Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
Table I (2) of the Immigration Control Act), “Researcher”, “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, “Entertainer” (limited to cases where the foreign national is engaging in activities based on a contract with a public or private organization in Japan) or “Skilled Labor” is required to notify the Minister of Justice of such changes within 14 days (Article 19-16, item (ii) of the Immigration Control Act).

## (c) Notification Concerning the Spouse of the Foreign National

If a mid to long-term resident residing in Japan with the status of residence of “Dependent”, “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” or “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” who has the status of a spouse, is separated from his or her spouse due to divorce or death, he or she is required to notify the Minister of Justice of such changes within 14 days (Article 19-16, item (iii) of the Immigration Control Act).

### B. Notification Concerning Mid to Long-Term Residents to be Given by the Organization of Affiliation

Public and private organizations in Japan (except for those employers who are required to notify the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (1) of Article 28 of the Employment Measures Act) which accept mid to long-term residents residing with the status of residence of “Professor”, “Highly Skilled Professional”, “Business Manager”, “Legal/Accounting Services”, “Medical Services”, “Researcher”, “Instructor”, “Engineer/Specialist” in Humanities/International Services”, “Intra-company Transferee”, “Entertainer”, “Skilled Labor” or “Student”, are required to endeavor to notify the Minister of Justice of the commencement and end of the acceptance of the mid to long-term resident and other matters relating to the status of acceptance (Article 19-17 of the Immigration Control Act).
## Chart 25 Procedural flow of the residency management system of mid to long-term residents

## At ports of entry

## I mmigration examination

In addition to having a seal of verification for landing affixed to their passports, mid to long-term residents will be issued with a residence card.

* For the time being, a residence card will be issued at the time of issuance of the seal of verification for landing only at the limited airports. With regard to other airports and seaports, the residence card will be mailed to the mid to long-term resident after he/she has filed a notification of his/her place of residence.

At municipal offices

Notification of (a change of) place of residence

At regional immigration offices

Notification of a change of name, date of birth, gender, or nationality/region

## Application to extend the valid period of the residence card

( “Permanent Resident”, “Highly Skilled Professional (ii)” and those less than 16 years old)

Application for reissuance of a residence card

(In cases where the residence card is lost, stolen, severely damaged or defaced)

Notification concerning the organization of affiliation or the spouse

(Those residing with a working status or a study status such as that of “Student” or a spouse status )

The notification concerning the organization of affiliation or the spouse may be made through the Internet.

Examination of status of residence

Mid to long-term residents will be issued with a residence card when granted permission for a change of status of residence or permission for extension of the period of stay, etc.
No. 582 of 2011), the characters were specified as within the scope of seiji characters $ (^{*}1) $ , while simplified characters (referring to Chinese simplified letters and Taiwanese traditional letters which do not match the seiji characters) may be used by replacing them with characters within the range of seiji characters.

Therefore, the Immigration Bureau introduced the Immigration Bureau Seiji Search System, which enables a simple search of kanji names given in the residence card, etc. based on the character codes of simplified characters on July 1, 2013, and made it available for use on the Immigration Bureau's website (http://lapse-immi.moj.go.jp:50122/).

## (5) Inquiry into the Facts

The Minister of Justice shall organize information relating to mid to long-term residents acquired in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Control Act and other laws and shall keep the contents of the information accurate and up-to-date in order to continuously keep track of the family relationships, residence-related matters and status of activities of the mid to long-term residents, under the residency management system of mid to long-term residents. Therefore, the Minister of Justice may, when necessary to continuously keep track of information relating to mid to long-term residents, have his or her officers $ (^{*2}) $ conduct an inquiry into the facts (Article 19-19 of the Immigration Control Act).

The inquiry into the facts provided for in Article 19-19 of the Immigration Control Act may be exercised within the extent necessary for the Minister of Justice to be able to accurately keep track of the information necessary for the residency management of mid to long-term residents while bearing in mind the demands for protection of the personal information of mid to long-term residents such as restricting the scope of the investigation to the items of notification.

