entry and departure $ (^{*}1) $ , and receive a seal of verification for landing. Upon departure from Japan, the foreign national must receive confirmation of departure.

As a result of the landing examination by an immigration inspector, any foreign national who falls under any of the following cases will be denied permission to land in Japan: when the foreign national's passport or visa is found to be invalid such as being counterfeit or altered; when the activities declared in the application as the ones in which the foreign national intends to engage while in Japan are found to be false; or when the foreign national falls under any of the grounds for denial of landing enumerated in the Immigration Control Act (Article 5), such as having a past record of having been sentenced to a criminal punishment owing to a violation of any law or regulation relating to the control of narcotics, marijuana, opium, stimulants or psychotropic substances. These grounds for denial of landing were stipulated for the purpose of prohibiting the landing of foreign nationals who are unwelcome in Japan.

Other than these general immigration procedures for foreign nationals, the Immigration Control Act also provides for a simplified system of landing permission known as “special landing permission” $ (^{*2}) $ .

## ② Procedures for Entry (Landing) Examinations of Foreign Nationals $ (^{*3}) $

The procedures for entry examinations of foreign nationals are structured as a three-step examination process so that the cases may be examined carefully and foreign nationals will have a sufficient chance to assert and prove that they comply with the conditions for landing (Chart 23).

## (1) Entry (Landing) Examination

If a foreign national has applied for landing and such foreign national (excluding special permanent residents) has fulfilled his or her obligation to submit biometric information (fingerprints and facial photographs) (Article 6, paragraph (3) of the Immigration Control Act), the immigration inspector will examine whether such foreign national meets with the conditions for landing in Japan or not (i) the foreign national possesses a valid passport; (ii) a valid visa is attached to the passport, except in cases where the foreign national is eligible for a visa waiver; (iii) the activities the foreign national has applied for is not false and comes under one of the statuses of residence listed in one of the Appended Tables of the Immigration Control Act, and moreover, with regard to certain statuses of residence, meets the landing permission criteria given in the Ordinance on Criteria; (iv) the period of stay applied for conforms to the provisions of the Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice; and (v) the foreign national does not fall under any of the grounds for denial of landing) (Article 7, paragraph (1) of the Immigration Control Act). When an immigration inspector finds that a foreign national conforms to the above-mentioned conditions, the immigration inspector will determine a status of residence and the period of stay, and affix a seal of verification for landing onto the foreign national's passport.

The provision of biometric information (fingerprints and facial photographs) at the time of the entry (landing) examination became mandatory through the 2006 amendment of the Immigration Control Act (enforced on November 20, 2007).