Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
Civil Aviation (Chicago Treaty), which aims for simpler procedures for immigration control, customs clearance, medical inspection and airport management.

## 2 International Conventions

## (1) G8 Rome/Lyon Group Ad Hoc Immigration Intelligence Officers Conference

This is an ad hoc meeting to discuss measures against terrorism and transnational organized crimes at the G8 level, with the participation of immigration control experts. This meeting discusses effective measures, through immigration control, against terrorism and against foreign nationals who use forged or altered documents, which should be taken cooperatively by the G8 members. The Immigration Bureau also sends its officials to this meeting and uses it as a good opportunity to exchange information with the persons in charge of immigration control in the other G8 member states.

The decisions made at this meeting have been developed into the G8 Secure and Facilitated International Travel Initiative (SAFTI) (Sea Island, 2004).

## (2) Pacific Rim (PACRIM) Immigration Intelligence Officers Conference

This conference has been held every year since 1994 with the aim of promoting information exchange and cooperation among immigration officials, and in particular those in charge of information management, in the Asia-Pacific region. In 1997, the 4th meeting was held in Japan. Aiming at promoting information exchange for practical purposes, the conference discusses various issues such as illegal immigrants, forged or altered documents, and stowaways. The Immigration Bureau sends its officials to every meeting of the conference to participate in information exchange.

## (3) Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Immigration Director-Generals

This meeting has been held every year since 2002 as a place where Asian and European countries gather and discuss the issue of illegal entry and stay. This meeting provides participants with opportunities to exchange and collect opinions and information that are useful in considering measures against illegal immigration. For this reason, the Immigration Bureau sends its officials to participate in information exchange.

## (4) Other International Conferences

In addition to the international conventions mentioned above, the Immigration Bureau has been participating in negotiations on bilateral economic partnerships and counter-
terrorism measures as well as discussions between the consular authorities or the security authorities, aiming at actively making efforts to explain the standpoint of Japan and develop cooperative relationships. The Immigration Bureau also has an active involvement in discussions on the Continuous Reporting System on Migration of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/SOPEMI), the Regional Conference on Human Trafficking, the Control Authorities Working Group of the International Air Transport Association (IATA/CAWG), the Facilitation Workshop of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and other multilateral meetings aimed at exchange of information and opinions and improvement of cooperative relationships.

The duties of the Immigration Bureau are also closely related to discussions at the UNHCR Executive Committee, the Asia-Pacific Consultations on Refugees, Displaced Persons and Migrants (APC), and the Immigration Expert Committee in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference. Therefore, the Immigration Bureau actively participates in these discussions.
## Chapter 8

## I mproving 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 or pass immigration checks in a shorter time. For this reason, foreign nationals intending to visit Japan will
usually apply for this certificate at the regional immigration bureau in advance. If the foreign national does not satisfy the applicable criteria for entering Japan, the Immigration Bureau will not issue the certificate. Instead, he will receive a letter explaining that the certificate of eligibility will not be issued to him.

This letter indicates the text of the applicable law, but does not explain the specific reasons, background or related facts. As pointed out by some analysts, the letter does not indicate what he should do to obtain a certificate of eligibility.

Giving the reason for why the certificate of eligibility has not been issued will enhance the transparency of immigration control administration. The Immigration Bureau will take necessary action as soon as possible in FY2005, so that the letter will indicate applicable legal wording or the reason why he was denied the certificate.

## 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.
## 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 2004, immigration control administration work was carried out by about 2,800 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 30, 31)
## 2 Major Expansions of the Immigration Control Office

## (1) Establishing the Chubu Airport District Immigration Office (Tentative Name)

On February 17, 2005, the Chubu International Airport was opened as the third international airport in Japan following Narita Airport and Kansai Airport. The new airport is operated 24 hours a day as an international hub airport for many domestic and international flights across Asia.

The new office that was established upon the opening of Chubu Airport has to perform not only examination upon entry and departure but also deportation procedures; all as an
independent organization. For this reason, the Chubu Airport District Immigration Office was established under the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau.

## (2) Organizational Enhancement to Strengthen Document Examination Capabilities

In order to properly and stringently cope with forged and altered passports, visas, and landing permission stamps, which have become increasingly more elaborate and sophisticated in recent years, as mentioned in Chapter 3, Section 3, the Document Examination Office was established in the Narita Airport District Immigration Office in FY 1999, and in the Kansai Airport District Immigration Office in FY 2000. In FY 2004, as mentioned in (1) above, a Document Examination Office was established at the Chubu Airport District Immigration Office, in line with the opening of Chubu Airport in February 2005. In FY 2005, the Ministry of Justice created the new post of Senior Coordinator for Immigration Information Analysis in the General Affairs Division, Immigration Bureau. This senior coordinator is responsible for collecting, sorting out and analyzing immigration control information as well as efficiently examining documents. These measures to strengthen the document examination system have improved the ability of the immigration offices to examine forged or altered documents and have promoted collection and accumulation of information concerning such documents. Thus, the document examination system plays an effective role in detecting foreign nationals who attempt to enter and stay in Japan illegally with the use of forged or altered passports.

