Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
# Chapter 8 Improving Public Relations and Administrative Services

## Section 1 ◆Facilitating the Landing Examination Procedures

The Immigration Bureau has made efforts to facilitate the landing examinations at airports and seaports, but foreign nationals who visit Japan through airports have pointed out that they have to wait in line for a long time for the landing examination. In response to this complaint, measures have been taken at the immigration counters at Narita Airport to solve this problem, by assigning some immigration inspectors in charge of examining Japanese nationals to the examination of foreign nationals, and transferring immigration inspectors between immigration counters depending on the degree of congestion. The immigration centers at Narita, Chubu and Kansai Airports indicate the expected waiting time for examination of foreign nationals.

The Immigration Bureau has established priority lanes for the elderly, the disabled and pregnant women at Narita Airport and Chubu Airport, and has made additional efforts to facilitate procedures and improve administrative services.

Other airports also make efforts for smoother procedures. For example, the immigration center at Haneda Airport employs a fork line approach. In this approach, rather than standing in a line for each examination booth, arrival passengers will stand in a single line, and go to the next booth which becomes available. The airport also increases the number of immigration booths when the airport becomes congested, and displays an information board that illustrates how to fill in an E/D card. In this way, the Immigration Bureau makes efforts for smoother immigration procedures while sometimes asking airlines for cooperation.

## Section 2 ☐ Providing Better Explanations on Why the Certificate of Eligibility Is Not Issued

The certificate of eligibility certifies that the holder has not made any false statements on his activities in Japan and will be able to enter Japan in terms of his intended activities. If a foreign national has this certificate, he will be able to obtain a visa in advance. If a foreign national does not satisfy the applicable criteria for entering Japan, he will receive a letter explaining that the certificate of eligibility will not be issued. However, it was pointed out that
the letter does not explain the specific reasons for non-issuance and does not indicate what he should do next. Therefore, in FY 2005, specific reasons for determination of non-issuance and applicable legal wording will be indicated in the letter to contribute to further enhancing the transparency of immigration control administration.

## Section 3 General Information Desk for Procedures to Apply for Entry into Japan and Recognition of Refugee Status

As interaction between Japan and other countries has become more frequent, the number of foreign nationals who visit Japan has been increasing and their inquiries about the landing procedures have become more diverse. Furthermore, it is also necessary to ensure that the refugee recognition system is operated appropriately. In order to respond to such inquiries from foreign nationals promptly and accurately, on January 6, 2003, a General Information Desk for Procedures to Apply for Entry into Japan and Recognition of Refugee Status was established within the Narita Airport District Immigration Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau. This general information desk was also established within the Kansai Airport District Immigration Office of the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau on April 15, 2003.

## Section 4 ☑ Immigration Information Centers

Due to the differences in lifestyle, manners, customs and language, a number of foreign nationals who visit Japan are unfamiliar with procedures relating to immigration and residence or other Japanese legal or social systems. With a view to supporting such foreign nationals, immigration information centers have been established to provide foreign nationals and relevant Japanese nationals with the following services:

· Procedures relating to immigration to be followed when inviting foreign employees and trainees or receiving families from abroad to Japan.

• Procedures relating to residence to be followed when obtaining or changing the status of residence, extending the period of stay, and obtaining permission for permanent residence.

• Procedures for alien registration.

· Preparation of application documents concerning immigration and residence of foreign nationals.

• Other information concerning the immigration and residence of foreign nationals.
## Section 5 ◆Immigration Bureau Website

In March 2002, the Immigration Bureau established its own website separately from the website of the Ministry of Justice. Through this site (http://www.immi-moj.go.jp), the Immigration Bureau publishes questions and answers on immigration and residential procedures as well as the addresses, contacts, location maps and business hours of regional immigration offices for the convenience of applicants. Since February 2004, the Immigration Bureau has been receiving information about foreign nationals who may be staying illegally by e-mail.

