

230

258

Others

1,156

1,424

1,848

1,462

1,707

４

Outline of Decisions on Violations(1) Receipt and Processing of Cases of Violation
Any foreign national who is suspected of coming under any of the grounds for deportation
shall be handed over to an immigration inspector to undergo the procedures for decisions on
violations after an investigation by an immigration control officer. These procedures consistof three steps: examination of the violation by an immigration inspector, a hearing by aspecial inquiry officer, and a decision of the Minister of Justice.

57

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Decision on violation
The number of cases which underwent an examination of violations in 2021 was 20,202, anincrease of 3,792 (23.1%) compared to the previous year (Reference 53).

58

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I

Reference 53 C hanges in the number of cases of receipt and findings of violation
examinations by immigration inspectors, hearings by special inquiry
officers and decisions of the Minister of Justice(Cases）

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

14,407(414)

16,827(402)

19,853(370)

16,410(393）

20,202(1,983）

Found not to fall under one of
the reasons for deportation

2

1

―

2

2

Issuance of written deportation
order

6,723

7,736

8,306

5,372

5,081

Request for hearing

2,546

2,327

2,326

1,972

9,661

Issuance of written departure
order

4,423

6,223

8,702

6,898

4,410

713

540

519

2,166

1,048

3,273
(653)

2,946
(547)

3,040
(651)

2,631
(616)

10,433
(691)

1

―

―

1

―

Issuance of written deportation
order

159

114

95

60

81

Filing of an objection

2,522

2,128

2,256

1,832

9,697

―

―

―

―

―

591

704

689

738

655

3,352
(818)

2,966
(822)

2,819
(544)

2,368
(518)

10,126
(371)

1

―

―

―

―

2,415

2,331

2,211

1,916

9,174

―

―

―

―

―

936

635

608

452

952

Completed

Receipt

Not completed, others
Receipt
Error in the findings
Completed

Hearing by special
inquiry officer

Violation examination by
immigration inspector

DivisionIssuance of written departureorder

Receipt
Completed

Decision of the
Minister of JusticeNot completed, others

Objection with reason
Objection without reason
Issuance of written departureorder

Not completed, others（*） The numbers indicated in parentheses are carry-over cases from the previous year and are included in each of theupper numbers.

The number of requests for a hearing after an examination of the violation in 2021 was 9,661
accounting for 47.8% of the total number of cases which underwent an examination of theviolation, an increase of 7,689 (389.9%) compared to the previous year (Reference 53, 54).

59

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Reference 54

Changes in the number and percentage of requests for a hearing

Percentage of requests for a hearing（％）＝

Requests for a hearing

×100

Receipt of violation examinations（Cases）
Requests for a hearing
14,000

47.8

（％）
50.0
45.0

12,00040.0
9,661

10,000

35.0
30.0

8,000

25.0
6,000

17.7

20.0

13.8
4,000

2,546

2,327

11.7

12.0

15.0

2,326

1,972

10.0

2,000

5.0

0
2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

0.0
（Year）The number of objections filed by foreign nationals who were not satisfied with the decision made by the special inquiry officer at the hearing was 9,697 in 2021, an increase of 7,865(429.3 %) compared to the previous year (Reference 53).
(2) Issuance of a Written Deportation OrderThe number of written deportation orders issued in 2021 was 5,566. According to thestatistics by ground for deportation, the cases of overstay amounted to 4,006, accounting for72.0% of the total, while the percentage of cases of illegal entry amounted to 130, accountingfor 2.3% of the total (Reference 55).
Reference 55

Changes in the number of issuance of written deportation orders bygrounds for deportation(Cases）

Grounds for Deportation

60

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

8,130

8,865

9,218

5,903

5,566

Overstay

5,872

6,658

7,434

4,604

4,006

Illegal entry

503

365

256

132

130

Illegal landing

140

93

127

41

43

Activity other than those permitted

644

480

254

96

33

Criminal offenses

411

426

147

154

504

Others

560

843

1,000

876

850

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I

According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number was from Viet Nam
at 2,120, accounting for 38.1% of the total, followed by China at 1,170 (21.0%) and Thailand at
546 (9.8％ ) (Reference 56).
Reference 56

