Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
2004, the number of “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” decreased by 315 (down 1.3%) from 2003, while that of “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” increased by 226 (up 38.9%) from a year earlier.

The number of new arrivals under “Long-Term Resident” increased by 527 (up 1.7%) from a year earlier and reached 31,307 in 2004. According to the statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of new arrivals with the status of residence of “Long-Term Resident” came from Brazil at 21,707, accounting for 69.3% of the total. In 2004, Brazil was followed by the Philippines (2,893, accounting for 9.2%), China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong) (2,883, accounting for 9.2%), and Peru (2,261, accounting for 7.2%). (Chart 13)

## 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 together 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 9, Paragraph 4 of the Immigration Control Act).

The number of newly received cases for the hearing for landing (the number of cases which are assigned to a special inquiry officer on account of a foreign national being found not to meet the conditions for landing in the landing examination by an immigration inspector) continued to decrease after hitting a peak of 21,007 in 2001. In 2004, the number had decreased by 1,729 (down 9.6%) from a year earlier and by 4,258 (down 20.8%) from 2000.

The most common cases were those in which foreign nationals were required to undergo a hearing for landing because they were suspected of submitting false landing applications such as pretending to be tourists and so forth even though the real purpose of entry was illegal work and other illegal activities (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, Paragraph 1(2) of the Immigration Control Act). The number of such cases was 13,177 in 2004.

The second largest number of cases were those in which foreign nationals were suspected of not having valid passports or visas such as trying to enter Japan using forged or altered passports (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7,
Paragraph 1(1) of the Act). The number of such cases was 2,422 in 2004, decreasing after hitting a peak of 3,205 in 2001. In 2004, the number had decreased by 537 (down 18.1%) from a year earlier and by 320 (down 11.7%) from 2000. In 2004, illegal entry attempts without a valid passport or visa accounted for 14.9% of the total cases, decreasing for three consecutive years.

The number of cases which were assigned to special inquiry officers because they were suspected of falling under one of the reasons for denial of landing (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, Paragraph 1(4) of the Act) was 615 in 2004, an increase of 164 (up 36.4%) from 2003. (Table 6)

Table6 Changes in the number of cases assigned to special inquiry officers for a hearing by conditions for landing (Case

Year Conditions for Landing	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Total	20,472	21,007	17,973	17,943	16,214
Using fake passports or visas (Not conforming to Article7-1-1)	2,742	3,205	3,134	2,959	2,422
False landing application (Not conforming to Article7-1-2)	17,261	17,456	14,280	14,531	13,177
Not meeting the period of stay (Not conforming to Article7-1-3)	7	1	3	2	0
Not conforming to the reasons for denial of landing (Not conforming to Article7-1-4)	462	345	556	451	615

In 2004, the number of cases in which foreign nationals were ordered to leave Japan because they were found not to meet the conditions for landing at a hearing by a special inquiry officer continued to decrease after hitting a peak in 2001, but in 2004 the number increased by 2,484 (43.7%) from 2003.

The number of cases in which foreign nationals filed objections with the Minister of Justice because they were not satisfied with the findings by a special inquiry officer that they did not meet the conditions for landing was 1,231 in 2004. (Table 7)

Table7 Changes in the number of the findings of hearings by special inquiry officers (Cases)

Year Division	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Total	20,477	20,990	18,000	17,942	16,214
Landing Permission	11,902	11,033	9,147	9,079	5,309
Expulsion order	6,145	7,171	5,975	5,690	8,174
Filing of objection	1,135	979	1,052	1,237	1,231
Withdrawal landing application	301	280	190	231	293
Others	994	1,527	1,636	1,705	1,207

$ ^{*} $ “Others” includes cases where the jurisdiction has changed or the application has been withdrawn owing to the departure, escape or death of the applicant during the hearing for landing by the special inquiry officer.
## (2) Foreign Nationals Who Fall under Any of the Reasons for Denial of Landing

In principle, foreign nationals denied permission for landing are those who (1) are ordered to leave Japan after a hearing for landing or (2) are ordered to leave Japan after the results of filing an objection with the Minister of Justice.

