Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
decrease by 2,323 cases (down 0.5%) as compared with 2007. (Table 9)

## (2) Permission for Change of Status of Residence (Article 20 of the Immigration Control Act)

Any foreign national in Japan who desires to change the status of residence originally permitted to him/her must obtain permission for a change of status of residence for the new purpose.

In 2008, the number of foreign nationals who obtained such permission was 149,214, an increase by 10,787 (up 7.7%) as compared with 2007. (Table 9)

Among these, the major cases of applying for permission for change of the status of residence were as follows:

### A. Change of Status of Residence from “College Student” or “Pre-college Student” for Employment Purposes

The foreign nationals studying at Japanese universities or vocational schools have the status of residence of either “College Student” or “Pre-college Student.” Many of them wish to stay in Japan to work for a Japanese company or some another organization in Japan after graduating from these schools.

The number of foreign nationals who obtained permission for a change of status of residence for employment has been constantly increasing since 2004. The number increased by 778 (up 7.6%) from a year earlier, and increased to 11,040 in 2008. This marked a record high since 1988, the year when these statistics were compiled for the first time.

According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the number of foreign nationals who obtained such permission from China was 7,651, accounting for 69.3% of the total, followed by R.O. Korea (1,360, accounting for 12.3%), and China (Taiwan) (303, accounting for 2.7%). (Table 10)

Table 10 Changes in the number of cases of permission for change of status of residence for employment from college student or pre-college student by nationality (place of origin)

Nationality (Place of Origin)	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	5,264	5,878	8,272	10,262	11,040
China	3,445	4,186	6,000	7,539	7,651
R.O. Korea	811	747	944	1,109	1,360
China (Taiwan)	179	168	200	282	303
Bangladesh	84	57	119	138	164
Viet Nam	53	64	92	131	189
Malaysia	59	69	118	120	134
Thailand	60	60	67	87	97
Sri Lanka	25	34	55	81	160
Indonesia	59	52	53	73	74
Nepal	28	24	45	63	161
Others	461	417	579	639	747

(*) "China" does not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.
According to statistics by status of residence, foreign nationals who obtained permission to change their statuses to “Specialist in Humanities/International Services” represented the largest proportion, totaling 7,863 and accounting for 71.2%, an increase by 559 (up 7.7%) from 2007 and by 4,446 (up 130.1%) from 2004 respectively, which shows the increase of foreign nationals who engage in services in which they can exercise professional knowledge in the humanities which they learned at college, and make good use of the sensitivity peculiar to foreign nationals. In addition, 2,414 foreign nationals (21.9%) obtained permission to change their status to “Engineer” in 2008, and these two statuses of residence account for 93.1% of the total. (Table 11)

Table 11 Changes in the number of cases of permission for change of status of residence for employment from college pre-college student by status of residence permitted (Cases)

Year Status of Residence	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	5,264	5,878	8,272	10,262	11,040
Specialist in Humanities/International Services	3,417	4,159	5,938	7,304	7,863
Engineer	1,233	1,200	1,720	2,314	2,414
Professor	388	335	401	416	430
Researcher	114	92	104	87	111
Investor/Business Manager	53	28	36	61	128
Instructor	23	18	20	23	29
Religious Activities	12	12	13	15	19
Medical Services	10	10	14	13	16
Skilled Labor	5	8	5	6	3
Artist	5	4	6	6	2
Entertainer	-	1	3	3	5
Others	4	11	12	14	20

### B. Permission to Change Status of Residence in Order to Participate in a Technical Internship Program

The Technical Internship Program was a system established in 1993 to enable foreign nationals who have acquired certain levels of skills through training to further improve their skills through on-the-job training while in employment, thereby contributing to effective technology transfer and human resources development as part of international contributions. It is necessary for any foreign national who wishes to take part in the program to obtain permission for change of status of residence from “Trainee” to “Designated Activities”.