Changes in the number of issuance of written deportation orders bynationality/ region(Cases)
3,500
3,228

3,000
2,634
2,494

2,500
2,133

2,002

2,120 Viet Nam

2,005

2,000
2,002

1,500
1,196

1,139

1,097

1,170 China

985

1,000
746

724

621

546

405

500

515
232

522

604

170

140

ThailandThe Philippines

385

359

300
101

283
96

0
2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Indonesia
R.O.Korea/
Korea（Year）(3) Provisional Release
The number of cases where foreign nationals who had been detained due to a written
detention order were provisionally released in 2021 was 3,506, an increase of 131 (3.9%)
compared to the previous year. The number of foreign nationals detained under a written
deportation order who were granted provisional release was 4,275, an increase of 1,262(41.9%) compared to the previous year (Reference 57).
Reference 57 Changes in the number of cases of permission for provisional release（Cases）

Type of Order

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

By written detention order

922

812

1,052

3,375

3,506

By written deportation order

822

523

725

3,013

4,275

61

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals(4) Special Permission to Stay in JapanThe number of cases in which received special permission to stay in Japan from the Minister of Justice in 2021 was 8,793, an increase of 7,315 (494.9%) when compared to 2020.
Most of the foreign nationals who received special permission to stay in Japan had established close relationships with Japanese nationals such as through marriage. Also in manycases they had settled down in Japan in many respects.
Looking at the foreign nationals who came under the grounds of deportation but were
granted special permission to stay in Japan, there were 8,271(94.1%) staying beyond theauthorized period of stay. And there were 132(1.5%) illegal entry and illegal landing. Overstaying, illegal entry and illegal landing accounted for 95.6% of the total (Reference 58).
Reference 58 C hanges in the number of cases of special permission to stay inJapan by grounds for deportation（Cases）

Grounds for Deportation

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

1,255

1,371

1,448

1,478

8,793

Overstay

868

970

1,051

1,142

8,271

Illegal entry/Illegal landing

128

143

128

104

132

Criminal offenses etc.

259

258

269

232

390

According to statistics by nationality/region in 2021, the number of foreign nationals who
were granted special permission to stay in Japan was 7,450(84.7%) for Viet Nam, 350(4.0%)
for the Philippines, 237(2.7%) for China, 107(1.2%) for Thailand, and 79(0.9%) for R.O. Korea/
Korea combined (Reference 59).
Reference 59 C
 hanges in the number of cases of special permission to stay inJapan by nationality/region（Cases）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

1,255

1,371

1,448

1,478

8,793

Viet Nam

101

102

76

202

7,450

the Philippines

270

349

411

391

350

China

210

248

242

175

237

Thailand

72

63

62

71

107

R.O.Korea/Korea

125

115

108

83

79

Others

477

494

549

556

570

（*1） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).
（*2） The nationalities/regions in the chart do not necessarily correspond to the top five countries/regions.

５

Outline of Deportation of Foreign Nationals
The number of deportees in 2021 was 4,122, which was a decrease of 1,328 (24.4%) whencompared to the previous year.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of deportees wasfrom Viet Nam at 1,781 (43.2%), followed by China at 832 (20.2%), Thailand at 224 (5.4%),
the Philippines at 214 (5.2%), and Indonesia at 191 (4.6%) (Reference 60).

62

Chapter 5

Reference 60

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Changes in the number of deportees by nationality/region

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

Part I（People）

2021

Total

8,145

9,369

9,597

5,450

4,122

Viet Nam

2,038

2,698

3,185

2,206

1,781

China

1,954

2,152

1,998

980

832

Thailand

1,224

1,167

1,003

382

224

the Philippines

705

893

737

382

214

Indonesia

549

532

639

295

191

Nepal

196

198

275

197

170

Sri Lanka

127

148

212

141

103

Turkey

70

116

195

111

87

R.O.Korea

248

209

162

106

82

Brazil

94

124

133

72

48

Others

940

1,132

1,058

578

390

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

The means of deportation are roughly divided into the three categories of “voluntary
departure” where the deportee himself or herself pays for the deportation costs, “deportation
at the expense of the Government of Japan” where the Japanese government pays for thedeportation costs by reason of the deportee not having the necessary funds for deportationor other reasons, and “deportation in accordance with Article 59 of the Immigration Control
Act” where the deportee is deported on the responsibility and at the expense of the carrier
operating the aircraft or vessel on which the deportee was brought to Japan.