In addition, since inquiry into the facts leads to the taking of effective countermeasures against imposter residents such as highlighting imposter residents through investigations which utilize the information in the notifications made by both the mid to long-term residents and their organizations of affiliation as well as the information in the notifications on the situation of the employment of foreign nationals provided by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and which crosscheck and analyze this information, the Immigration Bureau works on proactively implementing inquiry into the facts.
## ② The System of Special Permanent Residents

Foreign nationals who have continued to reside in Japan since on or before September 2, 1945 having lost their Japanese nationality pursuant to the Treaty of Peace with Japan and their descendants who were born in Japan and have continued to reside in Japan are permitted to reside permanently in Japan as special permanent residents pursuant to the Special Act on Immigration Control, and special measures of the Immigration Control Act are provided for the valid period of the re-entry permission and grounds for deportation and others.

In conjunction with the introduction of the residency management system for mid to long-term residents, from the standpoint of improvement of convenience, some revisions such as issuance of a special permanent resident certificate and extension of the period of validity of re-entry permission were made to the system of special permanent residents while the previous system (the alien registration system) was substantially maintained.

## (1) Special Permanent Resident Certificate

The special permanent resident certificate is issued by the Minister of Justice as a certificate to prove the foreign national's legal status as a special permanent resident, and the details to be described are restricted to the required minimum of the name, date of birth, gender, nationality/region, place of residence, number of the special permanent resident certificate, date of issuance and the expiration date of the period of validity (a facial photo will be given in the case of foreign nationals who are 16 years of age or above). In addition, in order to prevent forgery, an IC chip on which all or some of the matters described in the certificate are recorded is embedded in the special permanent resident certificate in order to prevent forgery (Article 8 of the Special Act on Immigration Control).

## Special Permanent Resident Certificate

Front

Back
## (2) Notifications and Applications Relating to Special Permanent Resident Certificates

### A. Notifications on the Place of Residence $ (*) $

If a special permanent resident who has been issued with a special permanent resident certificate which does not give the place of residence changes his or her place of residence, he or she is required to notify the Minister of Justice of the place of residence upon submitting his or her special permanent resident certificate to the counter of the office of municipality with jurisdiction over the place of residence (if he or she has changed the place of the residence, the new place of residence) within 14 days of the date of establishing the new place of residence (Article 10 of the Special Act on Immigration Control).

### B. Notification of a Change of an Item on the Special Permanent Resident Certificate Other Than the Place of Residence

If a change has arisen in the name, date of birth, gender or nationality/region, the special permanent resident is required to submit a notification of the change to the Minister of Justice at the counter of the office of municipality with jurisdiction over the residential place within 14 days of the occurrence of the change (Article 11 of the Special Act on Immigration Control).

### C. Application to Extend the Valid Period of the Special Permanent Resident Certificate

The special permanent resident is required to submit an application for extension of the valid period of the special permanent resident certificate to the Minister of Justice at the counter of the office of municipality with jurisdiction over the residential place within the period for the extension (from two months (six months if the valid period is until the 16th birthday) prior to the expiry date of the valid period of the special permanent resident certificate until the expiry date of the valid period).

If, however, it is difficult to apply for an extension of the valid period of the residence card within the extension application period for any unavoidable causes, such as long-term medical treatment or a long-term overseas business trip, an application for extension of the valid period of the special permanent resident certificate may be submitted even before the extension application period (Article 12 of the Special Act on Immigration Control).

### D. Application for Reissuance of a Special Permanent Resident Certificate Due to Loss or Other Causes

If the special permanent resident is no longer in possession of the special permanent resident certificate due to loss, theft, destruction or some other causes, he or she is required to submit an application for reissuance of the special permanent resident certificate to the Minister of Justice at the counter of the office of municipality with jurisdiction over the residential place within 14 days of becoming aware of such fact (if the foreign national was away from Japan when he or she became aware of such fact, the first day of entry into Japan following such discovery.) (Article 13 of the Special Act on Immigration Control).
Chart 26 Information coordination between the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the municipalities

## Section 5 ◆ Deportation Procedures for Foreign Nationals

In immigration control administration, it is necessary to promote the smooth acceptance of foreign nationals on the one hand, and to maintain security and order in Japanese society by removing unwelcome foreign nationals from Japan on the other.

The deportation procedures for foreign nationals constitute a powerful administrative action where the foreign national is deported even if deportation is against the foreign national's will. In international customary law, deportation is left to the discretion of the State. In Japan, the grounds for deportation and the deportation procedures are provided for in the Immigration Control Act and deportation is implemented on the basis of these provisions.