This program covers skills that are publicly evaluated in Japan and also in demand in the home countries of the trainees. These skills were categorized into 63 types of work in total as of the end of December 2008. 52 types, including form panel setting and machining, are evaluated based on the National Skills Test under the Occupation Skills Development Promotion Law for Basic Grade 1 and Basic Grade 2. The remaining 11 types, including welding and operation of spinning machines, are publicly evaluated, although not by national examinations, according to a system established by the Japan International Training Cooperation Organization.
Shortly after the Technical Internship Program was established, few foreign trainees applied for the program. Since then, we have increased the number of types of work covered by the program. Due to this, the number in 2008 increased by 8,521 (up 15.8%) from a year earlier, showing a steady yearly increase. In total, more than 250,000 trainees took part in the program after finishing their training from establishment of the Technical Internship Program in 1993 up to the end of 2008, which indicates that this program is showing steady improvement.

According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of trainees who obtained permission for change of status of residence to take part in the Technical Internship Program in 2008 was from China (49,566), followed by Viet Nam (4,885), Indonesia (3,393), the Philippines (3,000), and Thailand (1,079). Some of the most popular types of work were women/children’s apparel production, welding and plastic molding (Tables 12 and 13)

Table 12 Changes in the number of trainees who switch to the Technical Internship Program by nationality

Nationality	Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	26,488	32,394	41,000	53,999	62,520
China	20,922	26,606	34,817	42,871	49,566
Viet Nam	2,070	1,791	2,221	4,155	4,885
Indonesia	2,474	2,340	1,924	3,274	3,393
Philippines	819	1,219	1,482	2,407	3,000
Thailand	112	277	342	783	1,079
Others	91	161	214	509	597

$ ^{*} $ “China” does not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.

Table 13 Changes in the number of trainees who switch to the Technical Internship Program by job type (People)

Job Type	Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	26,488	32,394	41,000	53,999	62,520
Women/Children's apparel production	9,194	9,751	10,750	11,697	12,707
Mold construction	373	420	526	800	1,012
Men's apparel production	527	679	741	658	637
Welding	1,254	1,960	2,817	3,882	5,457
Steel reinforcement construction	376	376	409	610	889
Machining	873	1,276	1,918	2,960	3,539
Metal press work	942	1,194	1,768	2,505	3,150
Plumbing	27	53	88	119	163
Painting	562	713	1,070	1,255	1,644
Furniture production	147	239	260	392	364
Casting	561	695	811	1,167	1,062
Steeplejack	240	361	610	702	1,125
Plastic molding	1,691	2,072	2,686	4,769	4,270
Carpenter	118	179	350	441	356
Construction machinery production	49	46	77	147	172
Others	9,554	12,380	16,119	21,895	25,973
## (3) Permission for Acquisition of Status of Residence

## (Article 22-2 of the Immigration Control Act)

If a foreign national who was born in Japan, an individual who became a foreign national after renouncing Japanese nationality, or a United States of America military personnel member stipulated in Article 1 of the Status of Forces Agreement Japan-US who lost the status wishes to continue living in Japan, he/she must acquire a status of residence.

The number of such foreign nationals who obtained permission for acquisition of status of residence was 8,957 in 2008, an increase by 277 (up 3.2%) from 2007. (Table 9)

## (4) Re-entry Permission (Article 26 of the Immigration Control Act)

If a foreign national who resides in Japan wishes to temporarily depart and re-enter Japan, he/she may re-enter and land in Japan using his/her current status of residence and period of stay without re-applying for a visa by receiving re-entry permission in advance.

In 2008, the number of such foreign nationals who obtained re-entry permission was 577,933, a decrease by 10,506 (down 1.8%) from 2007. (Table 9)

## (5) Permission to Engage in an Activity Other Than Those Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted (Article 19(2) of the Immigration Control Act)

A foreign national who is granted a status of residence according to the activities in which he/she is engaged in Japan must receive permission to engage in an activity other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted if the foreign national wishes to become engaged in activities “related to the management of business involving income or activities for which he/she receives remuneration which are not included in those activities under his/her category of status of residence”. A typical example is that of a foreign national college student or pre-college student who wishes to have a part-time job. The Minister of Justice will give permission to the extent that the extra activity does not interfere with the activity that is the original purpose of residence.

