Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
Justice shall take a proper and steady approach to the establishment of such a registration system with due consideration given to the opinions of local authorities.

Under such circumstances, both ministries jointly developed the “Basic Concept of a Registration System for Legal Foreign Residents” in March 2008. Since April of the same year, the ministries have also served as the joint secretariat of the “Discussion Meeting on the Alien Registration System” and have held meetings to discuss the registration system. The results of discussions in those meetings were reported in December 2008.

As a result, the “Law for Partial Amendment of the Basic Residents’ Registration Act”, which stipulated that foreign nationals should also be subject to the Basic Residents’ Registration, was approved and enacted in the ordinary Diet session on July 8, 2009 and was promulgated on July 15, 2009 (Act No. 77 of 2009). The enforcement date of this law is the same as the enforcement date of the revised Immigration Control Act, etc., in relation with the new system of residence management.

## (2) Basic Residents' Register System for Foreign Residents

The details of revisions related to foreign residents are described below:

### A. Issuance of residence cards for foreign nationals

Residence cards shall be issued to foreign nationals residing in Japan with status of residence as medium-to-long-term residents, except those whose period of stay for three months or less has been approved or those whose status of residence is “temporary visitor”, “diplomat” or “official”, and foreign nationals as special permanent residents designated by the Special Act on Immigration Control who have an address.

### B. Matters contained in residence cards for foreign residents

Residence cards for foreign residents include the description of not only basic matters for identification, including name, date of birth, gender and address, as with Japanese nationals, but also matters concerning national health insurance and national pension as insured persons, and matters specific to foreign residents, such as nationality or region, status of residence, and period of stay.

### C. Notifications regarding foreign residents

Foreign residents who change their address shall submit notifications on moving in/out in accordance with the Basic Residents' Registration Act, as with Japanese nationals. Although the provisions of the revised Immigration Control Act stipulate that foreign nationals should submit notifications of their address to the Minister of Justice, they shall be considered to have submitted the relevant notifications if they submit notifications on moving in/out, to the heads of their municipalities.

### D. Notice from the Minister of Justice

When a foreign resident submits a notification of change of name, etc., to a regional immigration bureau, or obtains permission for change of status of residence, extension of period of stay, etc., the
description in his/her residence card needs to be modified. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice shall notify such changes to the municipality exercising jurisdiction over the place of the relevant foreign resident's address, and the municipality shall modify the description in the residence card based on the notification. This process aims to alleviate the notification burden on foreign residents and ensure the accuracy of records.

## Section 2 ☑ Progress in efforts toward introduction of the system

## 1 Smooth Transition to the New System of Residence Management

In order to ensure a smooth transition to the new system of residence management, the Immigration Bureau is working with related ministries and agencies to examine how to develop a computer system and how to conduct joint operations with municipalities.

The introduction of the new system of residence management has a great impact on foreign nationals residing in Japan and their related parties. Therefore, we are planning to distribute a leaflet at the counter of regional immigration offices, and are considering efforts to familiarize the new system by calling for the cooperation of municipalities, related administrative organizations, overseas diplomatic missions and the press.

## 2 Smooth Transition to the Basic Residents' Register System for Foreign Residents

(1) Cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and Local Government, and Provision of Information to Them

The Immigration Bureau is preparing for the transition to the new system in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and local authorities. Specifically, the Bureau sends staff including the Director of the Registration Division to meetings of the “Study Group on Transition to the Basic Residents’ Registration System for Foreign Residents” (http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/kenkyu/daityo_ikou/index.html) organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to discuss various practical issues on the law which are supposed to be enforced within three years from the date of promulgation. The Bureau also provides information on the transition to the new system in the Municipal Representative Conference on Foreign Registration Services and other conferences.

## (2) Measures to Ensure Accurate Registration

In preparation for implementation of the Basic Residents' Registration System for foreign residents, provisional residence cards shall be made for foreign nationals who have been registered in the alien registration records and who are anticipated to fall under foreign residents residing in the relevant municipalities on the reference date before implementation, and such provisional resident cards shall be used as authoritative resident cards on the implementation date. Because these provisional resident cards are prepared based on information including matters contained in alien registration records, it is important to enhance the accuracy of the alien registration records under the existing system in order to ensure a smooth transition. Therefore, the Immigration Bureau is
## Part 2

taking a series of measures.