In 2004, the number of foreign nationals denied permission for landing was 10,955 in 2004. This registered the largest number in the past five years, an increase of 1,149 (up 11.7%) from 2003. In recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of cases in which foreign nationals use elaborately forged or altered passports or cases in which applicants for landing team up with brokers or other people to engage in illegal activities in Japan making up a story. This trend indicates that foreign nationals trying to land in Japan with fraudulent intent use more sophisticated methods than before. These types of illegal attempts are expected to increase in the future because more and more foreign nationals are visiting Japan.

According to the statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of foreign nationals denied permission for landing came consistently from R.O. Korea, but

Chart14 Changes in the number of foreign nationals who were denied landing by major nationality (place of origin)
Table8 Changes in the number of foreign nationals denied landing by nationality (place of origin)

(People)

Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Nationality (Place of Origin)
Total	8,273	10,400	9,133	9,806	10,955
R.O.Korea	2,579	2,525	2,459	2,290	3,309
China	645	748	1,000	1,304	956
China(Taiwan)	404	563	719	759	731
Philippines	328	519	324	402	723
Turkey	308	506	290	406	448
Sri Lanka	97	153	113	220	363
Thailand	359	587	440	346	333
Indonesia	425	744	435	572	330
China(Hong Kong)	28	34	129	199	299
Bangladesh	35	33	69	326	266
Others	3,065	3,988	3,155	2,982	3,197

the number saw a decrease after hitting a peak of 2,579 in 2000. However, it started to increase again in 2004 and reached 3,309, registering the largest number for these past five years. (Chart 14, Table 8)

## (3) Special Permission for Landing

The Minister of Justice may, even if he finds that the objection filed is without reason, grant special permission for landing if the applicant (1) has received re-entry permission, or (2) has entered Japan under the control of another person due to human trafficking, or (3) if the Minister of Justice finds special circumstances which warrant granting special permission for landing. (Article 12, Paragraph 1 of Immigration Control Act)

In 2004, the Minister of Justice granted special landing permission to 1,021 foreign nationals, a decrease of 83 (down 7.5%) from 2003. (Table 9)

Table9 Changes in the number of filings of objections and decisions by the Minister of Justice

Year Division	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Filing of Objection	1,141	989	1,086	1,239	1,232
Decisions	With reason	—	—	8	1	1
Without reason (Order to leave Japan)	66	113	109	133	197
Special Permission for Landing	1,056	836	963	1,104	1,021
Withdrawal	9	6	4	—	13
Outstanding	10	34	2	1	—

$ ^{*} $ “Filing of objections” includes the number of outstanding cases of the previous year.
## 3 Pre-entry Examination

## (1) Advance Consultation for Issuance of Visas

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is in charge of visa administration, coordinates with the Ministry of Justice, which is in charge of immigration administration, with regard to the entry of foreign nationals. The Minister of Foreign Affairs consults with the Minister of Justice as the need arises, on whether a visa should be issued to a certain foreign national.

The number of cases of advance consultation for visa issuance reached 5,637 in 2004, increasing by 317 (up 6.0%) from 2003. With economic globalization and an increase in the number of cultural exchange activities, more and more people will travel between Japan and foreign countries and foreign nationals who were deported from Japan or denied landing permission to Japan are expected to attempt re-entry into Japan in an increased number of cases. In addition, a larger number of foreign nationals are submitting elaborate fraudulent documents when applying for visas. Advance consultation is effective in preventing these illegal attempts to enter Japan because it allows Japan’s immigration control administration to check fraudulent visa applications carefully. Accordingly, the number of advance consultations between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Justice is expected to continue increasing. (Table 10)

Table10 Changes in the number of cases of pre-entry examination

Year Division	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Advance consultation for issuance of a visa	4,096	5,168	8,255	5,320	5,637
Application for Certificate of Eligibility	280,015	321,590	332,984	361,636	386,129

(Cases)
## (2) Certificate of Eligibility

The system of certificate of eligibility was introduced by the amended Immigration Control Act which entered into force in 1990. This system enables any foreign national who presents or submits a certificate of eligibility to obtain a visa and permission for landing quickly.