Deportation

63

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Reference 61

Changes in the number of deportees by means of deportation（People）

Year

Measure of Deportation

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

8,145

9,369

9,597

5,450

4,122

Voluntary departure

7,622

8,755

8,967

4,705

2,808

Deportation in accordance with Article 59

68

69

72

27

8

Individual deportation at the expense of
the government

385

470

516

665

1,292

Group deportation at the expense of thegovernment

43

47

0

44

0

Others

0

0

1

1

0

Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced
Persons

27

28

41

8

14

(*1) “Group deportation at the expense of the government” refers to group deportation through the use of private
chartered aircraft paid for by the Japanese government.
(*2） “Others” are cases of deportation at the expense of the government of the deportees' home country.

(1) Deportation at the Expense of Foreign National (Voluntary Departure)
Of the deportees, the number of those deported at their own expense stood at 2,808 (68.1%),
which was a decrease of 1,897 (40.3%) when compared to the previous year (References61, 62).
The ISA deports foreign nationals issued with a written deportation order as soon as therequirements necessary for deportation, such as the passport, air ticket or travel expenses,
have been fulfilled. However, with regard to those who do not fulfill the requirements for deportation, the ISA not only enforces the deportation procedures but also instructs deportees
to make contact with relevant people in Japan or their home country in order to ask for assistance such as financial assistance for deportation. In cases where deportees do not possessa passport, the ISA asks foreign diplomatic establishments in Japan for the early issuance ofa passport for the deportees.
Reference 62 C hanges in the number of deportees through voluntary departure bynationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region
Total
China
Viet Nam
Thailandthe Philippines
Indonesia
Nepal
Sri Lanka
TurkeyR.O.Korea
BrazilOthers

Year

2017
7,622
1,912
1,968
1,185
653
530
178
98
59
229
45
765

2018
8,755
2,093
2,600
1,156
801
511
174
121
101
192
67
939

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

64

2019
8,967
1,925
3,147
996
648
629
248
181
154
146
72
821

2020
4,705
931
1,726
380
369
281
177
95
103
100
53
490

2021
2,808
759
723
213
182
172
158
85
84
78
37
317

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I(2) Deportation at the Expense of the Government of JapanAs foreign nationals, who are in violation of the Immigration Control Act tend to stay fora longer period and have more diversified lifestyles than before. There are deportees who
do not depart at the expense of the foreign national as they refuse deportation for various
reasons, cannot afford the travel expenses for return to their home country, or suffer from
illness. Of these foreign nationals, the number of those deported at the expense of thegovernment in consideration of individual circumstances, etc. stood at 1,292 (31.3%) in 2021,
which was an increase of 583 (82.2%) compared to 2020 (Reference 61).
(3) Deportation at the Expense of and on the Responsibility of Carriers
A carrier who operates an aircraft or vessel that has transported a foreign national who
does not meet the requirements for landing is responsible for deporting the deportee at its
own expense and on its own responsibility under certain conditions (deportation under Article 59 of the Immigration Control Act)(*). The number of foreign nationals deported in thisway in 2021 was 8 (0.2%), a decrease of 19 (70.4%) compared to 2020 (Reference 61).

６Departure Orders(1) Investigation into Violations
The number of foreign nationals whose cases were handed over from immigration control
officers to immigration inspectors through the departure order procedures was 4,365 in 2021,
accounting for 24.2% of the total number of foreign nationals in violation of the Immigration
Control Act.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number was from China at
1,722 (39.5%), followed by Viet Nam at 651 (14.9%), Thailand at 579 (13.3%), Indonesia at
435 (10.0%) and Nepal at 283 (6.5%), and these top five countries accounted for 84.1% of thetotal (Reference 63).