Specifically, in FY 2007, posters in various languages were posted at the counters, etc., of municipal offices and regional immigration offices all over the country, to call on foreign residents to apply for registration with accurate details. Measures were taken to ensure prompt notification of departure to the municipalities in which foreign nationals have registered with alien registration records in case they leave Japan without having a re-entry permit issued.

Further, the Team for Enhancement of Accuracy and Improvement of Operations was set up in the Registration Division of the Immigration Bureau in April 2008. This team started quick acceptance of inquiries from municipalities by setting up an exclusive e-mail address for inquiries, and encouraged municipalities to send alien registration records which were suspected of being left for a long time without reflecting the actual situation, to the Ministry of Justice. Further measures to enhance accuracy shall be taken to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.
# Smooth and Strict Implementation of Immigration Examination

It is necessary to promote smooth immigration examination for the great majority of trouble-free foreign nationals who come to Japan, while ensuring strict immigration examination for foreign nationals who intend to work illegally in order to prevent them, without fail, from entering Japan. Since there are an increasing number of foreign nationals visiting Japan as a result of various efforts to achieve a tourism-oriented country, it is very important to prevent terrorists who are disguised as tourists from entering the country at the border. It is also necessary to satisfy two seemingly contradictory objectives: smooth but strict implementation of immigration examination.

The Immigration Bureau is making efforts to implement flexible examination on a case-by-case basis to achieve such objectives.

## Section 1 ◆ Efforts for Promoting a Tourism-Oriented Country

## 1 Efforts to Reduce the Waiting Time for Examination

Japan is now making government-wide efforts for promoting a tourism-oriented country, and needs to enhance international cooperation and exchange that will contribute to realization of a tourism-oriented country through smooth immigration examination.

The Immigration Bureau has already been making efforts to ensure smooth landing examination procedures at each airport and seaport, and now is promoting the secondary examination system introduced in FY 2005. The Bureau also set up an examination support team in the Chitose-Tomakomai Branch Office and the Haneda Airport Branch Office in FY 2006, and in the Fukuoka Regional Immigration Bureau in FY 2009, for the purpose of providing more efficient examination support to local ports, etc.

In addition, the Bureau is promoting efforts to design an examination system that enables immigration officials to take a flexible response to passengers according to congestion level in the landing examination area, such as guiding passengers on how to form queues, and to request airline companies, etc., to give instructions on how to properly fill out ED cards (Embarkation/Disembarkation Card).

## 2 Automatic Gates

Smooth and strict examinations have been further assisted by installation of automatic gates, which allow Japanese nationals who have registered themselves as a user of automatic gates, or foreign nationals who meet certain requirements such as having been issued with a re-entry permit, to go through immigration procedures without undergoing immigration examination at an ordinary immigration booth. Specifically, new automatic gates were installed at Narita Airport in November 2007. In September 2009, new gates were installed at Chubu Airport and Kansai Airport, and additional gates were installed at Narita Airport.
process of immigration examination should be introduced and operated as “Preventive Measures to be Taken Immediately to Fight Terrorism”. To that end, it was decided that examination procedures using the said database were put into effect in August 2009.

## 3 Immigration Examination through the Use of APIS

The Immigration Bureau is working to track international terrorists, etc., and collect information related to them in close cooperation with related organizations to prevent them from entering Japan and committing terrorist acts. In the process of landing examination, the Bureau is trying to detect terrorists, etc., by unfailingly checking foreign nationals against the blacklist based on such information.

Since February 1, 2007, all vessels and aircrafts calling at a port in Japan have been required to submit, in advance, a list of passengers containing their identification data. Since February 21, 2010, it became possible to receive advance passenger information about aircraft calling at an airport through the Air-NACCS (Nippon Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System) operated by the Nippon Automated Cargo And Port Consolidated System, Inc., and a new air cargo advance passenger information system was launched.

## Section 3 ☐ Other Efforts

## Revision of Public Notice Concerning “Designated Activities” on Working Holiday Scheme

## (1) Residents in Taiwan

On April 3, 2009, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave the Minister of Justice notice that Taiwan residents who meet certain requirements would be eligible for a working holiday visa.

