# Article: At the front line of immigration control administration (voice of an immigration inspector in charge of residence examinations) (Student Inspection Department, Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau: Shoko Kumata)

The Student Inspection Department where I work is as evident by its name the department which exclusively handles the statuses of residence for the purpose of study in Japan. The term “Student” is one which is broadly used not only by the immigration administration and therefore it is probably one of the statuses of residence that feels very familiar.

Although these foreign nationals are all handled under the blanket term of “Student”, the schools, which are covered by the status of residence of “Student” in terms of the Immigration Control Act include Japanese universities, colleges of technology, upper secondary schools, the upper secondary courses of schools for special needs education, specialized training schools, miscellaneous schools and Japanese language schools. Whichever school the international students choose, they come to Japan with a strong desire to study in Japan, and the number of international students has been increasing year by year. In July 2008, the Japanese government announced the “300,000 International Students Plan”, and in the future, the Japanese government aims to welcome more and more accomplished international students to Japan.

Amid these circumstances, the number of foreign residents with the status of residence of “Student” at the end of 2013 was 193,073, an increase of 12,154 (6.7%) compared to the end of the previous year. The number of applications from students residing in Japan to extend their period of stay and applications to change their status of residence as well as applications for a certificate of eligibility from foreign nationals, wishing to study in Japan handled by the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau has also been increasing. Furthermore, taking a look at a breakdown of the foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Student” by nationality, in addition to the Chinese students who in the past accounted for the largest percentage, a feature of recent years is the rapid increase of international students from other countries in Asia such as Nepal and Viet Nam.

My duties in the Students Examination Department involve carefully checking the status of enrollment and status of residence, and examining whether or not there are reasonable grounds to grant an extension of the period of stay and a change of the status of residence. In addition, with regard to the status of residence of "Student", the school is the accepting organization which is responsible for managing the international students, and it is extremely important to check whether it is properly managing student enrollment. What I feel is very important in the examination is to judge whether the students have the intention and ability to concentrate seriously on their studies. Most international students are young and there are many temptations to life in Japan. When I see international students who have not forgotten their original intentions and apply themselves diligently to their studies, I feel like I want to cheer them on as well as feel a sobering responsibility that I myself need to apply myself to the work of examination.

In the future, I intend to continue working on our day-to-day operations, maintaining a sense of responsibility towards my part in national policy and paying heed to carry out proper examinations.