In 2004, the number of applications for a certificate of eligibility was 386,128, an increase of 24,492 from the 2003 level. (Table 10)

Certificate of Eligibility
## Section 2 — Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

## The Number of Registered Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

The number of registered foreign nationals residing in Japan, which shows how many foreign nationals live in Japan and their purpose for residing in Japan, indicates the state of the “stock,” while the statistics of foreign nationals on entry and departure from Japan show the “flow” of foreign nationals to and from Japan.

In principle, every foreign national who has entered Japan must apply for registration to the mayor or head of the city, town, or village in which his residence is located, in accordance with the Alien Registration Law (hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Law”), within 90 days of the date of his landing (Article 3 of the Registration Law). However, most foreign nationals who have entered Japan with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor”, accounting for more than 90% of the total number of foreign entrants, leave Japan without registering. Therefore, the registered number of foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” is small, accounting for only 3.7% of the total number of registered foreign nationals as of the end of 2004. As a result, the statistics on the foreign nationals registered in Japan can be considered as the data mainly for foreign nationals who stay in Japan for a relatively long period of time for such purposes as study, employment or cohabitation, living a “settled life” in the local community.

## (1) The Total Number of Registered Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan

A number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan each year remain and live in Japan for a medium or long period of time. As a result, the total number of registered foreign nationals residing in Japan has been increasing and will continue to increase every year. As of the end of 2004, the number of registered foreign nationals hit a new record high of 1,973,747. The number had increased by 58,717 (up 3.1%) from the end of 2003 and by 287,303 (up 17.0%) from the end of 2000.

The proportion of registered foreign nationals to the total Japanese population has also been increasing every year. The proportion increased by 0.05 % from 1.50% at the end of 2003 and reached a record high of 1.55% in 2004, when the total population of Japan was 127,687,000 (estimated as of October 1, 2004). (Chart 15)

## (2) The Number of Registered Foreign Nationals by Region

As of the end of 2004, the number of registered foreign nationals by region was as follows: 1,464,360 from Asia accounting for 74.2% of the total, South America (358,211
Chart15 Changes in the number of registered foreign nationals and its percentage of the total population in Japan

(*1) “Number of registered foreign nationals” as December 31 each year.

(*2) The “Percentage of the total population in Japan” is calculated based on the populations as of October 1 every year from “Current Population Estimates as of October 1,2002” by the Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

accounting for 18.1%), North America (64,471 accounting for 3.3%), Europe (58,429 accounting for 3.0%), Oceania (16,131 accounting for 0.8%), and Africa (10,319 accounting for 0.5%). The foreign nationals from Asia and South America accounted for 92.3% of the total number of registered foreign residents. (Chart 16)

According to the statistics of the number of registered foreign nationals from Asia, the number of Koreans had gradually decreased, while the number of Chinese had increased dramatically by 41,381 (up 2.9%) from the end of 2003 and by 219,731 (up 17.7%) from the end of 2000.

The region that showed the second highest rate of increase was South America, which had increased by 14,576 (up 4.2%) from the end of 2003. All the other regions also showed some increase in the number of registered foreign nationals.

## (3) The Number of Registered Foreign Nationals by Nationality (Place of Origin)

According to the statistics of the number of registered foreign nationals by nationality (place of origin) as of the end of 2004, the largest number of registered foreign nationals was 607,419 from Korea, accounting for 30.8% of the total. This was followed by China (487,570 accounting for 24.7%), Brazil (286,557 accounting for 14.5%), the Philippines (199,394 accounting for 10.1%), and Peru (55,750 accounting for 2.8%).

