Date	Developments	Contents
Nov. 30	Enforcement of the Ministerial Ordinance to amend a part of the Ministerial Ordinance to Provide for Criteria Pursuant to Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act	Limitations, including the length of working years of medical foreign workers, are eliminated (such workers are those who have national licenses approved in Japan including foreign dentists and nurses).
Dec. 7 - -Dec. 8	Holding of the 24th “Immigration Control Seminar”	The Ministry of Justice held the “Immigration Control Seminar”, inviting officials from 19 countries and regions in the Pacific Rim area and 3 international organizations to exchange information and views on immigration control administration.
Dec. 17	Enforcement of partial amendment of “activities listed in the lower field in the Appendix Table 1-5 in the Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (limited to the parts involved in the paragraph (d)), in accordance with the same item.	“Activities listed in the lower field in the Appendix Table 1-5 in the Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (limited to the parts involved in the paragraph (d))”, were amended in accordance with the same item (the Notification from the Ministry of Justice No. 131 in 1990). As a result, the following activities were provided as “Designated Activities”: an activity by the foreign patients who reside in Japan for a significant long term and are admitted to hospitals for medical treatment; and an activity by the foreign caretakers who care for relevant patients. Furthermore, the Appendix Table 4 in the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control Act (the Notification from the Minister of Justice No. 54 in 1981) was revised so that staff members in a hospital, where the relevant patient and its family or relative are admitted, can apply for issuance of their certificates of eligibility instead of them. In addition, an ordinance of designation by the Minister of Justice as those with the status of residence of “Designated Activities” in accordance with the Item (iv) in the lower field of activities (Designated Activities) is listed in the lower fields of the Appendix Table 4 and Appendix Table 1-5 in the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control Act.
since Mar. 11, 2011.	Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake	For the purpose of landing examination of rescue teams, the Immigration Bureau used simple and prompt methods, including no requirement of landing permission stamp on their passports by issuing temporal landing permission cards prepared by immigration inspectors in advance.
Apr. 1	Establishment of the Management and Investigation Department and the Survey Department in the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau.	The Immigration Bureau took measures for extension of expiry date of stay by August 31, 2011, without special procedures, uniformly to foreign nationals subject to the notification from the Ministry of Justice (Notification No. 123 issued in March 16, 2011), based on Article 3-2 of the Act on Special Measures concerning Preservation of Rights and Interests of Victims of Specified Disaster (1996 Act No. 85). After the Immigration Bureau consulted with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the bureau decided to permit the college students and the training and technical interns, who left Japan without permission of re-entry, to enter the nation following a simple set of procedures. In the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau, the Survey and Record Department was abolished, while the Management and Investigation Department and the Survey Department were established.