The number of foreign nationals who obtained such permission in 2008 was 133,513, an increase by 14,368 (up 12.1%) from 2007. This is an increase by 27,107 (up 25.5%) from 2004. (Table 9)

## (6) Permission for Permanent Residence

## (Article 22 of the Immigration Control Act)

The status of permanent residence is granted when certain conditions have been satisfied by foreign nationals who reside in Japan under another status of residence and who have applied for change of status of residence to permanent residence or by those who have applied to acquire status of residence due to birth or renouncement of Japanese nationality.
With respect to permission for permanent residence, the Immigration Bureau decided in February 1998 to review the operation standard from the standpoint of ensuring deregulation, simplification and rationalization of clerical work and, at the same time, clarified the existing treatment of applicants. At the time of this review, the Immigration Bureau clarified the interpretation for the examination of statutory requirements, reviewed the history of staying in Japan corresponding to status and decided to treat persons having a special circumstance, such as being a spouse of Japanese national, more flexibly.

For the purpose of clarifying the requirements for granting permission for permanent residence to foreign nationals who are considered to contribute to Japan, the Immigration Bureau established on March 31, 2005 a guideline relating to “Contribution to Japan”, and publicly announced it on its website. Also, the Immigration Bureau posts cases where the contribution was recognized and permission for permanent residence was granted, and where permission was not granted, on its website and updates it from time to time. On March 31, 2006, the Immigration Bureau established the “Guideline for Permission for Permanent Residence” to publicly announce general requirements relating to permission for permanent residence, and the standard for the number of years of residence, and partially amended the guideline relating to “Contribution to Japan”.

The number of foreign nationals who were granted permission for permanent residence in 2007 was a record high of 60,509, however, the number in 2008 was 57,806, a slight decrease. (Table 14)

Table 14 Changes in permanent residence permits by nationality (place of origin)

(Cases)

YearNationality(Place of Origin)	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	48,263	39,256	51,538	60,509	57,806
China	14,855	11,404	13,744	15,875	16,140
Brazil	10,789	10,026	16,055	19,793	16,824
Philippines	7,563	6,044	7,554	8,723	8,982
Korea	3,671	2,939	3,368	3,788	3,914
Peru	3,275	2,449	2,878	3,241	2,783
Others	8,110	6,394	7,939	9,089	9,163

$ ^{*} $ “China” includes Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.

# Section 3 ☐ Japanese Nationals Leaving and Returning to Japan

## The Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan

## (1) The Total Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan

The total number of Japanese nationals leaving Japan in 2008 was 15,987,250, a decrease by 1,307,685 (down 7.6%) from 2007. (Chart 15)
## (2) The Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan by Gender and Age

According to statistics by gender, the number of Japanese nationals leaving Japan consists of 9,101,332 males and 6,885,918 females: males account for 56.9% of the total and females account for 43.1%. This percentage of male and female has not changed drastically from 2001, and the percentage accounted for by males exceeds that by females.

According to statistics by age, the number of Japanese nationals leaving Japan consists of 3,376,110 persons in their 30s, which accounts for 21.1% of the total, followed by 3,056,352 in their 40s (19.1%), 2,847,537 in their 50s (17.8%), 2,827,140 in their 60s or older (17.7%), and 2,618,264 in their 20s (16.4%).

The percentage of males and females by age shows that the percentage of females younger than 20 and in their 20s exceeds that of males, and in particular, in respect of those in their 20s, females account for 61.1%, a particularly high percentage. Figures for those older than their 20s show that the percentage of males leaving Japan exceeds that of females. (Chart 16)

Chart 16 Number of Japanese nationals leaving Japan by gender and age (2008)
## (3) The Number of Japanese Nationals Leaving Japan by Airport and Seaport

According to statistics of Japanese nationals leaving Japan in 2008 by airport and seaport of departure, the number of persons using airports to leave Japan was 15,791,408 accounting for 98.8% of the total. As compared with foreign nationals entering Japan (persons using airports account for 92.4%), the percentage of airport users is much higher.

Among persons in 2008 using airports to leave Japan, the number of users of Narita Airport was 8,751,487, which accounts for 55.4% of the total number of persons using airports to leave Japan, and those using Kansai Airport was 3,336,644, which accounts for 21.1%. This means that 76.5% of the total number of persons leaving from airports use these two airports. Other than Narita and Kansai airports, the order was Central Japan Airport, 1,782,085 (11.3%) and Fukuoka Airport, 632,848 (4.0%).