Moreover, the Immigration Bureau opened its English website on March 31, 2006. Thus, the bureau has been making efforts to make the website convenient for foreign nationals.
# Chapter 9 Organizational Expansion and Staff Enhancement

Owing to significant changes in the circumstances affecting immigration control in recent years, in response to an increase in the quantity and in the complexity of immigration duties, measures have been taken to improve and expand the organization and staff for immigration control.

At the end of FY 2005, immigration control administration work was carried out by about 2,900 officials at the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice and other immigration control offices. Due to a wide range of problems in immigration control, further improvement and expansion of the organization and staff are still desired.

## Section 1 ◆ Organizations

## 1 Outline of the Immigration Control Organization

The organization that is responsible for immigration control duties is the Immigration Bureau, which is designated as an internal bureau of the Ministry of Justice. There are eight regional blocks, each of which has a regional immigration bureau as a local branch office of the Ministry of Justice. Each regional immigration bureau manages the district immigration offices and branch offices (including branch offices within the district immigration offices) under its jurisdiction. The Ministry of Justice also maintains three immigration centers as detention facilities. The organization as a whole performs various duties associated with immigration control such as immigration examinations, residence examinations, deportation procedures, and refugee recognition procedures in accordance with relevant laws and ordinances.

The Immigration Bureau, regional immigration bureaus, district immigration offices, branch offices, and immigration centers are collectively referred to as the “immigration control offices”. (Charts 31 and 32)

## 2 Major Expansions of the Immigration Control Offices

## (1) Expanding the Organization for Residence Status Examination Procedures

With an increasing number of foreign nationals residing in Japan, the number of applications for residence status examination procedures has been increasing. On the other hand, the
problem of exclusion of illegal foreign residents who have obtained permission by making a false statement or other illegal means has been pointed out. Consequently, the system of revocation of status of residence was introduced. Thus, there has been a request for improvement of the system for residence status examination procedures.

Many foreign nationals, including Japanese descendants with the status of residence of "Long Term Resident," reside in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau. In FY 2005, the Employment and Permanent Resident Examination Department of the bureau was divided into the Business and Employment Examination Department and the Permanent Residence Examination Department to lay out a framework
Chart 32 Responsibilities of the Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice
for proper and strict residence status examination in the areas under the jurisdiction of the bureau.

## (2) Expanding the Organization to Strengthen Measures against Illegal Foreign Residents

As already mentioned in Chapter 2 above, with the aim of halving the number of illegal foreign residents, the system to detect violators of the Immigration Control Act has been improved and reinforced mainly in the metropolitan areas. In FY 2003, the Research and Planning Department was established in the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau as an organization that receives, collects and analyzes information on illegal residents provided by residents or by related organizations. Furthermore, the Shinjuku Branch Office was established for the purpose of strengthening investigation of suspected violators of the Immigration Control Act including illegal foreign residents, collection of relevant information and detection of violators, mainly in the Shinjuku ward.

In FY 2005, the Immigration Bureau set up the First Investigation Department at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau. This new department is exclusively responsible for detecting illegal foreign residents in the Nagoya area. A detection task force was also set up at the bureau. In FY 2006, a detection task force was also set up at the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau in order to effectively and properly take countermeasures against illegal foreign residents.

Moreover, in FY 2006, the detention house at the Narita Airport District Immigration Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau was considerably expanded. The Planning Management and Deportation Department and the Detention Department were also set up for appropriate detention and smooth deportation.

## Section 2 ◆Staff

## 1 Immigration Control Staff

In immigration centers and regional immigration bureaus, immigration inspectors and immigration control officers are assigned as staff who are engaged in immigration control duties. In addition, secretaries of legal affairs engage in general administrative duties and specialists of legal affairs, including doctors, are also assigned.

Immigration inspectors are responsible for (i) examinations and hearings on landing and deportation, (ii) issuance of written detention orders and written deportation orders, (iii) provisional release, and (iv) investigation of recognition of refugees and statuses of
residence. They are also engaged in examining statuses of residence as assistants for the Minister of Justice.