With this notification, Taiwan residents who satisfy the requirements were added to those eligible for a working holiday scheme, who were designated by public notice concerning designated activities (revised on May 29, 2009, and enforced on June 1, 2009).

## (2) Residents in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

On October 27, 2009, the Japanese government notified, through a verbal note, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China of the following: Hong Kong residents who satisfy certain requirements would be eligible for a working holiday visa; those with the working holiday visa would be allowed to stay in Japan for at least one year from the date of entry; the relevant Hong Kong residents would be able to engage in work voluntarily to cover travel expenses during their stay in Japan; and those measures would be implemented from January 1, 2010.

With this notification, Hong Kong residents who meet the requirements were added to those eligible for a working holiday scheme, who were designated by public notice concerning designated activities (revised on December 25, 2009, and enforced on January 1, 2010).
## 2 Measures against New Influenza Virus

In April 2009, cases of new influenza were confirmed in various countries, including Mexico. On April 25 in the same year, a special response team was set up in the Ministry of Justice. Regional immigration Bureaus became more cautious about examination of applicants for landing permission after the emergence of influenza, and strengthened cooperation with quarantine stations.

On April 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the alert level would be raised to Phase 4, and consequently, those infected with new influenza were required to be kept in isolation or detention, and were deemed to be subject to refusal of landing permission under the provisions of Item 1, Paragraph 1, Article 5 of the Immigration Control Act. As a result, task forces were set up in the Ministry of Justice and the regional immigration bureaus. Regional immigration bureaus throughout the country took various measures, including further strengthening of cooperation with quarantine stations, implementation of cautious examination of applicants for landing permission who came from countries where an outbreak of new influenza had been confirmed, and thorough prevention of illegal landing by reinforcing patrols in the immigration examination area.
# Section 1 ♦ Review of Ministerial Ordinances to Provide for Criteria on Intra-company Transferees

## Revision of the Ministerial Ordinance to Provide for Criteria on the Status of Residence of “Researcher”

The “Three-Year Plan for Promotion of Regulatory Reform (revised)” (decided by the Cabinet on March 25, 2008) stipulated that the range of activities permitted under the status of residence of “Intra-company Transferee” should be reviewed and some measures should be taken during FY 2008. In response to this, the ministerial ordinance to provide for criteria was revised on March 31, 2009. The former ordinance obliged foreign nationals who intended to enter Japan with the status of residence of “Researcher” to meet the 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. The revised ordinance exempts the following foreign nationals from the above requirements: those who intend to engage in an activity with the residence status of “Researcher” in an office in Japan in the form of intra-company transfer, who have engaged in an activity which falls under any of the activities listed in the right-hand column of the category “Researcher” in appended Table I (2) of the Immigration Control Act, at an overseas office immediately before the transfer subject to the application (Revised on March 31, 2009, and enforced on July 1, 2009).

## 2 Revision of the Ministerial Ordinance to Provide Criteria on the Status of Residence of “Intra-company Transferee”, etc

The former criteria stipulated that foreign nationals who entered Japan with the status of residence of “Intra-company Transferee” must have work experience at a main or branch overseas office of a public or private organization in Japan immediately prior to the transfer to Japan. In response to requests for criteria submitted at “Nationwide Collection of Regulatory Reform Requests” in FY 2009 (accepted in June), it was stipulated that the above work experience should include the period when they worked at an office of said public or private organization in Japan immediately prior to the transfer. According to the revision described in the previous paragraph, necessary revisions were made to the status of residence “Researcher”, to which similar criteria apply in relation to acceptance of foreign nationals in the form of intra-company transfer (Revised on March 31, 2010, and enforced on July 1, 2010).
# Section 2 ☑ Simplified Documents to be Submitted and Expedited Procedures for Applications Regarding Immigration and Residence

With the advance of internationalization of corporate activities, there has been an increasing need to simplify and expedite the procedures for employment of foreign nationals, and measures to simplify documents to be submitted have already been promoted with regard to application for a certificate of residence eligibility made by foreign researchers, etc., accepted by a company which was deemed to be unlikely to cause problems, such as illegal stay, in view of its past performance and size. In July 2009, the format of application forms regarding immigration and residence was changed, and accepting organizations, etc., were also obliged to prepare an application. Since September of the same year, foreign nationals who work for a company with a certain scale, such as a listed company, have been required to submit only the application form with the aim of drastically simplifying the documents to be submitted. In addition, it was required that application for a certificate of resident eligibility should be processed promptly within about ten days from the date of receipt of application.