In recent years, the number of registered foreign nationals from North and South
Korea has been gradually decreasing, while the number of those from China, Brazil, the Philippines, and Peru has been increasing. In particular, the number of registered foreign nationals from China significantly increased, rising by 151,995 (up 45.3%) from 335,575 in 2000. The number of registered foreign nationals from the Philippines also significantly increased, rising by 54,523 (up 37.6%) from 144,871 in 2000. The increase from the Philippines was attributable to an increase in the number of Philippine nationals entering Japan with the status of residence of “Entertainer”. (Chart 17, Table 11)

According to the statistics of the number of registered foreign residents by nationality (place of origin), the order of the top five countries remained the same from the end of 2000 to the end of 2004.

Chart16 Changes in the number of registered foreign nationals by region
Table11 Changes in the number of registered foreign nationals by nationality (place of origin)

Year
Nationality
(Place of Origin)	1985	1988	1991	1994	1997	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Total	850,612	941,005	1,218,891	1,354,011	1,482,707	1,686,444	1,778,462	1,851,758	1,915,030	1,973,747
Korea	683,313	677,140	693,050	676,793	645,373	635,269	632,405	625,422	613,791	607,419
China	74,924	129,269	171,071	218,585	252,164	335,575	381,225	424,282	462,396	487,570
Brazil	1,955	4,159	119,333	159,619	233,254	254,394	265,962	268,332	274,700	286,557
Philippines	12,261	32,185	61,837	85,968	93,265	144,871	156,667	169,359	185,237	199,394
Peru	480	864	26,281	35,382	40,394	46,171	50,052	51,772	53,649	55,750
United States of America	29,044	32,766	42,498	43,320	43,690	44,856	46,244	47,970	47,836	48,844
Thailand	2,642	5,277	8,912	13,997	20,669	29,289	31,685	33,736	34,825	36,347
Viet Nam	4,126	4,763	6,410	8,229	11,897	16,908	19,140	21,050	23,853	26,018
Indonesia	1,704	2,379	4,574	6,282	11,936	19,346	20,831	21,671	22,862	23,890
United Kingdom	6,792	8,523	11,794	12,453	14,438	16,525	17,527	18,508	18,230	18,082
Others	33,371	43,680	73,131	93,383	115,627	143,240	156,724	169,656	177,651	183,876
(4) The Number of Registered Foreign Nationals by Purpose (Status of Residence)

A. “Permanent Resident” and “Special Permanent Resident” (Data Section 1, Statistics (1) 24, 28)

According to the statistics of the number of registered foreign nationals by status of residence, the number of those with the status of “Special Permanent Resident,” mainly comprised of Korean nationals (see the commentary below), was the largest as of the end of 2004. The number of special permanent residents was 465,619 accounting for 23.6% of the total, a decrease of 10,333 (down 2.2%) from the end of 2003. (Table 12)

Table12 Changes in the number of registered foreign nationals by status of residence

(People)

