Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
Table 23 Changes in the number of cases of activities other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted classified by nationality (place of origin)

YearNationality(Place of Origin)	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total	1,199	1,399	1,890	1,736	1,409
China	367	304	357	469	395
R.O. Korea	274	294	396	412	380
Philippines	372	541	862	399	297
Russia	5	24	17	43	55
Viet Nam	8	15	19	32	49
India	2	4	10	4	27
Indonesia	17	48	45	119	23
Nepal	9	1	4	18	21
Thailand	1	4	15	14	14
Malaysia	1	2	4	16	14
Others	143	162	161	210	134

$ ^{*} $ “China” does not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others

## 2 Illegal Workers

## (1) Summary

Among the foreign nationals against whom deportation procedures were carried out for violating the Act in 2007, the number of those who were considered to have been illegally working was 36,982, accounting for 81.3% of the total number of foreign nationals violating the Act. This indicates that most illegal foreign residents work illegally.

It has been pointed out that illegal foreign workers, working for substandard wages, take away employment opportunities from Japanese workers in an employment climate that is still severe although gradually improving, and impair the fair labor market. Furthermore, there have been human rights violations against illegal foreign workers. For example, brokers arrange for illegal workers to come to Japan and gain a huge unfair profit by exploiting the wages that should be earned by the foreign workers. Foreign workers in these conditions are also unable to receive sufficient compensation in the event of an industrial accident.

## (2) The Number of Illegal Foreign Workers Classified by Nationality (Place of Origin)

The statistics of the numbers of illegal foreign workers by region show that the great majority came from Asia (34,455, accounting for 93.2% of the total), followed by South America (accounting for 3.8%) and Africa (accounting for 1.6%). Thus, Asian illegal workers continue to make up a significantly large percentage of overall illegal workers.
In addition, these illegal workers came from 100 countries or regions, particularly from Asia, indicating that the trend toward increasing diversity in the nationalities of illegal foreign workers is continuing.

According to the statistics of the number by nationality (place of origin), illegal workers from China made up the largest number at 10,223, accounting for 27.6% of the total, followed by the Philippines (7,075, accounting for 19.1%), R.O. Korea (5,315, accounting for 14.4%), Indonesia (2,034, accounting for 5.5%), and Thailand (2,013, accounting for 5.4%). These top five countries represented 72.1% of the total. As a recent trend, the number of Chinese illegal workers has accounted for a large proportion. Illegal workers from Viet Nam also saw a marked increase in 2007, as compared with 2006. (Table 24)

Table 24 Changes in the number of cases of illegal work by nationality (place of origin)

(People)

Nationality (Place of Origin)	Year	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total	34,325	43,059	45,935	45,929	36,982
Male	20,274	25,349	26,232	24,759	20,926
Female	14,051	17,710	19,703	21,170	16,056
China	9,302	12,669	14,239	13,750	10,223
Male	5,997	8,104	8,749	7,614	5,910
Female	3,305	4,565	5,490	6,136	4,313
Philippines	4,108	6,299	7,378	7,978	7,075
Male	1,453	2,263	2,647	2,887	2,815
Female	2,655	4,036	4,731	5,091	4,260
R.O. Korea	6,372	6,192	6,514	6,696	5,315
Male	2,564	2,281	2,274	2,232	1,977
Female	3,808	3,911	4,240	4,464	3,338
Indonesia	1,389	1,897	1,844	2,286	2,034
Male	975	1,350	1,297	1,521	1,438
Female	414	547	547	765	596
Thailand	2,423	2,831	2,816	2,650	2,013
Male	1,030	1,179	1,158	1,159	985
Female	1,393	1,652	1,658	1,491	1,028
Viet Nam	408	732	900	1,189	1,318
Male	227	373	490	630	756
Female	181	359	410	559	562
Sri Lanka	674	891	1,024	1,440	1,264
Male	588	799	898	1,270	1,117
Female	86	92	126	170	147
Bangladesh	861	1,214	1,405	1,176	907
Male	828	1,166	1,328	1,114	873
Female	33	48	77	62	34
Malaysia	1,638	1,486	1,486	1,093	845
Male	1,193	1,084	1,060	774	615
Female	445	402	426	319	230
Pure	769	945	894	927	785
Male	533	615	588	609	518
Female	236	330	306	318	267
Others	6,381	7,903	7,435	6,744	5,203
Male	4,886	6,135	5,743	4,949	3,922
Female	1,495	1,768	1,692	1,795	1,281

$ ^{*} $ “China” does not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
## (3) The Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Gender

The numbers of male and female illegal foreign workers against whom deportation procedures were carried out in 2006 were 20,926 (accounting for 56.6% of the total) and 16,056 (accounting for 43.4% of the total), respectively. The difference between males and females widened from 2006.