Immigration control officers are responsible for (i) investigation of violations concerning entry, landing or residence in Japan, (ii) detention, transportation and deportation of foreign nationals in order to execute written detention orders or written deportation orders, and (iii) treatment of inmates in immigration centers and detention facilities and guards of these detention facilities. They fall under police personnel in relation to the “National Civil Service Law” and “Law Concerning Salaries for General Service Personnel”. As they are often involved in dangerous tasks, they are regarded as public security service staff.

Immigration control officers are divided into seven ranks (keibikan, keibicho, keibishicho, keibishi, keibishiho, keishucho, and keishu, in order of descending superiority) in order to clarify the chain of command for group operations for detection.

Individual immigration inspectors and immigration control officers perform their duties independently as specialists in immigration control and therefore, the specialist system was introduced. These officials are required to have legal knowledge necessary for their duties as well as a balanced point of view from an international perspective and the ability to interact with foreign nationals flexibly while giving consideration to their diverse cultures, customs and religions and their human rights.

## 2 Staff Increase

The number of immigration control staff was 3,120 in FY 2006, up about 22% (555) from FY 2001 (2,565). During this period, the number of cases handled by immigration control offices remained at a high level, and the immigration control duties have been getting more complicated and difficult due to the necessity of implementing stricter immigration examinations to prevent terrorism and illegal entry, coping with forged or altered documents that have become increasingly more sophisticated, and enforcing strengthened detection of illegal foreign residents, some of whom are potential criminals. (Chart 33, Table 51)

In FY 2006, 196 persons were additionally assigned as immigration inspectors and immigration control officers. An outline of the staff increase is as follows.

## (1) Smoother but Stricter Immigration Control

The present immigration control must satisfy two seemingly incompatible requirements: smoother but stricter immigration control. Stricter immigration control is necessary when addressing transnational threats. To this end, the immigration control authorities need to strictly examine the status of residence at the time of entry in order to strengthen immigration control at the border.
Chart 33 Changes in the number of immigration control office personnel (People)

Table 51 Changes in the number of immigration control office personnel

Division Fiscal Year	Secretaries in the Ministry of Justice	Regional Immigration Bureaus	Total
Secretaries	Inspector	Control officer	Others	Sub-Total
1985	169	155	703	658	55	1,571	1,740
1990	166	154	777	673	46	1,650	1,816
1995	163	165	1,152	869	38	2,224	2,387
1996	161	166	1,182	915	34	2,297	2,458
1997	161	166	1,203	931	31	2,331	2,492
1998	159	166	1,202	956	29	2,353	2,512
1999	159	165	1,204	978	27	2,374	2,533
2000	157	164	1,196	998	26	2,384	2,541
2001	156	155	1,211	1,017	26	2,409	2,565
2002	154	146	1,268	1,070	25	2,509	2,663
2003	152	144	1,272	1,101	24	2,541	2,693
2004	142	142	1,343	1,183	23	2,691	2,833
2005	131	122	1,433	1,266	20	2,841	2,972
2006	129	122	1,494	1,367	8	2,991	3,120
On the other hand, in accordance with the “Tourism Promotion Action Plan”, the Japanese government is making efforts to double the number of foreign visitors to Japan by the year 2010. To this end, the Action Plan calls for smoother immigration procedures.

In line with these circumstances, at Narita Airport, the South Wing of Terminal 1 has been in use since June 2006, while at Haneda Airport, shuttle flights between Haneda Airport and Kimpo Airport doubled from August 2005, according to an agreement made at the Japan-R.O. Korea Summit held in June 2005. In addition, at Hakata Port, the number of foreign nationals entering and leaving Japan has been rapidly increasing in recent years.

Therefore, to satisfy requests for stricter but smoother immigration control, the bureau has assigned 8 immigration inspectors to the Narita Airport District Immigration Office, 23 immigration inspectors to the Haneda Airport Branch Office, and 8 immigration inspectors to the Hakata Port Branch Office.