## [Topic: Acceptance of highly-qualified human resources]

In order to bring new vitality to Japan’s economic society and enhance international competitiveness, there is now an increasing need for acceptance of foreign workers in specialized fields, including highly-qualified human resources.

The “New Growth Strategy” defines the goal of doubling the number of highly-qualified foreign residents by promoting the cultivation of human resources and the acceptance of highly-qualified human resources under 21 national strategic projects for the revitalization of Japanese society. The Immigration Bureau is considering the introduction of a mechanism to provide preferential system utilizing points-based system on immigration control administration so as to attract excellent foreign human resources to Japan.
# Measures on the Training and Technical Internship Programs

## Section 1 ☐ Actions for Improvement of the System

The training and technical internship programs are designed to train human resources who will assist in the economic progress of various countries through the transfer of technology and skills to trainees and technical interns. It can be said that those who enter Japan with a status of trainee and those who apply to change their status to a technical intern have been on the rise, and the programs have become established in Japan, although the number of such foreign trainees and technical interns decreased due to the global economic recession in 2009.

However, recently, an increasing number of accepting organizations that do not understand the objectives of the programs treat the trainees and interns improperly and pay them low wages. In addition, it has been pointed out that some accepting organizations do not provide adequate guidance and supervision for their umbrella organizations, and there are brokers who obtain unfair profits from intermediary services for trainees.

In order to respond to the present situation, the training and technical internship programs were reviewed in line with revisions to the Immigration Control Act promulgated in July 2009. As a result, internships are required to involve activities to acquire skills under the contract of employment, in principle, so that interns can be protected in accordance with the Labor Standards Act and other labor-related laws and regulations, including the Minimum Wage Act. In the case of acceptance under the supervision of organizations, accepting organizations had previously supervised technical internships only in the first year. After the revision, such organizations are required to implement technical internships in the second year or later under their responsibility and supervision.

A new ordinance of the Ministry of Justice requires accepting organizations to receive lectures on information necessary for legal protection of technical interns, which will be given by an expert. In order to reinforce the instruction, supervision and support system of supervising organizations, it also stipulates the requirements of supervising organizations as follows: (i) the staff of supervising organizations shall visit the facility where programs are conducted at least once a month to confirm the situation of technical internship programs and give directions; (ii) board members of supervising organizations shall conduct an audit at least once every three months, and report the results to the relevant regional immigration bureau; (iii) supervising organizations shall provide counseling staff who give advice to technical interns.

The new training and technical internship programs were initiated on July 1, 2010. (With regard to the overall outline, see Data Section 3).
Chart 21: Comparison of the outline of association-supervised scheme under the current and revised systems

## Section 2 ☐ Response to Cases of Inappropriate Acceptance

Under the provisions of the ordinance of the Ministry of Justice, the Immigration Bureau may make a finding of “misconduct” with regard to organizations that have acted inappropriately regarding training and technical internship programs and suspend such organizations from accepting trainees and technical interns for three years. The number of organizations that were recognized to engage in “misconduct” during the year 2009 was 360.

According to the type of receiving arrangement, there were 2 organizations (0.6%) accepting trainees under the company-arranged scheme and 358 organizations (99.4%) accepting trainees under the association-supervised scheme. According to the type of receiving organization, there were 34 organizations (9.4%) as primary receiving organizations (entities like cooperative associations, which implement training programs as an undertaking), and 324 organizations (90.0%) as secondary receiving organizations (entities like membership companies, which accept trainees). (Table 49)

Three major categories of misconduct in descending order are “violation against labor-related regulations” committed by organizations which have technical interns work in violation of labor-related regulations, including unpaid wages, “work in excess of statutory working hours” committed by organizations which have trainees work other than training hours or holidays when they are prohibited to work, and “name lending” committed by organizations which allow other organizations that had not applied for acceptance to accept trainees and technical interns, and these three categories account for 76.6% of all misconduct. (Table 50)