Among the top countries, the ratio of females exceeded that of males in three countries: the Philippines, R.O. Korea, and Thailand. Males occupied the largest proportion in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

## (4) The Number of Illegal Foreign Workers by Type of Work

According to the statistics by type of work, the largest number of illegal foreign workers worked as factory workers (11,572 accounting for 31.3% of the total), followed by attendants such as bar hostesses (5,809 accounting for 15.7 %), and construction workers (4,458 accounting for 12.1%).

According to the statistics by gender, the largest number of males worked as factory workers, followed by construction workers and other labor workers, while the largest number of females worked as attendants such as hostesses at bars, followed by factory workers, waitresses and bartenders. (Table 25)

Table 25 Changes in the number of cases of illegal work by type of work

(People)

Year Job Categories	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total	34,325	43,059	45,935	45,929	36,982
Male	20,274	25,349	26,232	24,759	20,926
Female	14,051	17,710	19,703	21,170	16,056
Factory worker	7,156	10,440	11,786	12,986	11,572
Male	5,146	7,402	8,447	8,892	7,898
Female	2,010	3,038	3,339	4,094	3,674
Hostess or entertaining customers	5,057	6,597	7,319	7,701	5,809
Male	184	229	258	356	400
Female	4,873	6,368	7,061	7,345	5,409
Construction worker	5,468	6,228	6,378	5,425	4,458
Male	5,426	6,185	6,331	5,378	4,401
Female	42	43	47	47	57
Waitress or bartender	2,919	3,471	4,091	4,008	3,073
Male	1,235	1,401	1,518	1,336	1,190
Female	1,684	2,070	2,573	2,672	1,883
Other labor worker	2,140	2,636	2,858	3,307	2,792
Male	1,739	2,185	2,264	2,502	2,190
Female	401	451	594	805	602
Other service worker	2,406	2,702	2,841	2,815	1,953
Male	927	1,032	1,017	1,026	739
Female	1,479	1,670	1,824	1,789	1,214
Others	9,179	10,985	10,662	9,687	7,325
Male	5,617	6,915	6,397	5,269	4,108
Female	3,562	4,070	4,265	4,418	3,217
## 3 Outline of Judgments of Violations

## (1) Receipt and the Findings of Cases of Violation

Under the deportation procedures, after an immigration control officer conducts an investigation of the violation by a foreign national, an immigration inspector examines whether the foreign national (suspect) should be deported. The number of such examinations of violations was 48,647 in 2007, a decrease from the previous three years. (Table 26)

Table 26 Changes in the number of cases of receipt and findings of viloation examinations by immigration inspectors, hearings by special inquiry officers and decisions of the Minister of Justice

Division	Year	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Division by immigration inspector	Received	Receipt	46,535 (548)	56,018 (596)	57,569 (286)	57,017 (488)	48,647 (2,918)
Finished	Found not to fall under one of the reasons for deportation	2	4	7	3	3
Issuance of written departure order	34,855	40,771	32,284	31,393	26,215
Request for hearing	11,003	13,969	12,446	11,471	9,205
Issuance of written departure order	-	918	12,227	11,100	9,691
Not finished, others	675	356	605	3,050	3,533
Hearing by special inquiry officer	Received	12,092 (1,061)	14,869 (866)	13,002 (518)	12,221 (711)	10,101 (846)
Finished	Error in the findings	-	-	-	-	-
Issuance of written deportation order	102	113	137	126	134
Filing an objection	11,081	14,191	12,056	11,196	9,361
Issuance of written departure order	-	-	-	-	-
Not finished, others	906	565	809	899	606
Decision of the Minister of Justice	Received	11,738 (628)	14,897 (703)	12,533 (461)	11,757 (552)	10,037 (639)
Finished	Objection with reason	8	-	-	3	6
Objection without reason	11,204	14,412	11,922	11,018	9,245
Issuance of written departure order	-	-	-	-	-
Not finished, others	521	485	611	736	786
Request for hearing	Request for hearing	23.6	24.9	21.6	20.1	18.9
Receipt of violation examination (%)

(*) The numbers indicated in ( ) are carry-over cases from a previous year and are included in each of the upper numbers.