On the other hand, among persons using seaports to leave Japan, the number of persons using Hakata Port where scheduled passenger ships are operated to/from R.O. Korea was 143,889, which accounts for 73.5% of the total number of persons leaving from seaports, and the number using Shimonoseki Port was 17,547, which accounts for 9.0% of the total. This means that 82.5% of the total number of persons leaving from seaports use these two seaports. Other than these two seaports, the order was Osaka Port, 8,339 (4.3%) and Yokohama Port, 8,243 (4.2%).

## 2 The Number of Japanese Nationals Returning to Japan

The total number of returning Japanese nationals in 2008 was 15,905,443. By period of stay in foreign countries after departure, the number of persons returning within one month after departure was 14,629,566, which accounts for 92.0% of the total. Among those, the number returning within ten days was 13,280,178, which accounts for 83.5% of the total.

This means that most Japanese travelers going abroad depart for purposes requiring a relatively short period such as sightseeing and business, and are supposed to return promptly. This trend has continued in recent years and no major change is observed. (Table 15)

Table 15 Changes in the number of Japanese nationals returning to Japan by period of stay

Period of Stay	Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	16,812,090	17,326,149	17,457,286	17,199,310	15,905,433
Within 5 days	9,672,889	10,073,918	10,223,891	10,125,098	9,344,449
More than 5 days to 10 days	4,460,530	4,503,407	4,480,153	4,370,202	3,935,729
More than 10 days to 20 days	1,088,365	1,101,697	1,098,627	1,066,490	1,007,021
More than 20 days to 1 month	376,796	381,627	379,317	356,190	342,367
More than 1 month to 3 months	520,877	553,187	563,278	566,805	560,726
More than 3 months to 6 months	287,444	305,489	311,045	316,000	319,749
More than 6 months to 1 year	255,730	264,511	267,240	268,808	270,411
More than 1 year to 3 years	123,208	119,516	114,578	113,569	111,398
More than 3 years	19,889	16,357	12,965	10,323	8,354
Unknown	6,362	6,440	6,192	5,825	5,229
# Chapter 2 Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

## Section 1 ☐ Overstayers

Based on the computer statistics of the Immigration Bureau, the estimated number of overstayers (those who illegally stay in Japan beyond the permitted period of stay without obtaining permission for extension or change of status of residence) was 113,072 as of January 1, 2009. This number has been steadily decreasing, down by 36,713 (24.5%) from 149,785 on January 1, 2008, in other words, down by 185,574 (62.1%) from a record high of 298,646 on May 1, 1993.

Investigation of violation

This decrease was attributable partly to strict immigration examinations, concentrated efforts for close cooperation with other related agencies to detect violators of the Immigration Control Act and active publicity activities to prevent illegal employment, as well as the fact that the year 2008 was the last year of the five-year plan that the authority had been implementing to halve the number of illegal foreign residents, and overstayers decreased by 106,346 (down 48.5%) during the five years.

In addition to the above-mentioned number of overstayers, it is estimated that about 15,000 to 23,000 foreign nationals may have entered Japan illegally. If combined, the number of illegal foreign residents would be about 128,000 to 136,000.

## The Number of Overstayers by Nationality (Place of Origin)

According to statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of overstayers was from R.O. Korea (24,198 accounting for 21.4% of the total) as of January 1, 2009. This was followed by China 18,385 accounting for 16.3%, the Philippines (17,287 accounting for 15.3%), Thailand (6,023 accounting for 5.3%), China (Taiwan) (4,950 accounting for 4.4%), Peru (3,396, accounting for 3.0%), and Indonesia (3,126 accounting for 2.8%). (Chart 17, Table 16)

Looking at changes after May 1, 1993, when the highest number of overstayers was recorded, the country (place of origin) of the largest number of overstayers as of May 1, 1993 was Thailand, followed by R.O. Korea, the Philippines, China, and Malaysia. In the ranking as of January 1, 2009, R.O. Korea was top followed by China, the Philippines, Thailand, and China (Taiwan).