In addition, local governments are actively attempting to attract charter flights and major liners in order to increase the number of foreign travelers in the region. However, it has become difficult to deal with immigration examinations solely through the immigration control staff at a neighboring branch office for the many charter flights arriving at airports which lack permanently stationed immigration control staff and the major liners regularly coming into the local ports.

Therefore, the bureau has assigned 16 immigration inspectors to Chitose Tomakomai Branch Office and Haneda Airport Branch Office, which are used as bases for air routes, in order to flexibly and efficiently assist immigration examinations for charter flights and major liners arriving at local airports/ports nationwide.

## (2) Strengthening the Status of Residence Checking Capabilities at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau

While the presence of illegal foreign residents has become a social problem, illegal foreign residents have had a more serious adverse effect on Japan. For example, some foreign nationals acquire a status of residence by various illegal means, such as under the guise of false marriages, false study, false training and submission of false documents, and reside in Japan for a long period as legitimate residents. Some of them engage solely in simple labor, or join a criminal organization and collaborate in committing crimes.

To exclude these illegal foreign residents, it is indispensable not only to strictly examine the documents submitted by the applicants in residence status examinations, but also to have a system to detect false or forged identifying information through field research of the situation surrounding those who invited the foreign nationals and the residence situation of applicants. However, the number of foreign nationals suspected of illegally residing under
false information has increased in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, and cases have become more complicated and difficult to deal with due to sophisticated concealment activities. Therefore, the bureau has assigned 16 immigration inspectors to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in order to strengthen the system of investigating actual conditions.

## (3) Strengthening the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau’s Ability to Detect Illegal Foreign Residents and Enhancing Cooperative Relationships between the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau and the Authorities Concerned

The government decided upon the “Action Plan for the Realization of a Society Resistant to Crime” in December 2003, and determined to halve the number of illegal foreign residents within five years from 2004 to ensure public safety.

While actively detecting illegal foreign residents toward their significant reduction, the Immigration Bureau decided to set up a detection task force at the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau in FY 2006, following the setting up of a detection task force at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in FY 2004 and at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau in FY 2005, in order to further strengthen cooperation with the police and other related agencies and to implement specialized, flexible detection in each region. For this purpose, the bureau has assigned 36 immigration control officers to the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau.

In addition, the Immigration Bureau actively accepts illegal residents from the Metropolitan Police Department according to Article 65 of the Immigration Control Act, in order to efficiently carry out the deportation procedures for illegal residents allocated to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau. In order to respond to the increasing number of illegal residents accepted and to start acceptance of illegal foreign residents on weekends and holidays, the bureau has assigned 34 immigration control officers and 5 immigration inspectors to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau.

Moreover, an ensured sufficient capacity and prompt deportation are necessary to significantly increase the number of foreign nationals deported from Japan. Therefore, the detention house at the Narita Airport District Immigration Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau was relocated in FY 2006, with an increase in its detention capacity from 48 to 350 persons. In addition, the bureau has assigned 28 immigration control officers to the office as personnel needed for detention and deportation of detainees there.
## (4) Enhancing and Strengthening Detection Capacity in the Transit Areas of Large International Airports

There are an increasing number of cases where a foreign national obtains another person’s passport or a forged or altered passport from a broker in the transit areas of airports and uses such passport in landing examination procedures, and cases where foreign women and children are tricked into entering Japan by a criminal organization for the purpose of trafficking in persons.

Therefore, the bureau has assigned 22 immigration control officers to the Narita Airport District Immigration Office, the Chubu Airport District Immigration Office, and the Kansai Airport District Immigration Office in order to control trafficking in persons and the illegal movement of natural persons mainly in the transit areas at the border.

