Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
Further, among foreign nationals entering Japan in 9,146,108 in 2008, the number of “new entries” was 7,711,828, a decrease of 9,430 (down 0.12%) from 7,721,258 in 2007, and the number of “re-entries” was 1,434,280, an increase of 3,352 (up 0.23%) from 1,430,928 in 2007.

### B. The Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Nationality (Place of Origin)

The statistics for the number of foreign nationals entering Japan in 2008, by nationality (place of origin), show the largest number of foreign nationals came from the Republic of Korea (R.O. Korea). 2,625,377 South Koreans entered Japan, accounting for 28.7% of the total number of foreign nationals coming to Japan. R.O. Korea was followed by China (Taiwan), China (mainland), the US, China (Hong Kong), and Australia (Note). More than half of the foreign nationals entering Japan came from Japan’s three neighboring countries (regions): R.O. Korea, China (Taiwan), and China (mainland). Their total accounted for 57.6% of the total number of foreign nationals entering Japan.

The top five countries (regions) accounted for 72.0% of the total. Among them, the number of those from R.O. Korea in 2008 decreased by 7.7% from 2007 due to the impact of the exchange rate, etc. However, R.O. Korea exceeded the US in 1988 to become top and has maintained its position since then. Also, overseas trips were de-regulated and visas were exempted to persons of R.O. Korea whose purpose of visit is “Temporary Visitor”. These are one of various measures to increase the exchange of persons between the two countries, and are considered to have contributed to the increase in Korean visitors. Also, China (Taiwan) exceeded the US in 1990 to become top 2 and has maintained its position since then. In particular, in recent years, many tourists are visiting Japan due to the travel boom utilizing charter flights to various points in Japan, and visa-exemption to residents in China (Taiwan) whose purpose of visit is “Temporary Visitor”. (Chart 2)
According to a comparison between the number of foreign nationals entering Japan in 2007 and 2008 by nationality (place of origin) of the top five countries, visitors from R.O. Korea decreased by 220,179 (down 7.7%), followed by China (Taiwan), which increased by 3,478 (up 0.2%), mainland China, which increased by 71,910 (up 6.3%), the US, which decreased by 47,831 (down 5.7%), and China (Hong Kong), which increased by 111,610 (up 27.8%).

Further, visitors from France increased by 10,040 (up 7.1%), followed by Australia, which increased by 19,462 (up 8.6%) and the UK, which decreased by 15,058 (down 6.5%).

### C. The Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Gender and Age

More foreign males came to Japan than females. The numbers of foreign males and females entering Japan in 2008 were 4,729,944 and 4,416,164, respectively. The percentages of males and females were 51.7% and 48.3%, respectively. For this percentage of males and females, males decreased by 0.7%, and females increased by 0.7% as compared with 2007.

According to statistics by age in 2008, foreign nationals in their thirties represented the largest age group, accounting for 24.2% of the total number of foreign nationals entering Japan. The ratio of males was higher in the age group of over thirties, while the ratio of females was higher in the age group of under twenties. (Chart 3)
### D. The Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Purpose of Entry (Status of Residence)

The changes in the number of newly entering foreign nationals by status of residence show the number of foreign nationals entering Japan by purpose of entry in recent years. (Table 1)