(*) Carriers are in a position to govern their crew and passengers, and responsibilities and duties are imposed on themunder the Immigration Control Act. Among these duties, they are obligated to send foreign nationals falling undercertain conditions to an area outside Japan promptly on their own responsibility and at their own expense (Article 59of the Immigration Control Act).
For example, persons who are denied landing and issued with a written exclusion order but fail to leave, or
who have landed with special landing permission but stay longer than the authorized period of stay, fall under theabovementioned category.

65

Part I

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Reference 63 C
 hanges in the number of foreign nationals handed over under adeparture order by nationality/region（People）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

4,410

6,245

8,713

6,874

4,365

China

1,714

1,877

2,081

1,625

1,722

Viet Nam

867

1,677

3,249

2,739

651

Thailand

839

896

1,232

748

579

Indonesia

240

360

634

712

435

Nepal

49

215

352

252

283

the Philippines

289

672

565

376

215

Sri Lanka

17

31

79

37

101

Uzbekistan

8

89

73

45

86

R.O.Korea

116

86

84

54

63

Mongolia

77

65

65

26

51

Others

194

277

299

260

179

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

(2) Examination
A. Receipt and Processing of Cases
The number of cases of departure orders in 2021 was 4,365, accounting for 21.6% of thetotal number of cases of examination of the violation. This represented a decrease of 2,509(36.5%) when compared to the previous year.
As those subject to a departure order voluntarily appear at a regional immigration bureau,
wishing to depart from Japan they are promptly processed after their cases are sent by immigration control officers.
B. Issuance of a Written Departure OrderThe number of cases in which were issued with a written departure order having been
determined to be eligible for a departure order, was 4,410 in 2021.
According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number was from China at
1,737, accounting for 39.4% of the total, followed by Viet Nam at 674 (15.3%), Thailand at
582 (13.2%), Indonesia at 434 (9.8%), and Nepal at 284 (6.4%), and the top five countries
accounted for 84.1% of the total (Reference 64).

66

Chapter 5

Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

Part I

Reference 64 C hanges in the number of issuances of written departure orders bynationality/ region(Cases）

Nationality/Region

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total

4,423

6,223

8,702

6,898

4,410

China

1,721

1,872

2,079

1,634

1,737

Viet Nam

872

1,668

3,242

2,761

674

Thailand

841

894

1,233

749

582

Indonesia

236

356

633

710

434

Nepal

50

215

351

252

284

the Philippines

288

671

562

377

215

Sri Lanka

18

31

79

36

100

Uzbekistan

8

88

73

45

88

R.O.Korea/Korea

117

86

84

54

63

Mongolia

78

65

65

26

52

Cambodia

1

13

24

23

40

Others

193

264

277

231

141

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

(3) Confirmation of Departure
Foreign nationals who are deemed to be subject to a departure order are required, aswith foreign nationals departing within the period of stay, to receive a seal of verification of
departure as well as the written departure order that was issued to them.

67Part I

Chapter 6

Recognition of Refugee Status

Chapter 6 Recognition of Refugee

StatusDue to the recognition that it is important for Japan to fulfill its obligations in theinternational community by accepting refugees, Japan became a signatory to the Refugee
Convention in 1981 and the Protocol in 1982 (hereinafter, “the Refugee Convention” and “theProtocol” are referred to together as “the Refugee Convention, etc.”) and as a result, alsoestablished a system for recognition of refugee status.
Thereafter, from the perspective of ensuring proper and prompt protection of refugees
through fairer procedures, the refugee recognition system has undergone some revisions.
The Act to Amend the Immigration Control Act was enforced on May 16, 2005, which included the establishment of a system to permit provisional stay and the refugee examination
counselors system.
The ISA has further improved and strengthened its organizational structure and investigation system, and has endeavored to ensure proper implementation of the refugee recognition
system to handle applications for refugee status quickly and appropriately.

Section 1
１

Applications and Processing for
Recognition of Refugee Status

Application for Recognition of Refugee Status
In 2021, the total number of applicants who applied for recognition of refugee status in Japan was 2,413, which was a decrease of 1,523 (38.7%) when compared to 2020 (Reference
65).