Deportation procedures begin with an immigration control officer conducting an investigation, and is composed of three steps: namely, an examination by an immigration inspector, a hearing by a special inquiry officer, and a decision rendered by the Minister of Justice for the objection filed by the foreign national in order to ensure that the foreign national who is undergoing the deportation procedures will be given ample opportunity to contest the facts of the case or to assert his or her side as to why he or she should be permitted to stay, and to ensure that a decision is made after a careful examination of the facts (Chart 27).
Chart 27 Flow of deportation procedures and departure order procedures
was without reason, and whom the Minister of Justice did not find grounds to grant special permission to stay (Article 49, paragraphs (1) and (6) of the Act).

In the violation adjudication procedures, if a foreign national is found not to fall under one of the grounds for deportation, the foreign national will be released immediately. And if a foreign national is found to fall under one of the grounds for deportation but satisfies the requirements for a departure order, the foreign national will be released immediately after the foreign national has been ordered to depart from Japan.

## (2) Special Cases of Determinations by the Minister of Justice (Special Permission to Stay in Japan)

The Minister of Justice may, even if he or she finds that the objection is without reason, grant the foreign national special permission to stay in Japan if the foreign national has obtained permission for permanent residence, was once a Japanese national, entered Japan under the control of another person due to human trafficking or when the Minister of Justice finds grounds to grant special permission to stay (“Special Permission to Stay” as provided for in Article 50, paragraph (1) of the Immigration Control Act).

## 5 Departure Order System

The departure order system is a system under which a foreign national in violation of the Immigration Control Act who has illegally stayed beyond the authorized period of stay may be deported from Japan through simplified procedures without being physically detained, provided that he or she satisfies certain requirements; and moreover, the period of denial of entry of a foreign national who has been deported from Japan under the departure order is one year.

A foreign national who has stayed in Japan beyond the authorized period of stay and who also satisfies all of the following requirements may be ordered to depart from Japan (Article 24-3 of the Immigration Control Act):

(i) The foreign national has surrendered at the immigration office voluntarily

(ii) The foreign national does not fall under any of the grounds for deportation other than staying beyond the authorized period of stay

(iii) The foreign national has not been sentenced to imprisonment with or without work on the charge of theft or other prescribed crimes after entering Japan

(iv) The foreign national has neither past record of deportation, nor that of departure by a departure order

(v) The foreign national is expected with certainty to depart from Japan immediately

## Section 6 ☐ Refugee Recognition Procedures

## 1 Accession of the Refugee Convention

Japan accessed to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (“Refugee Convention”) on October 3, 1981 and the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (“Protocol”) on January 1, 1982, and accordingly established the system required for the refugee recognition procedures.

The Refugee Convention and the Protocol provide for the definition of refugees, and stipulate the rights and protection to be granted to refugees by the contracting countries.
## 2 -3 of the Immigration Control Act)

If a foreign national recognized as a refugee falls within the category of a foreign national without a status of residence, he or she will be granted the status of residence of “Long-Term Resident” without exception, provided that he or she has satisfied certain requirements, including having applied for recognition of refugee status within six months of landing in Japan (Article 61-2-2, paragraph (1) of the Immigration Control Act). Even if the foreign national does not satisfy the requirements, the Minister of Justice may grant special permission to stay if there are any grounds to grant special permission to stay (Article 61-2-2, paragraph (2) of the Immigration Control Act).

A foreign national who has been recognized as a refugee may receive a refugee travel document as one of the effects under the Immigration Control Act (Article 61-2-12 of the Immigration Control Act), and some of the requirements to obtain permission for permanent residence will be eased (Article 61-2-11 of the Immigration Control Act).

## 3 Filing of an Objection

If a foreign national has an objection to the disposition, such as denial of recognition of refugee status or revocation of recognition of refugee status, he or she may file an objection with the Minister of Justice (Article 61-2-9, paragraph (1) of the Immigration Control Act). When making a decision on an objection, the Minister of Justice shall consult with refugee examination counselors who have been appointed from persons who have an academic background in law or international affairs, etc. (Article 61-2-9, paragraph (3) of the Immigration Control Act).
Chart 28 Patterns and procedures for application for recognition of refugee status

## Requirements of permission for provisional stay

(1) There is no probable cause to suspect that the applicant falls under any of the reasons for deportation.