The number of requests for hearings conducted after examination of the violation slightly decreased from 2006 to 9,205 in 2007, but remains at a high level. This increase was probably caused by a rise in the number of foreign nationals who hope to stay in Japan on the basis of relationships such as marriage or cohabitation with Japanese nationals. Another contributory factor was the widespread recognition that special permission to stay can be obtained with consideration for humanitarian reasons such as reunion or illness of family members. (Chart 16)

For the same reason, the number of objections, which a foreign national unsatisfied with the decision made by the special inquiry officer at the hearing may file with the Minister of Justice, also remained at a high level, with a figure of 9,361 in 2007, about 3.2 times higher than in 1998 (2,955), although it showed a decrease from the previous year. (Table 26)
Chart 16 Changes in the numbers and percentages of requests for a hearing

## (2) Issuance of a Written Deportation Order

The number of written deportation orders issued in 2007 was 28,225. If the violators of the Immigration Control Act are classified by grounds for their deportation, the cases of overstay numbered 19,403 and although the number of these cases has tended to decrease since 2003, the percentage they represent in total showed an increase of 68.7%. On the other hand, the percentage of cases of illegal entry decreased to 21.9% in 2007. This decrease is considered to be attributable mainly to a decrease in the cases of use of illegal passports in applications for landing as landing examinations using personal identification information have been conducted. (Table 27)

Table 27 Changes in the number of issuance of written deportation orders by grounds for deportation

Year	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Grounds for Deportation	35,850	42,074	33,520	33,202	28,225
Total	25,383	29,802	20,764	22,136	19,403
Illegal entry	8,058	9,296	9,427	7,880	6,188
Illegal landing	707	873	635	443	334
Activity other than those permitted	1,168	1,380	1,874	1,726	1,367
Criminal offenses etc.	438	617	701	831	738
Others	96	106	119	186	195

According to the statistics classified by nationality (place of origin) in 2007, the largest number of foreign nationals who were issued written deportation orders came from China (7,831 accounting for 27.7%), followed by the Philippines (4,960 accounting for 17.6%), and North and South Korea (3,845 accounting for 13.6%). (Chart 17)
Chart 17 Changes in the number of issuance of written deportation orders by nationality (place of origin)

## (3) Provisional Release

In 2007, the number of foreign nationals detained under written detention orders who were accorded provisional release was 3,883, while the number of foreign nationals detained under written deportation orders who were accorded provisional release was 938. (Table 28)

Table 28 Changes in the number of cases of provisional release permission

Year	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
By written detention order	4,284	1,180	1,457	3,658	3,883
By written deportation order	262	382	769	671	938

## (4) Special Permission to Stay

The number of foreign nationals who received special permission to stay from the Minister of Justice was 7,388 in 2007. Although the number decreased from 2006, it still maintains a high level. Most of the foreign nationals who received special permission to stay had established close relationships such as marriage with Japanese nationals and had, in fact, settled down in Japan in many respects. (Table 29)
Table 29 Changes in the number of cases of special permission to stay by grounds for deportation

Year	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Grounds for Deportation	Total	10,327	13,239	10,834	9,360
Overstay	8,743	10,697	8,483	7,096	5,586
Illegal entry/Illegal landing	1,374	2,188	2,077	1,915	1,457
Criminal offenses etc.	210	354	274	349	345

(Cases)

## 4 Outline of Deportation of Foreign Nationals

The number of foreign nationals deported decreased by 5,105 (down 15.5%) from 2006 to 27,913 in 2007.

According to the statistics classified by nationality (place of origin), the largest number was from China (7,516 accounting for 26.9% of the total), followed by the Philippines (5,128 accounting for 18.4 %), R.O. Korea (3,798 accounting for 13.6 %), Thailand (1,553 accounting for 5.6 %), and Indonesia (1,452 accounting for 5.2%). (Table 30)

Table 30 Changes in the number of deportees by nationality (place of origin)

(People)

YearNationality(Place of Origin)	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total	35,911	41,926	33,192	33,018	27,913
China	11,027	13,408	11,209	10,251	7,516
Philippines	3,780	5,207	4,961	5,453	5,128
R.O. Korea	6,381	5,696	3,962	4,193	3,798
Thailand	2,299	2,527	1,930	1,845	1,553
Indonesia	1,567	2,009	1,241	1,672	1,452
Sri Lanka	745	1,005	821	1,139	1,090
Viet Nam	417	799	564	864	1,018
Bangladesh	895	1,223	1,271	1,076	847
Malaysia	1,656	1,519	1,179	911	675
Peru	807	799	542	655	518
Others	6,337	7,734	5,512	4,959	4,318

$ ^{*} $ “China” does not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.