Reference 65 C
 hanges in the number of applications for recognition of refugee
status（People）

Year
Applications

2017
19,6292018
10,493

2019
10,375

2020
3,936

2021
2,413

The number of nationalities/regions of the applicants was 50, and the major nationalities/
regions from which applicants came were in descending order: Myanmar at 612 (25.4%),
Turkey at 510 (21.1%), Cambodia at 438 (18.2%), Sri Lanka at 156 (6.5%), Pakistan at 89(3.7%), Bangladesh at 80 (3.3%), Nepal at 69 (2.9%), India at 61 (2.5%), Nigeria at 57 (2.4%),
and Cameroon at 31 (1.3%).
The applicants at the time of their applications were composed of 1,870 (77.5%) legal
residents and 543 (22.5%) illegal residents.
Among the applicants, 1,248 applicants accounting for 51.7% had applied for recognitionof refugee status in the past. These applicants comprised 805 legal residents and 443 illegal
residents.

68Chapter 6

Recognition of Refugee Status

Part I

２ Processing of Applications for Recognition of Refugee Status
The total number of applicants whose application for recognition of refugee status wasprocessed in 2021 was 6,150, an increase of 711 (13.1%) compared to 2020. The number ofapplicants who were recognized as refugees was 65(*1) while the number of applicants who
were denied recognition of refugee status was 4,196. The number of applicants who withdrew their applications and others was 1,889.
Flexible treatment taking into account various circumstances is accorded within theframework of immigration and residence management administration even to those who do
not fall under the definition of refugee as stipulated in the Refugee Convention and are notrecognized as refugees, for example, those who will find it difficult to return to their homecountry due to the circumstances of their home country or those for whom there are special
circumstances necessitating permission to stay in Japan to be granted, and 580 foreign
nationals were permitted to stay in 2021(*2) (Reference 66).
Reference 66 C hanges in the number of foreign nationals protected as refugees,
etc.

（People）

Division

Year 1978～2016

Recognized as a
Refugee treaty refugee
StatusRefugees forresettlement

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

688

20

42

44

47

74

11,442

29

22

20

―

―

Other asylum

2,543

45

40

37

44

580

Total

14,673

94

104

101

91

654

(*1) The number of persons recognized as treaty refugees includes those who were denied recognition as a refugee inthe primary examination, but were recognized as a result of the filing of an objection.
(*2) The number of the “Refugees for resettlement” consists of (1) so-called “boat people” who fled from Indo-China
countries during the 1970s through to the 1980s and their family/relatives (their legal protection was based on
the approval of the Cabinet on April 28, 1978, and June 17, 1980), and (2) accepted Myanmar refugees who had
been protected temporarily in Thailand (2010~2014) and Malaysia(2015~) (their legal protection was based on
the approval of the Cabinet on December 16, 2008, and January 24, 2015). Therefore, the numbers for the “refugees
for resettlement” for before 2006 show the people who fall under category (1) while the numbers for “refugees forresettlement” in and after 2010 indicate the people who fall under category (2) The number includes those who
were recogninzed as treaty refugees after resettling in Japan.
(*3) The number of “Other asylum” is persons not recognized as refugees but permitted to reside in Japan forhumanitarian grounds.

３ Implementation of the System for Permission for Provisional Stay
The number of foreign nationals who were granted permission for provisional stay was 29
in 2021, an increase of 14 (93.3%) compared to 2020.
The number of those who underwent an examination as to whether or not they should be
granted permission for provisional stay was 625. The major reasons for decisions not granting permission were as follows (*2):(*1) As for the number of applicants who were recognized as refugees as a result of the request for an administrative
review, see Section 2, Subsection 2.
(*2) The number of 580, who were permittd to stay in Japan for humanitarian consideration, includes Myanmar
nationals who were permitted before the results of refugee recognition procedures are available, based on theemergency evacuation measures for Myanmar nationals residing in Japan in light of the situation in their homecountries started on May 28, 2021.

69

Part I

Chapter 6

Recognition of Refugee Status(i) Applicants had applied for recognition of refugee status after the deadline of six
months from the date of landing in Japan (in the case of those for whom the grounds
for being a refugee had arisen during their stay in Japan, the date such fact became
known to them): 478 persons.
(ii) There had been reasonable grounds to believe that the applicants are likely to flee:
120 persons.
(iii)Applicants had already received a deportation order: 101 persons (*1).