Table 1 Changes in the number of new arrivals by status of residence

Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Status of Residence
Total	5,508,926	6,120,709	6,733,585	7,721,258	7,711,828
Diplomat	8,710	10,047	8,682	9,205	12,029
Official	12,633	17,577	13,136	14,519	24,358
Professor	2,339	2,253	2,380	2,365	2,456
Artist	197	245	223	239	222
Religious Activities	971	846	897	985	828
Journalist	150	248	92	119	226
Investor/Business Manager	675	604	777	918	919
Legal/Accounting Services	-	2	3	8	2
Medical Services	1	2	3	6	1
Researcher	577	607	555	559	563
Instructor	3,180	2,954	3,070	2,951	2,930
Engineer	3,506	4,718	7,715	10,959	9,212
Specialist in Humanities/International Services	6,641	6,366	7,614	7,426	5,690
Intra-company Transferee	3,550	4,184	5,564	7,170	7,307
Entertainer	134,879	99,342	48,249	38,855	34,994
Skilled Labor	2,211	3,059	4,239	5,315	6,799
Cultural Activities	4,191	3,725	3,670	3,454	3,378
Temporary Visitor	5,136,943	5,748,380	6,407,833	7,384,510	7,367,277
College Student	21,958	23,384	26,637	28,779	34,005
Pre-college Student	15,027	18,090	19,135	19,160	24,111
Trainee	75,359	83,319	92,846	102,018	101,879
Dependent	13,553	15,027	17,412	20,268	22,167
Designated Activities	6,478	16,958	7,446	8,009	8,413
Spouse or Child of Japanese National	23,083	24,026	26,087	24,421	19,975
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident	807	990	1,319	1,710	1,964
Long-Term Resident	31,307	33,756	28,001	27,326	20,123
Temporary Refuge	-	-	-	4	-

The number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan may be considered as a "flow" showing the flow of foreign nationals to Japan, while the number of registered foreign residents in Japan as mentioned below represents a "stock" which shows the number of foreign nationals staying in Japan at a certain point in time.

## (A) Temporary Visitors

According to the statistics of foreign nationals newly entering Japan by status of residence, in general, more than 90% of foreign nationals staying in Japan are temporary visitors, such as tourists and visitors with business-related purposes. In particular, since the trend of tourists is comparatively easily affected by factors in Japan, such as the holding of specific events, changes in exchange rates and the implementation of various measures to attract tourists, it is consequently assumed that the changes in numbers of foreign nationals newly entering Japan, of which such temporary visitors make up the
majority, reflect the social status and movement of the time.

Foreigners residing in Japan having this status of residence cannot change their status to another status of residence in principle as they cannot engage in employment activities, and are allowed to enter with relatively simplified procedures (Articles 19 and 20 of the Immigration Control Act).

The number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” was 7,367,277 in 2008, accounting for 95.5% of the total number of new arrivals. The number had decreased by 17,233 (down 0.2%) from the year 2007.

A further examination of the number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” in 2008 shows that the number of foreign nationals visiting Japan for sightseeing was 5,312,943, accounting for 68.9% of the total number of new arrivals. On the other hand, 1,351,011 foreign nationals came to Japan for business, forming the second largest group of new arrivals and accounting for 17.5% of the total.

According to the statistics on new arrivals for the purpose of sightseeing by nationality (place of origin), R.O. Korea occupied the largest number at 1,715,847, accounting for 32.3% of the total number of foreign nationals who entered Japan for the purpose of sightseeing. R.O. Korea was followed by China (Taiwan) (1,231,835, accounting for 23.2% of the total), China (Hong Kong) (474,151, accounting for 8.9%) and China (386,167, accounting for 7.3%). As South Koreans and Chinese (Taiwanese) account for over 50% of the overall number of sightseeing visitors to Japan, it is expected that measures to attract tourists from these countries will be implemented actively in the future as well. (Charts 4 and 5)
Chart 4 Changes in the number of new arrivals with the status of residence of "Temporary Visitor" by purpose of entry

Chart 5 Number of new arrivals for the purpose of sightseeing by nationality (place of origin) (2008)
## (B) Foreign Nationals Entering Japan for the Purpose of Employment

The number of newly entering foreign nationals under the status of residence for employment in Japan (excluding the status of residence of “Diplomat” and “Official”) decreased by 5,726 (down 7.4%) from the year 2007 to 72,149 in 2008. Factors for the foregoing are that, as in the previous year, the number of new entry foreign nationals having the status of residence of “Entertainer” decreased, and the number of new entry foreign nationals having the status of residence of “Engineer” and “Specialist in Humanities/International Services” that was increasing recently, such as among foreign employees, decreased. (Chart 6)

The number of newly entering foreign nationals under the statuses of residence for employment in Japan accounted for 0.9% of the total number of newly entering foreign nationals in 2008.

