# Data Section 1 Major Developments since April 1, 2009

(Since FY 2009)

Date	Developments	Contents
Apr. 1, 2009	Establishment of the Planning -Management and Investigation Department, and Detention and Deportation Department, in the Yokohama District Immigration Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau	The Security Department was abolished. The Planning-Management and Investigation Department, and Detention and Deportation Department, were established in the Yokohama District Immigration Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau.
Establishment of the Accounting Division in the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau	The Accounting Division was established in the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau.
Jun. 1	Implementation of the working holiday program for Taiwan residents	Issue of working holiday visas that allow Taiwan residents aged 18 to 30 who meet certain requirements to stay for one year, was started.
Jun. 1 to Jun. 30	Implementation of the “Illegal Work Prevention Campaign”	Appealing to foreign nationals, employers, local authorities, foreign embassies in Japan, etc. for understanding and cooperating of prevention of illegal employment.
Jun. 15 to Jun. 26	Establishment of a period for stepped-up landing examination	Strict landing examination was promoted by establishing a period for stepped-up landing examination at airports and seaports nationwide.
Jul. 1	Enforcement of the Ministerial Ordinance to Provide for Criteria Pursuant to Article 7, Paragraph (1), Item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act	The landing permission criteria for foreign nationals, and those who intend to engage in activities permitted under the status of residence of “Researcher” in a company located in Japan in the form of intra-company transfer, was reviewed. (Those who continue to engage in an activity, which fall under any of the activities listed in the right-hand column of the category “Researcher” in Annex Table I (2) of the Immigration Control Act and in which they have continuously engaged at an overseas office for over a year immediately before the intracompany transfer subject to the application, shall be exempt from the following requirements: (i) the applicant must have a master’s degree or at least three years’ experience in an area of related research after graduation from a college or equivalent institution; or (ii) the applicant must have at least ten years’ experience in an area of related research.
Enforcement of the Ministerial Ordinance for the Partial Amendment of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act	With the aim of ensuring proper examination of residence-related applications and improving the convenience of foreign nationals, required provisions (provisions regarding documents to be submitted in the application for certificate of resident eligibility, permission to engage in activities other than those permitted, formats of a work qualification certificate and an application form for issue of a work qualification certificate, and formats of application forms for permission for extension of period of stay, etc.) were revised.
Jul. 10	Revision of the Guidelines for Special Permission to Stay	The Guidelines for Special Permission to stay, which were formulated in October 2006, were reviewed to ensure more transparency of judgment on whether or not to grant special permission to stay, and create an environment that will encourage illegal residents to appear at an immigration office voluntarily.