Year of Residence	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Total	1,686,444	1,778,462	1,851,758	1,915,030	1,973,747
Professor	6,744	7,196	7,751	8,037	8,153
Artist	363	381	397	386	401
Religious Activities	4,976	4,948	4,858	4,732	4,699
Journalist	349	348	351	294	292
Investor/Business Manager	5,694	5,906	5,956	6,135	6,396
Legal/Accounting Services	95	99	111	122	125
Medical Services	95	95	114	110	117
Researcher	2,934	3,141	3,369	2,770	2,548
Instructor	8,375	9,068	9,715	9,390	9,393
Engineer	16,531	19,439	20,717	20,807	23,210
Specialist in Humanities/International Services	34,739	40,861	44,496	44,943	47,682
Intra-company Transferee	8,657	9,913	10,923	10,605	10,993
Entertainer	53,847	55,461	58,359	64,642	64,742
Skilled Labor	11,349	11,927	12,522	12,583	13,373
Cultural Activities	3,397	2,954	2,812	2,615	3,093
Temporary Visitor	68,045	69,741	72,399	74,301	72,446
College Student	76,980	93,614	110,415	125,597	129,873
Pre-college Student	37,781	41,766	47,198	50,473	43,208
Trainee	36,199	38,169	39,067	44,464	54,317
Dependent	72,878	78,847	83,075	81,535	81,919
Designated Activities	30,496	38,990	47,706	55,048	63,310
Permanent Resident	145,336	184,071	223,875	267,011	312,964
Spouse or Child of Japanese National	279,625	280,436	271,719	262,778	257,292
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident	6,685	7,047	7,576	8,519	9,417
Long Term Resident	237,607	244,460	243,451	245,147	250,734
Special Permanent Resident	512,269	500,782	489,900	475,952	465,619
Without Acquiring Status of Residence	11,467	13,488	15,379	16,628	18,236
Temporary Refuge	32	32	32	30	31
Others	12,899	15,282	17,515	19,376	19,164
The number of special permanent residents decreased every year from the end of 2000 to the end of 2004. On the other hand, that of permanent residents increased by 45,953 (up 17.2%) from 2003 and reached 312,964 as of the end of 2004.

The number exceeded 300,000 for the first time, accounting for 15.9% of all the registered foreign nationals. The number of permanent residents has steadily increased, rising by 167,628 (up 115.3%) from 145,336 in 2000. The proportion of the number of permanent residents to the total registered foreign nationals topped 10% for the first time at the end of 2001, compared to 8.6% at the end of 2000.

According to the statistics by nationality (place of origin), the largest number of permanent residents came from China. The number of Chinese permanent residents was 96,647 as of the end of 2004, followed by Brazil, the Philippines, Korea and Peru.

## Commentary

## Permanent Residents and Special Permanent Residents

The status of residence of “Permanent Resident” permits permanent residence in Japan. Any foreign national who desires to obtain this status must receive permission for permanent residence from the Minister of Justice through the procedures specified in Article 22 or Article 22-2 of the Immigration Control Act.

The status of “Special Permanent Resident” grants legal status for permanent residence to any foreign national whose Japanese nationality was taken away as the result of a peace treaty concluded with Japan and to those who lived in Japan before the end of the war, as well as the descendants of such foreign nationals (Article 2 of the Special Law on the Immigration Control of Inter Alia, Those Who Have Lost Japanese Nationality on the Basis of the Treaty of Peace with Japan). Those people are not covered by the status of residence of “Permanent Resident.” A provision on the status of “Special Permanent Resident” is included in Paragraph 1 of Article 2-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, which specifies that, “An alien may reside in Japan only under the status of residence determined by the permission for landing, the acquisition of status of residence or by the permission for any change thereof, unless the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act or other laws provide otherwise”. As set forth in this provision, special permanent residents fall under the cases where “other laws provide otherwise”.

### B. Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan for the Purpose of Employment (Data Section 1, Statistics (1) 3-2 through 16-2)

The number of registered foreign nationals residing in Japan for the purpose of employment increased by 6,568 (up 3.5%) from 2003 and reached 192,124 as of the end of 2004, accounting for 9.7% of the total. The number reached over 150,000 in 2000, steadily increasing by 37,376 (up 24.2%) from the end of 2000 to the end of 2004. (Chart 18)
Chart18 Changes in the number of resisted foreign nationals with work visas

Since the end of 2000, there has been a steady increase in the number of registered foreign nationals with such statuses of residence as “Entertainer,” “Specialist in Humanities/International Services,” “Engineer,” “Skilled Labor,” “Professor,” “Investor/Business Manager” and “Legal/Accounting Services.” In particular, the number of