Section 2
１

Request for an Administrative Review(Appeal)Number of Request for an Administrative Review
The number of persons who made a request for an administrative review (*2) of a disposition denying recognition of refugee status in 2021 was 4,046, and this was an increase of 1,473(57.2%) compared with 2020 (Reference 67).

Reference 67 C
 hanges in the number of appeals, and determinations of the Ministerof Justice(People）

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Not recognized as a refugee

9,742

10,541

4,936

3,477

4,196

Appeal

8,530

9,021

5,130

2,573

4,046

Processing

Division

1

4

1

1

9

Without reason

3,084

6,013

6,021

5,271

6,732

Withdrawn, etc.

1,306

2,154

2,269

1,203

670

２

Processing of the Appeal

With reason

The number of the appeals processed in 2021 was 7,411, an increase of 936 (14.5%) compared with 2020. The breakdown included 9 person (1 in the previous year) whose appeals
were found to be with reasonable grounds (one who was recognized as a refugee), 6,732
persons (5,271 in the previous year) whose appeals were found to be without any reasonablegrounds, and 670 persons (1,203 in the previous year) who withdrew their appeals (Reference 67).

(*1) If one applicant fell under several grounds for denial of permission, all grounds were included.
(*2) Appeals against dispositions that did not recognize the applicant as a refugee were changed from the “filing of an
objection” to a “request for administrative review” pursuant to the Amended Immigration Control Act which cameinto effect on April 1, 2016.

70

Chapter 6

Section 3

Recognition of Refugee Status

Part I

Application and Processing of Landing
Permission for Temporary Refuge

In 2021, 3 foreign nationals applied for landing permission for temporary refuge (hereinafterreferred to as “temporary refuge landing permission”) in Japan, which was a decrease of 4
compared to 2020. The breakdown for the processing of the applications was 1 case given
permission, 3 cases denied permission.
Reference 68 C
 hanges in the number of applications for Landing Permission for
Temporary Refuge(People）

Year

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Applications

98

55

36

7

3

Permission

2

2

1

1

1

Disapproval

94

49

31

7

3

Withdrawn, etc.

3

4

2

―

―

（*） Since the processing of applications may span years，the number of applications and the number of processing (totalof permission, disapproval, withdrawal, etc.) for each year do not always match.

Reference 69 P rocessing status of applications for Landing Permission for
Temporary Refuge (2021)
Nationality(People）

Breakdown of disposal

Applications
Total

Permission

Disapproval

Termination/
Withdrawn

Discontinuance

Syria

―

1

―

―

―

Turkey

1

―

1

―

―

Russia

1

―

1

―

―

China

1

―

1

―

―

Total

3

1

3

―

―

（*） Since the processing of applications may span years, the number of applications and the number of processing (totalof permission, disapproval, withdrawal, etc.) for each year do not always match.

71Part I

Chapter 7 Measures Against Trafficking in Persons and Protection of Foreign Victims of Domestic Violence

Chapter 7 Measures Against Trafficking in

Persons and Protection of Foreign
Victims of Domestic Violence

Section 1
１

Measures Against Trafficking in Persons

Measures Against Trafficking in Persons
Trafficking in persons is a grave violation of human rights and a prompt and accurate
response is called for from a humanitarian perspective. This is due to the fact that trafficking
in persons inflicts serious mental and physical pain on the victims, especially on women andchildren, and it is difficult to recover from such damage. Moreover, human trafficking is an issue of serious concern to the international community since it is a crime which is committed
across borders.
The Japanese government formulated the “Action Plan for Measures against Trafficking
in Persons” through the relevant ministries and agencies in December 2004 and the “Action
Plan for Measures against Trafficking in Persons 2009” through the Ministerial Conference
for Measures against Crime in December 2009, and the entire government has been promoting measures up to this point. The “Action Plan for Measures against Trafficking in Persons
2014” was formulated through the same Conference in December 2014 in order to work on
more powerful, comprehensive and all-encompassing measures against human trafficking. In
June 2022, the “Conference for the Promotion of Measures against Trafficking in Persons”
comprising the competent ministers in charge of measures against human trafficking held its
eighth meeting, and the relevant government ministries and agencies led by the Conference
are currently promoting government-wide efforts against the trafficking of persons.
In addition, based on the “Action Plan for Measures against Trafficking in Persons 2014”,
the ISA has also been striving to prevent human trafficking by further strengthening its
system of cooperation with the related organizations, has been tracking hidden cases where
there is the possibility of human trafficking and has been proactively engaged in eradicating
trafficking in persons and offering appropriate protection to the victims.