The changes in the number of overstayers by nationality (place of origin) were as follows. Although new entries have increased drastically since visa-exemption measures have been
## 2 The Number of Overstayers by Status of Residence

Statistics for the estimated number of overstayers by status of residence immediately before their status of residence had expired showed the following: the largest number of overstayers had the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” (76,651) accounting for 67.8% of the total. This was followed by “College Student” (5,090, accounting for 4.5%), “Entertainer” (5,015, accounting for 4.4%), “Pre-college Student” (3,186, accounting for 2.8%), and “Trainee” (2,561, accounting for 2.3%). Compared with the same period of the previous year, the number of those who were granted the “Temporary Visitor” or “Entertainer” status decreased by 25,418 (down 24.9%) and by 1,609 (down 24.3%) respectively. The number of overstayers with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” has been on the decline since May 1, 1993, and those with the status of residence of “Entertainer” since May 1, 1994. The number of foreign residents with the status of residence of “Entertainer” started to rise on January 1, 2002 and kept increasing, but has been decreasing since January 2005. On the other hand, the number of foreign residents with the status of residence of “College Student” continued to increase from January 1, 2001, but has been decreasing since January 2006. (Table 17)

Table 17 Changes in the estimated number of overstayers by major status of residence

(People)

Date Status of Residence	January 1 2004	January 1 2005	January 1 2006	January 1 2007	January 1 2008	January 1 2009
Total	219,418	207,299	193,745	170,839	149,785	113,072
Temporary Visitor	150,326	139,417	134,374	117,289	102,069	76,651
College Student	6,672	8,173	7,628	7,448	6,667	5,090
Entertainer	11,974	11,319	10,052	8,162	6,624	5,015
Pre-college Student	9,511	8,506	7,307	5,281	4,311	3,186
Trainee	3,959	3,648	3,393	3,333	3,136	2,561
Others	36,976	36,236	30,991	29,326	26,978	20,569

## Section 2 ☐ Cases of Violation of the Immigration Control Act for Which Deportation Procedures Were Carried Out

## The Number of Cases of Violation of the Immigration Control Act by Grounds for Deportation

In 2008, the number of foreign nationals for whom deportation procedures were carried out on account of violating the Immigration Control Act was 39,382, a decrease of 6,120 from 2007. Of these, 8,480 were handed over to immigration inspectors as those subject to the departure order system, which was started according to the amended Immigration Control Act enforced in December 2004.
According to the statistics of the number of foreign nationals by grounds for deportation in 2008, the largest number of foreign nationals were deported for overstaying (31,045 accounting for 78.8%), followed by illegal entry (6,136 accounting for 15.6%), and then activities other than those permitted by the status of residence previously granted (1,153 accounting for 2.9%). Overstayers continued to occupy a predominant percentage.

Detection

According to the statistics of the number of cases of violation of the Immigration Control Act according to nationality (place of origin) in 2008, the largest number of such foreign nationals was from China for six consecutive years (10,963 accounting for 27.8%), followed by the Philippines (7,847 accounting for 19.9%), and R.O. Korea (4,993 accounting for 12.7%). These top three countries made up over 60% of the total. (Tables 18 and 19)

Table 18 Changes in the number of cases of violation of the Immigration Control Act by grounds for deportation

(People)

Year Grounds for Deportation	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	55,351	57,172	56,410	45,502	39,382
Illegal entry	11,217	11,586	10,441	7,454	6,136
Illegal landing	992	690	506	342	253
Activity other than those permitted	1,399	1,890	1,736	1,409	1,153
Overstay	41,175	42,254	42,829	35,417	31,045
Criminal offenses etc.	568	752	898	880	795
Illegal work	43,059	45,935	45,929	36,982	32,471

Table 19 Changes in the number of cases of violation of the Immigration Control Act by nationality (place of origin) (People)

YearNationality(Place of Origin)	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total	55,351	57,172	56,410	45,502	39,382
China	15,702	17,252	16,269	11,981	10,963
Philippines	8,558	9,627	10,420	9,185	7,847
R.O. Korea	7,782	8,050	8,128	6,560	4,993
Indonesia	2,103	2,000	2,443	2,153	2,284
Thailand	3,572	3,388	3,294	2,467	2,020
Viet Nam	979	1,130	1,407	1,571	1,708
Sri Lanka	1,086	1,204	1,624	1,449	1,432
Peru	1,292	1,194	1,306	1,068	1,064
Bangladesh	1,312	1,529	1,295	975	745
India	613	764	721	608	591
Others	12,352	11,034	9,503	7,485	5,735

(*) "China" does not include Taiwan, Hong Kong or others.