According to the statistics by measures of deportation, 96.1% of foreign nationals who had been issued a deportation order were deported at their own expense (“voluntary departure”), making up the vast majority. On the other hand, the number of foreign nationals who need to be individually deported at national expense has been increasing, and the number of foreign nationals individually deported at national expense was 361 in 2007. (Table 31)
Table 31 Changes in the number of deportees by measure of deportation

(People)

Year Measure of Deportation	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total	35,911	41,926	33,192	33,018	27,913
Voluntary departure	33,914	40,480	31,811	31,911	26,818
Deportation in accordance with Article 59	1,642	1,313	1,177	852	690
Deportation individually at the expense of the government	95	119	192	239	361
Deportation in group at the expense of the government	260	-	-	-	-
Others	-	7	-	-	-
Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons	-	7	12	16	44

$ ^{*} $ 1) Deportation in groups at the expense of the government includes cases where both the

Japanese government and the deportee’s homeland government bore the expenses.

$ ^{*} $ 2 “Others” are cases of deportation at the expense of the government of each deportees.

## (1) Deportation at the Expense of the Government

As foreign nationals violating the Act stay longer and have diversifying lifestyles, an increasing number of foreign nationals who have been issued with a deportation order suffer from illness, refuse deportation for various reasons, or remain in detention for a long period of time because they cannot afford travel expenses. Of these foreign nationals, the number of those deported at national expense in consideration of individual circumstances increased by 122 (up 51.0%) from 239 in 2006 to 361 in 2007.

In addition, Chinese illegal immigrants detected at the border as collective stowaways were deported as a group in the past. However, collective deportation has not been conducted since 2004 due to a significant decrease in the number of collective stowaways detected.

## (2) Deportation at the Expense of the Foreign National (Voluntary Departure)

Deportees who were deported at their own expense increased by 5,093 (up 16.0 %) from 2006 to 26,818 in 2007.

Although around 95% of the deported foreign nationals are deported at their own expense every year, many do not fulfill requirements for deportation. For example, they do not possess a passport, an airplane ticket, or enough money for travel costs, causing the process to take a considerable amount of time.

In order to deport such nationals as quickly as possible, the Immigration Bureau not only carries out deportation procedures but also instructs the foreign nationals to make contact with relevant people in Japan or in their home countries in order to obtain an airplane ticket or money for travel costs. In cases where a foreign national does not possess a passport, the Immigration Bureau makes an application for the early issue of a passport to the relevant
foreign mission in Japan. (Table 32)

Table 32 Changes in the number of deportees by voluntary departure classified by nationality (place of origin)

(People)

YearNationality(Place of Origin)	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total	33,914	40,480	31,811	31,911	26,818
China	9,931	12,919	10,621	9,831	7,274
Philippines	3,655	5,101	4,810	5,340	4,988
R.O. Korea	6,326	5,656	3,912	4,155	3,763
Thailand	2,159	2,370	1,865	1,766	1,503
Indonesia	1,525	1,989	1,224	1,663	1,438
Sri Lanka	706	929	766	1,089	1,021
Bangladesh	409	795	558	861	1,011
Malaysia	875	1,211	1,258	1,068	831
Viet Nam	1,653	1,519	1,179	910	673
Peru	447	603	415	618	492
Others	6,228	7,388	5,203	4,610	3,824

(*) "China" does not include Taiwan. Hong Kong or others.

## (3) Sending Back at the Expense of and on the Responsibility of the Carriers

Any carrier that transported a foreign national who is issued with a deportation order must send him/her back at its own expense and on its own responsibility (the deportation specified in Article 59 of the Immigration Control Act) under certain conditions. The number of foreign nationals deported in this way in 2007 was 690, having decreased by 162 (down 19.0%) from 2006. (Table 31)

## 5 Departure Orders

## (1) Outline

The departure order system was newly established by the amendment of the Immigration Control Act of 2004 for the purpose of encouraging illegal foreign residents to appear at immigration offices voluntarily. It entered into force on December 2, 2004. Under the system, if a foreign national who appears at an immigration office voluntarily satisfies certain requirements, he/she may depart from Japan without being detained in accordance with simple procedures, and the landing denial period for him/her will be shortened from five years to one year.

## (2) Investigation of Violations

The number of foreign nationals who were handed over from immigration control officers to immigration inspectors through the departure order procedures was 9,695 in 2007, accounting
for 21.3% of the total number of foreign nationals violating the Immigration Control Act.

