appropriate treatment to illegal foreign residents, who are identified as having close links with Japanese society, including close relationships with Japanese nationals or permanent foreign residents.

Specific standards are difficult to establish for special permission to stay since they depend on the discretion of the Minister of Justice: the Minister of Justice gives comprehensive consideration based on the details of individual cases. In order to increase the transparency of special permission to stay, however, more cases where special permission to stay has been granted will be made public and consideration will be given to whether and how to work out guidelines for special permission to stay while taking into careful account such guidelines’ possible effects on other illegal foreign residents.

### B. Giving Consideration to the Victims of Trafficking in Persons

Trafficking in persons constitutes considerable abuse of human rights. In cases where foreign nationals became illegal residents due to trafficking in persons, immigration control officers in charge of deportation procedures have taken appropriate measures giving consideration to human rights and the wishes of these illegal residents. In cases where illegal foreign residents as victims of trafficking in persons sought to continue residing in Japan, whether or not to issue special permission to stay has been decided after comprehensive consideration of the developments leading to illegal residence, the reasons to stay in Japan and residence conditions. In order to further expand and secure protection of such victims in the future, the reasons for denial of landing and deportation of foreign nationals who have been forced to engage in prostitution or the like as a result of being a victim of trafficking in persons will be reviewed. A considerable number of foreign nationals with the “Entertainer” status of residence have illegally worked as hostesses or the like at entertainment establishments without engaging in the originally planned entertainment activities. Among them, some have been forced to accompany customers or engage in prostitution and have been victims of the international problem of human trafficking. Improvements in such situations and review of the present system to prevent the “Entertainer” status of residence from being utilized for immoral purposes will be carried out. Further, more enhanced measures at the border to find such victims will be taken. Cooperation with relevant agencies at home and abroad in tackling the issue of trafficking in persons will also be reinforced.

Domestic violence also constitutes a serious abuse of human rights. In cases where foreign nationals who have a “Spouse or Child of a Japanese National” status of residence and have been separated or divorced due to domestic violence by a Japanese national and who wish to stay in Japan, decisions on whether to issue special permission to stay will be made, as before, taking into account overall consideration of their residence conditions and their capacity to make a living. As for cases where foreign nationals become illegal residents because their spouse’s domestic violence prevents them from making due applications within their authorized periods of stay, whether or not to issue special permission to stay will be decided taking into account overall consideration of the relevant conditions.