## Training

For the purpose of handling immigration control duties that have become increasingly more complicated and difficult in recent years, it is necessary to improve the ability and skills of immigration control officials. To this end, efforts have been made to enhance and strengthen the training system.
## Chapter 10 Budget

## Section 1 ☐Budgets

Chart 34 shows the trends in budgets for immigration control administration. Despite severe fiscal and administrative limitations in recent years, the fiscal authorities approved the Immigration Bureau’s expenses to implement necessary immigration control duties and related projects leading to improvement and enhancement of immigration control administrative capabilities. (Chart 34)

Chart 34 Changes in the budget for immigration control administration
## Section 2 ◆Facilities

Due to globalization, more and more foreign nationals are entering and staying in Japan of late. In addition, Japan also has many illegal foreign residents. To address such situations, the Immigration Bureau has recently been constructing a new building at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, expanding a detention facility at the East Japan Immigration Center, and constructing a new building at the Sendai Regional Immigration Bureau. In FY 2004, the detention house at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau was expanded with an increase in its detention capacity from 80 to 120 persons. Moreover, the detention house at the Narita Airport District Immigration Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau was also expanded in FY 2005 with an increase in its detention capacity from 48 to 350 persons. In addition, new buildings of the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau and the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau will be constructed in FY 2007.

The Immigration Bureau will continue to actively upgrade the immigration control facilities when the need arises. (Table 52)

Table 52 Changes in the capacity for detention

Fiscal Year Division	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Total	2,568	2,788	3,039	3,108	3,410	3,410
Immigration Centers	1,549	1,549	1,800	1,800	1,800	1,800
Regional Immigration Bureaus	1,019	1,239	1,239	1,308	1,610	1,610

as of every March 31 (the number for 2006 is an estimate.)
統計 1 - 57 家庭内暴力の対象別状況 (平成19年)

対象別	総数	母親	父親	兄弟姉妹	同居の親族	家財道具等	その他
件数(件)	1,213	730	84	86	137	162	14
構成比(%)	100.0	60.2	6.9	7.1	11.3	13.4	1.2
## 平 成 2 3 年 度

食品安全関係予算概算要求の概要

平成22年8月
平成23年度 食品安全関係概算要求総括表

事項	平成22年度予算額(A)	平成23年度財務省要求(B)	対前年度増△減額(B)-(A)	対前年度比率(B)/(A)
1 輸入食品等の安全確保策の強化	百万円<11,534>10,220	百万円<10,364>9,631	百万円△1,170>△588	89.9%94.2%
(1)輸入食品の監視体制等の強化	2,323	2,046	△277	88.1%
(2)その他の食品安全対策等	9,210	8,318	△893	90.3%96.1%
7,896	7,585	△311
2 残留農薬、食品汚染物質、容器包装等の安全性の確保	1,467	1,145	△322	78.0%
(1)残留農薬等ポジティブリスト制度及び食品添加物の安全性確認の着実・計画的な推進	1,381	994	△387	72.0%
(2)食品汚染物質の安全性検証の推進	28	51	23	182.5%
(3)食品用容器包装等の安全性確認の計画的な推進	58	99	42	172.1%
3 食品危害防止対策の推進	56	61	5	109.5%
4 健康食品の安全性の確保等の推進	66	59	△8	88.3%89.4%
64	58	△7
(1)健康食品の安全性の確保等	52	45	△7	86.6%88.0%
52	45	△6
(2)食品安全に関する情報提供や意見交換の推進	14	13	△1	94.6%95.4%
13	12	△1
5 新型インフルエンザ対策における検疫体制の強化	111	87	△25	-
6 食品安全に関する研究の推進	1,486	1,140	△346	76.7%
0	0	0
合計	14,720	12,855	△1,865	87.3%
5,795	5,913	118	102.0%
11,918	10,982	△937	92.1%

2. 上段＜＞は他局計上分を含む。

注1. 計数は、それぞれ四捨五入しているので、端数において合計と一致しない場合がある。

3. 1(2)の下段の数字は検疫所の人件費を含んでおり、合計欄の[ ]は検疫所の人件費分。