２

Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Persons
The ISA gives full consideration to the position of the victims of trafficking, and grants
permission such as extension of the period of stay or a change of the status of residence
from the perspective of victim protection, and moreover, if the victim is in violation of the
Immigration Control Act such as by staying beyond the authorized period of stay, the legal
status of the victim will be stabilized through such means as granting special permission tostay to the victim.
The number of foreign nationals for whom the ISA implemented procedures for protection
as victims of trafficking in persons (including support to return to their home country) was
11 in 2021 (eight persons in the previous year). According to the statistics by nationality/
region, ten of the victims came from the Philippines, and one from China (in 2020, all of eight72

Chapter 7 Measures Against Trafficking in Persons and Protection of Foreign Victims of Domestic ViolencePart I

victims came from the Philippines.)
The number of victims who had a status of residence out of the total of 11 victims was ten
person (one person in the previous year), and the number of victims who were in violationof the Immigration Control Act such as illegally staying beyond the authorized period ofstay was one person (seven persons in the previous year). In addition, the victim who wasin violation of the Immigration Control Act was granted special permission to stay in Japan(Reference 70).
The number of victims has declined significantly since 2005, when the ISA first started
collecting statistics and offered protection to 115 victims, and the number has been fluctuating in recent years with around 20 victims at most. This is thought to be because the entire
government has been working together on measures under the Action Plan for Measuresagainst Trafficking in Persons, and owing to the fact that measures to prevent and eradicate
trafficking in persons, such as the implementation of strict landing examinations have had acertain level of effect (Reference 71).
Reference 70

Number of victims of trafficking in persons (2021)
Breakdown

Nationality/region(People)Recognized as a victim of trafficking in persons
Violators of theForeign nationals
Immigration Control Act
previously in possession (Special Permission toof a status of residence Stay in Japan)

Total

the Philippines

10

0(0)

10

China

0

1(1)

1

Total

10

1(1)

11

(*1) The breakdown by status of residence of foreign nationals previously in possession of a status of residence was“Entertainer”, 10 persons.
(*2) The type of violation of the foreign nationals granted special permission to stay was “illegal overstaying”, 1 person.
(*3) The breakdown by the status of residence, before overstaying the authorized period of stay was “Temporary
Visitor”, 1 person.

Reference 71
Breakdown

Changes in the number of victims of trafficking in persons
Year

2005

2017

2018

2019

(People)

2020

2021

Total

115

20

9

12

8

11

Foreign nationals previously inpossession of a status of residence

68

10

4

7

1

10

47(47)

10(10)

5(5)

5(5)

7(7)

1(1)

Violators of the Immigration
Control Act (Special permission
to stay in Japan)

73

Part I

Chapter 7 Measures Against Trafficking in Persons and Protection of Foreign Victims of Domestic Violence

３

Foreign Nationals Deported for Committing Trafficking in Persons（＊1）
In 2014, the National Police Agency, Ministry of Justice, Supreme Public Prosecutors Office, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Japan Coast Guard established the “Task
Force for the Enforcement of Laws and Regulations Relating to Trafficking in Persons”, andthis task force has been conducting improved information sharing and cooperation in orderto ensure crackdowns on human trafficking-related offenses, and consequently, no foreign nationals were deported by the ISA as perpetrators of human trafficking in 2021 (zero persons
in the previous year).