The proportion of foreign nationals permitted to work in Japan would have been
larger if the following had been included: foreign nationals with the statuses of residence of “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” and “Long-Term Resident” which have no restrictions for employment; foreign nationals, who are allowed to work within the limit permitted such as under the working holiday system, whose status is basically for travel but permits work to cover travel expenses; foreign college students in internship programs which enable them to gain work experience in Japanese companies as part of their college education; and foreign students who are permitted to conduct an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted.

The characteristic categories of foreign nationals entering Japan for the purpose of employment are as follows.

### a. “Engineer”, “Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, “Intra-company Transferee” (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 2-1, 3-1, 4-1)

The total number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan with a status of residence designed for foreign employees in general was 22,209 in 2008, consisting of three types of categories according to their status of residence: 9,212 with “Engineer”, 5,690 with “Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, and 7,307 with “Intra-company Transferee”. The number of foreign employees with the status of residence “Engineers” decreased by 1,747 (down 15.9%), those with the status of “Specialist in Humanities/International Services” decreased by 1,736 (down 23.4%), and those with the status of “Intra-company Transferee” increased by 137 (up 1.9%) from 2007, respectively. The total number of foreign workers with these statuses of residence decreased by 3,346 (down 13.1%).

As described in Section 2, 1 (3) B below, the number of registered foreign nationals in Japan has been steadily increasing for all three of these types of status of residence in recent years. As of the end of December 2008, the number of registered foreign nationals reached 137,362 in total (an increase of 14,804 (up 12.1%) from 2007), consisting of 52,273 with the status of residence of “Engineer”, 67,291 with the status of residence of “Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, and 17,798 with the status of residence of “Intra-company Transferee”. This suggests a tendency of professionals and technical experts from foreign countries to reside in Japan for a long time and tend to settle here.

According to the statistics on the status of residence of “Engineer” by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Engineer” came from China, followed by R.O. Korea, Viet Nam and
India. The number of new entry foreign nationals from these four countries steadily increased until 2007, however, the number decreased in 2008 except for Viet Nam.

Regarding the number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, statistics by nationality (place of origin) show that the largest number came from the US, followed by China, R.O. Korea and the UK. These top four countries accounted for 57.8% of the total number of newly entering foreign nationals with this status of residence. With regard to newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Intra-company Transferee”, statistics by nationality (place of origin) show that the largest number came from China, followed by the US, R.O. Korea and India, and these top four countries accounted for 61.8% of the total number of new entry foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Intra-company Transferee”.

### b. “Skilled Labor” (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 6-1)

The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Skilled Labor” has been on the decrease since 2001, but the figure increased in 2004. In 2008, the number of such foreign nationals increased by 1,484 (up 27.9%) from 2007 to 6,799.

The number of registered foreign nationals in Japan with the status of residence of “Skilled Labor” has been increasing every year since 2001, reaching 25,863 as of the end of December 2008.

Skilled foreign nationals working in Japan with their skilled labor are increasing.

According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Skilled Labor” came from China, followed by Nepal, India and Thailand in 2008. This was due in part to the fact that most of the foreign nationals with this status of residence were chefs of foreign cuisine, and these top four countries accounted for 85.6% of the total number of new entry foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Skilled Labor”.

### c. “Entertainer” (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 5-1)

Although the number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Entertainer” has been steadily increasing since 2001, it decreased after 2005. In 2008, it decreased by 3,861 (down 9.9%) from 2007 to 34,994. However, this group still represents the largest proportion of total foreign nationals with a status of residence for employment.

According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of new
arrivals with the status of residence of “Entertainer” came from the US, followed by the Philippines, the UK, and Russia in 2008. New arrival Philippine entertainers were 3,185, consisting mostly of singers and dancers, and accounted for 9.1% of the total. This number showed a decrease of 2,348 (down 42.4%) from 2007. As for the reasons for such a drastic decrease, the landing examination and residence examination have been made stricter by reviewing the landing permission criteria relating to the status of residence of “Entertainer”.