### A. The Number of Foreign Nationals Ordered to Depart by Nationality (Place of Origin)

According to the statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number was from China (3,159 accounting for 32.6% of the total), followed by R.O. Korea (1,613 accounting for 16.6%), the Philippines (1,496 accounting for 15.4%), Indonesia (631 accounting for 6.5%), and Thailand (360 accounting for 3.7%). (Table 33)

Table 33 Number of foreign nationals handed over under a departure order by nationality (place of origin) (2007)

Article Nationality (Place of Origin)	Total	24-2-2	24-4-b	24-6	24-6-2	24-7
Total	9,695	0	9,066	258	0	371
China	3,159	0	3,068	71	0	20
R.O. Korea	1,613	0	1,573	0	0	40
Philippines	1,496	0	1,312	49	0	135
Indonesia	631	0	566	50	0	15
Viet Nam	360	0	344	0	0	16
Thailand	312	0	241	28	0	43
Sri Lanka	310	0	294	8	0	8
Peru	237	0	197	0	0	40
Mongolia	211	0	194	14	0	3
Malaysia	196	0	196	0	0	0
Others	1,170	0	1,081	38	0	51

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

### B. The Number of Foreign Nationals Ordered to Depart by Gender

The numbers of males and females were 5,185 (accounting for 53.5% of the total) and 4,510 (accounting for 46.5% of the total), respectively.

### C. The Number of Foreign Nationals Ordered to Depart by Applied Articles

According to the statistics by applied articles, the number of suspects violating Article 24, (4) (b) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was the largest at 9,066, accounting for 93.5% of the total. This was followed by 371 suspects violating Article 24, (7), and 258 suspects violating Article 24, (6).

## (3) Examination

### A. Receipt and Findings of Cases

The cases of departure orders received in 2007 numbered 9,706, accounting for 20.0% of the total number of violation examination cases received. As those subject to a departure order and wishing to depart from Japan voluntarily appear at a regional immigration bureau, they
are promptly processed after being handed over by immigration control officers. In 2007, 9,698 such cases were handled, seven of which were sent back to the immigration control officers on the grounds that they did not fulfill the requirements for a departure order.

### B. Issuance of a Written Departure Order

The number of foreign nationals who were recognized as subject to a departure order and to whom a written departure order was issued was 9,691 in 2007.

According to the statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number was from China (3,153 accounting for 32.5 % of the total), followed by North and South Korea (1,616, accounting for 16.7%), and the Philippines (1,486, accounting for 15.3%), the top five countries accounting for 74.7% of the total. (Table 34)

Table 34 Changes in the number of issuance of written departure orders by nationality (place of origin) (Cases)

YearNationality(Place of Origin)	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total	918	12,227	11,100	9,691
China	252	3,777	3,516	3,153
Korea	133	2,206	1,992	1,616
Philippines	276	1,742	1,582	1,486
Indonesia	46	670	701	623
Viet Nam	19	304	343	359
Thailand	36	507	429	313
Sri Lanka	15	295	349	312
Peru	19	254	250	239
Mongolia	18	273	240	210
Malaysia	20	324	214	196
Others	84	1,875	1,484	1,184

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

(*2) The number of issuances in 2004 is counted after December 2, 2004 (when departure order system was in effect).
# Chapter 3 Recognition of Refugee Status

Due to the recognition that it is important for Japan to fulfill its obligations in the international community by accepting refugees, Japan became a signatory to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1981 (hereinafter referred to as the "Convention") and the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1982 (hereinafter referred to as the "Protocol"), and as a result, also established a system for recognition of refugee status. In recent years, however, the number of foreign nationals seeking refugee status from Japan has been increasing, as the world is rapidly changing due to regional conflicts occurring around the world and the instability of a number of countries. Today, Japanese people pay more attention to refugee-related issues than before.

In light of these circumstances, Japan intends to review the refugee recognition system from the perspective of proper and prompt protection of refugees through fairer procedures. The Act for Partial Amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was promulgated on June 2, 2004, which included establishment of the system for permitting provisional stay and the refugee examination counselors system. The Act has been in force since May 16, 2005.

The Immigration Bureau has further improved and strengthened its organizational structure and investigation system, as well as properly implementing the new refugee recognition system, in order to handle applications for refugee status quickly and appropriately.

Refugee Travel Document

## Section 1 ☐ Application for Refugee Status and Findings

## 1 Application for Refugee Status

The total number of applications for refugee status during the period from 1982 through to the end of 2007 was 5,698.

Looking at the change in the number of applications from 2003 to 2007, we find that it hovered in the 300 to 400 range but the number of applications increased significantly in 2006, reaching 954, the highest number since the refugee recognition system was established. In 2007, it marked