Section 2
１

Protection of Foreign Domestic Violence
Victims

OutlineDomestic violence, which includes an act that may constitute a crime, is a serious infringement against human rights. Similar to cases of trafficking in persons, an immediate andaccurate response is required from a humanitarian point of view.
If the ISA identifies a foreign national as a victim of domestic violence, the Agency willoffer secure protection for the physical welfare of the victim in cooperation with the relatedorganizations, and if the victim has applied for an extension of the period of stay or hasapplied for a change of the status of residence where a change has become necessary owing
to domestic violence and the victim finds it difficult to prepare the necessary papers, having
suddenly been forced out of his or her home, the ISA will give full consideration to the position of the victim and will respond appropriately in a humanitarian manner such as granting
permission taking into account individual circumstances. In addition, with regard to victims
who are in violation of the Immigration Control Act such as staying beyond their authorized
period of stay due to domestic violence, the ISA gives sufficient consideration to the caseand, depending on the case, will take humanitarian measures.
Further, a law to partially amend the Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and theProtection of Victims was enforced in January 2008, and the “Basic Policy Relating to Measures to Prevent Spousal Violence and Protect Victims”(*2) was formulated by the relevant
ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, based on this law. In light of thisbasic policy, the ISA established its own guidelines on the measures in July of the same year
(partially re-amended in January 2018 and in January 2022), and training is provided for staff
with the cooperation of related organizations, focused on practical matters such as practicalknowledge and points of importance regarding the protection of domestic violence victims.
In cases where a person is identified as a victim of domestic violence, the ISA, taking intofull consideration the fact that the victim has been placed in a harsh situation both physically(*1) By the amendment of the Immigration Control Act in 2005, a “person who committed trafficking in persons, or has
incited or aided another to commit trafficking in persons” was made subject to deportation (Article 24, item (iv), (c)of the Immigration Control Act).
(*2) The Act was renamed “The Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims” inaccordance with the partially re-amended act enforced in January 2014. Following this rename, the “Basic Policy
Relating to Measures for Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims” was set out along with theenforced Act.

74

Chapter 7 Measures Against Trafficking in Persons and Protection of Foreign Victims of Domestic ViolencePart Iand mentally, deals appropriately according to the physical and mental condition, etc., of thevictim, and strives to further protect the victim by cooperating with the Spousal ViolenceCounseling and Support Center, the Women’s Consulting Offices, police and other relatedorganizations.

２

Number of Recognized Foreign Domestic Violence Victims
The ISA places emphasis the most on the protection of victims and treats the victims
properly from a humanitarian perspective by ensuring coordination with the agencies
concerned, and gives careful consideration to the wishes and situation of the victims in theprocedures for such as examination of the status of residence or the deportation procedures
while considering their individual circumstances. The number of foreign domestic violence
victims who were recognized in the process of residence examination or the deportation
procedures during 2021 was 178 (Reference 72, 73).
The ISA took into account the individual situations of the victims and permitted in most of
the cases extension of the period of stay or change of the status of residence.

75

Part I

Chapter 7 Measures Against Trafficking in Persons and Protection of Foreign Victims of Domestic Violence

Reference 72

Number of recognized foreign domestic violence victims (2021)(People)Division
Nationality/Region
the Philippines
China
Nepal
BrazilPakistan
Viet Nam
ThailandBangladesh
India
Peru
R.O.Korea
United States of America
MyanmarIndonesia
TaiwanRomania
Afghanistan
Algeria
UkraineGhana
Kazakhstan
Cambodia
Kenya
Colombia
Switzerland
Tunisia
Dominica
PolandMongolia
Lithuania
Total

Residence
Deportation Consultations
Procedures
Procedures
43
6
14
14
3
7
5
0
4
4
1
0
4
0
2
2
0
4
3
1
1
2
0
1
3
0
1
4
0
0
3
0
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
1
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
102
12
42

Others

Total
6
5
1
3
1
1
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
22

69
29
10
8
7
7
6
5
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
178

（*） “China” does not include Taiwan, China (Hong Kong) or China (others).

Reference 73 C
 hanges in the number of victims of domestic violence cases
recognized by regional immigration Services bureau（People）

Year

(*)

76

Regional Immigration
Bureaus Sapporo

SendaiTokyo

NagoyaOsaka

Hiroshima Takamatsu Fukuoka

Total

2019

―

4

33

22

13

1

3

6

82

2020

3

5

42

25

18

6

0

11

110

2021

―

3

88

52

20

7

1

7

178

Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka include Yokohama, Kobe and Naha respectively.