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

As already mentioned in Chapter 5, Section 1 above, with the aim of reducing the number of illegal foreign residents by half, measures are being taken to improve and reinforce the system for detection of violators of the Immigration Control Act particularly in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. In FY 2003, the Research and Planning Department was established in the Tokyo Immigration Bureau as an organization in charge of performing centralized collection and analysis of information on illegal foreign residents provided by residents or by related organizations. Furthermore, for the purpose of investigating the actual facts of suspected violators of the Immigration Control Act, with a large concentration of illegal foreign residents in Shinjuku ward, of collecting relevant information and detecting such violators, a branch office was established in Shinjuku ward.
In FY 2005, the Immigration Bureau set up the First Investigation Department at Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau. This new department is exclusively responsible for detecting illegal immigrants residing in the Nagoya area in order to effectively and properly take countermeasures against illegal immigrants.

## (4) Expansion of the Organization for Refugee Recognition Procedures

In recent years, the number of applications for recognition of refugee status has been increasing, and the nationalities of the applicants have become more diverse. Accordingly, examination of the recognition of refugee status has become increasingly more complicated and difficult. In light of this situation, in FY 2003, a Refugee Examination Department was established by dividing the former Permanent Resident and Refugee Examination Department of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau into two departments. The Immigration Bureau also increased the number of refugee inquirers who are engaged in inquiring into the facts concerning the recognition of refugee status. Since the refugee examination counselors system was established in FY2005 as mentioned earlier in Chapter 6, Section 1, additional officials have been assigned as refugee inquirers to the Adjudication Department of the Tokyo and Osaka Regional Immigration Bureaus.

## 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, keihishihco, keishucho, and keishu, in order of 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 staff was 2,972 in FY 2005, up 17% (431) from FY 2000 (2,541). During this period, the number of cases handled by immigration control offices remained at a high level, and the immigration duties have been getting more complicated and difficult due to the necessity of implementing stricter immigration checks to prevent terrorism and illegal entry, coping with forged or altered documents that have become increasingly more elaborate and sophisticated, and strengthening detection of illegal foreign residents, some of whom are potential criminals. In order to perform immigration duties properly and promptly and to satisfy public needs, an increase in the number of officials is desired (Chart 32, Table 48).

In FY 2005, 174 officials were additionally assigned as immigration inspectors and immigration control officials. An outline of the staff increase is as follows.
Chart32 Changrs in the number of Immigration control office personnel

Table48 Changes in the number of immigration control office personnel

Division Year	Secretaries in the Ministry of Justice	Regional Immigration Bueau	Total
Secretaries	Secretaries	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
## (1) Smoother but Stricter Immigration Control at Large International Airports

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 authority needs to strictly examine the status of residence at the time of entry in order to strengthen immigration control at the border.

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.

To satisfy these two requirements, the Immigration Bureau introduced APIS (Advance Passenger Information System; see Chapter 3, Section 2, 3) as well as the secondary examination program. To deal with these tasks, the bureau has additionally assigned 46 immigration inspectors to the Narita Airport District Immigration Office, 12 inspectors to the Kansai Airport District Immigration Office, and 6 immigration inspectors to the Chubu Airport District Office.

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

As the Chubu region has a large-scale industrial base, many illegal immigrants are pretending to be of Japanese descent or trainees in an attempt to enter Japan, posing a serious problem in society. In this context, the Immigration Bureau has assigned an additional 6 immigration inspectors to strengthen the fact-finding capabilities of the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau.

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

As a measure against illegal immigrants, it is necessary to form a closer relationship with the ministries concerned in order to detect and efficiently deport illegal immigrants. The Tokyo Regional Immigration Office puts emphasis on having closer ties with the National Police Agency in order to actively detect illegal immigrants regardless of the length of illegal stay, while employing Article 65 of the Immigration Control Act to proceed with deportation procedures thoroughly and efficiently. In this context, the bureau has additionally assigned 26 immigration control officers and 6 immigration inspectors to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau.

The Narita Regional Immigration Bureau is responsible for wide geographical areas
from the Pacific Coast to the Japan Sea coasts. As the region’s large-scale industrial areas are attracting a large number of illegal workers, many overstayers are probably staying in Japan secretly. As the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau does not have a task force exclusively in charge of detecting activities, its detecting abilities are not strong enough. To reinforce Nagoya’s capabilities of detection, the Immigration Bureau decided to set up detection specialist task forces that would be able to quickly detect illegal immigrants. As these task forces will be operating 24 hours a day, it is also necessary to increase manpower at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau for quicker detention procedures and smoother deportation. To this end, the Immigration Bureau has additionally assigned 7 immigration inspectors and 57 immigration control officers to Nagoya.

(4) Reinforcement of the Refugee Status Examination Procedures as a Result of Introducing the Refugee Examination Counselors System

To secure fairness and neutrality in the refugee status recognition procedures, the Immigration Bureau introduced the Refugee Examination Counselors System in May 2005 (see Chapter 6, section 1). As a result, it is necessary to provide data as requested by the refugee examination counselors. The bureau additionally assigned a total of 8 refugee inquirers to the Tokyo and Osaka Regional Immigration Bureaus to deal with such increased paperwork.

## 3 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 33 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 33)

Chart33 Changes in the budget for immigration control administration