## (C) Foreign Nationals Entering Japan for the Purpose of Study

### a. “Trainee” (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 9-1)

The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Trainee” decreased by 139 (down 0.1%) from a year earlier and reached 101,879 in 2008.

According to statistics by region, the number of Asian trainees reached 97,311 in 2008 and accounted for 95.5% of the total. This is because Asian nations, particularly Japan’s neighboring countries, are very eager to send their students to Japan. This upward trend is expected to continue on account of the close relations between Asian countries and Japan in various fields. In addition to Asia, Africa sent 1,488 trainees (1.5% of the total) to Japan, while Europe also dispatched 1,084 trainees (1.1%) to Japan. (Chart 7)

According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of new arrivals with the status of residence of “Trainee” came from China at 68,860 in 2008, accounting for 67.6% of the total. China was followed by Viet Nam (7,124, or 7.0%), Indonesia (6,213, or 6.1%) and the Philippines (5,678, or 5.6%) in 2008.
b. “College Student” and “Pre-college Student”

## (Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 7-1, 8-1)

The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “College Student” increased by 5,226 (up 18.2%) from a year earlier to 34,005 in 2008. The number of new arrivals with the status of residence of “Pre-college Student” increased by 4,951 (up 25.8%) from a year earlier and reached 24,111 in 2008.

According to statistics by region, most of the new arrivals with the status of residence of “College Student” or “Pre-college Student” came from Asia, accounting for 78.9% of the total number of foreign students with the status of residence of “College Student” and 93.3% with the status of residence of “Pre-college Student”.

According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), China occupied the largest number of new arrivals with the status of residence of “College Student”, standing at 14,324 (42.2% of the total), followed by R.O. Korea (5,516, or 16.2%). The number of Chinese college students increased by 4,070 (up 39.6%) from 2007, while that of South Korean college students increased by 215 (up 4.1%).

As for the number of pre-college students, China accounted for the largest number of students with 12,566 (52.1% of total) followed by R.O. Korea with 6,171 (25.6%). The number of Chinese pre-college students increased by 3,579 (up 39.8%), while that of South Korean pre-college students increased by 585 (up 10.5%). (Charts 8 and 9)
(D) Foreign Nationals Entering Japan with the Status of Residence of Resident Activities Based on Civil Status or Position

(Data Section 2, Statistics (1) 11-1, 12-1)

When foreign nationals enter Japan for resident activities based on civil status or position, one of three types of statuses of residence namely “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”, “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident”, or “Long-Term Resident” will be given.

No foreign nationals newly entering Japan can obtain the status of residence of “Permanent Resident” because that status is granted only to foreign nationals who have lived in Japan for a certain period of time.

The number of new arrivals with the status of residence of “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” reached 19,975 in 2008, while that of new arrivals with the status of residence of “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” reached 1,964. In 2008, the number for “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” decreased by 4,446 (down 18.2%) from a year earlier, while that for “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” increased by 254 (up 14.9%) from a year earlier.

The number of new arrivals under “Long-Term Resident” decreased by 7,203 (down 26.4%) from a year earlier to 20,123 in 2008. According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of new arrivals with this status came from Brazil at 9,635, accounting for 47.9% of the total. In 2008, Brazil was followed by the Philippines (3,811, accounting for 18.9%), China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong) (3,692, accounting for 18.3%), and Peru (1,119, accounting for 5.6%). (Chart 10)
## (2) Special Cases of Landing (except for Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge)

The number of persons who received permission for special cases of landing in 2008 was 2,079,981, a decrease of 9,475 (down 0.5%) from 2007.

Among those, the number of cases of landing permission for crew members in 2008 reached 2,047,221, which accounts for 98.4% of the total number of permission for special cases of landing and occupies the largest percentage, followed by the number of cases of permission for landing at a port of call of 31,908 (1.5%). (Table 2)
Table 2 Changes in the number of cases of permission for special cases of landing

(Cases)

Year Division	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	2,080,354	2,101,462	2,092,527	2,089,456	2,079,981
Permission for Landing at a Port of Call	133,397	74,714	51,338	41,680	31,908
Permission for Landing in Transit	272	270	277	371	451
Landing Permission for Crew Members	1,946,324	2,026,106	2,040,436	2,047,033	2,047,221
Permission for Emergency Landing	272	257	274	300	314
Landing Permission Due to Distress	89	115	202	72	87

The following are permission for special cases of landing by category.

### A. Permission for landing at a port of call

The number of foreign nationals who received permission for landing at a port

of call in 2008 was 31,908, a drastic decrease of 9,772 (down 23.4%) from 2007. A fact that visa exemption measures were implemented for persons who were residents in R.O. Korea and China (Taiwan) and visited Japan as “Temporary Visitor” is considered to be the reason for such a decrease.

On-board search

### B. Permission for landing in transit

The number of foreign nationals who received permission for landing in transit in 2008 was 451, an increase of 80 (up 21.6%) from 2007.

### C. Landing permission for crew members

The number of foreign nationals who received landing permission for crew members in 2008 was 2,047,221, an increase of 188 (up 0.01%) from 2007.

### D. Permission for emergency landing

The number of foreign nationals who received permission for emergency landing in 2008 was 314, an increase of 14 (up 4.7%) from 2007.

### E. Landing permission due to distress

The number of foreign nationals who received landing permission due to distress in 2008 was 87, an increase of 15 (up 20.8%) from 2007.
## (3) Foreign Nationals Leaving Japan

The number of so-called “leaving Japan re-entry nonreserving” excluding those who depart with re-entry permission reached 7,592,261, an increase of 39,295 (up 0.5%) from 2007 which stood at a record high.

Among them, the number of persons leaving from Japan with a period of stay shorter than 15 days was 6,958,485, which accounts for 91.7% of the total or almost all. Further, the number of persons leaving from Japan with a period of stay shorter than 3 months was 7,418,394, which accounts for 97.7% of the total. (Table 3)

Table 3 Changes in the number of foreign nationals leaving Japan re-entry nonreserving by period of stay (People)

Period of stay	Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	5,374,288	5,979,701	6,580,241	7,552,966	7,592,261
Within 15 days	4,730,627	5,290,493	5,939,544	6,922,329	6,958,485
More than 15 days to 1 month	199,895	219,443	228,664	240,710	252,854
More than 1 month to 3 months	219,302	240,062	235,324	223,473	207,055
More than 3 months to 6 months	55,058	60,296	45,536	36,924	34,243
More than 6 months to 1 year	108,221	104,875	60,486	49,978	49,009
More than 1 year to 3 years	43,539	46,470	50,814	59,554	68,933
More than 3 years	17,312	17,801	17,519	17,630	18,618
Unknown	334	261	2,354	2,368	3,064

## 2 Judgment for Landing

## (1) Receipt and Findings of Hearings for Landing and Filing of Objections

The procedure for the landing examination consists of three steps. The second and third step, namely the hearing for landing and the decision of the Minister of Justice, are jointly called the "judgment for landing". Any foreign national who is found not to meet the conditions for landing in Japan in the landing examination conducted by an immigration inspector will be handed over to a special inquiry officer, who will conduct a hearing for landing (Article 7, Paragraph (4) and Article 9, Paragraph (5) of the Immigration Control Act) (Note 1).

The number of new cases for the hearing for landing (the number of cases which are assigned to a special inquiry officer on account of a foreign national not having been granted landing permission by an immigration inspector) in 2008 was 12,660, the smallest in the past five years.

The most common cases were those in which foreign nationals were required to undergo a hearing for landing on suspicion of having submitted a false landing application, such as claiming to be a tourist or a similar status while their real purpose of entry was illegal work or other illegal activities (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, Paragraph

Hearings for landing