(2) The applicant has applied for permission within six months from the date of landing in Japan (if any event that makes a foreign resident a refugee occurs during stay in Japan, the date when the resident knows the fact).

(3) The applicant came to Japan directly from a region where there is a fear of persecution.

(4) The applicant has never been sentenced to imprisonment with or without work for a certain criminal offense under the criminal law, etc. after entering Japan.

(5) A deportation order has not been issued against the applicant.

(6) There is no probable cause to suspect that the applicant may flee from the country.
## 4 Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge

Landing permission for temporary refuge, prescribed as one of the types of special landing permission granted to foreign nationals (Article 18-2 of the Immigration Control Act), will be granted by an immigration inspector if a foreign national aboard a vessel or aircraft has fled from a territory where his or her life, body or physical freedom is likely to be endangered for the reasons prescribed in the Refugee Convention and other reasons equivalent thereto, and it is appropriate for permission for temporary landing to be granted to such foreign national. The period for landing is determined as a period not exceeding six months (Article 18-2, paragraph (4) of the Immigration Control Act; Article 18, paragraph (5) of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control Act).
### Data Section 2. Organizational Expansion and Staff Enhancement

Owing to significant changes in the circumstances affecting immigration control in recent years, in response to an increase in the quantity and in the complexity of immigration duties, measures have been taken to improve and expand the organization and staff for immigration control.

At the end of FY 2014, immigration control administration work was carried out by about 3,969 officials at the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice and other immigration control offices. Due to a wide range of challenges in immigration control administration, further improvement and expansion of the organization and staff are still necessary.

## Section 1 ☐ Organizations

## 1 Outline of the Immigration Control Organization

The organization that is responsible for immigration control duties is the Immigration Bureau, which is designated as an internal bureau of the Ministry of Justice. There are eight regional blocks, each of which has a regional immigration bureau as a local branch office of the Ministry of Justice. Each regional immigration bureau manages the district immigration offices and branch offices (including branch offices within the district immigration offices) under its jurisdiction. The Ministry of Justice also maintains immigration centers as detention facilities. The organization as a whole performs various duties associated with immigration control such as immigration examinations, residence examinations, deportation procedures, and refugee recognition procedures in accordance with relevant laws and ordinances.

The Immigration Bureau, regional immigration bureaus, district immigration offices, branch offices, and immigration centers are collectively referred to as the “immigration control offices” (Charts 29, 30).
Chart 29 Immigration Bureau organizational chart

**(Detention facilities)**
(As of April 1, 2015)
(Regional Immigration Bureau and District Immigration Offices)
Immigrations Centers
3
Regional Immigration Bureaus
8
District Immigration Offices
7
Branch Offices
61
(Regional Immigration Bureau)
Sapporo Regional Immigration Bureau
5 Branch Offices
6 Branch Offices
11 Branch Offices
Narita Airport District Immigration Office
Haneda Airport District Immigration Office
Yokohama District Immigration Office
1 Branch Office
8 Branch Offices
Chubu Airport District Immigration Office
Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau
5 Branch Offices
Kansai Airport District Immigration Office
Kobe District Immigration Office
1 Branch Office
Hiroshima Regional Immigration Bureau
7 Branch Offices
Takamatsu Regional Immigration Bureau
3 Branch Offices
Fukuoka Regional Immigration Bureau
10 Branch Offices
Naha District Immigration Office
4 Branch Offices
(Regional Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice)
Chart 30 Responsibilities of the Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice

(※) Abolished as of the end of September 2015.

Post of "Immigration Intelligence Policy Planner (Center of Collection and Analysis of Intelligence)" established on October 1, 2015.

$ ^{*} $ Other than the positions mentioned above, one Assistant Deputy Vice-Minister of Justice and attorneys (legal specialists) are assigned to the Immigration Bureau.
seaports to respond to the foregoing change in administrative needs, and has made efforts to re-allocate branch offices by establishing them at local airports where many international flights arrive, places where prefectural offices are located, and other major cities (Table 51).

As a result, the number of branch offices established in the country through reorganization of regional immigration offices into regional immigration bureaus, which was 103 as of April 1, 1981, is 61 as of April 1, 2015. The establishment of at least one regional immigration control office in each prefecture has been achieved, while branch offices have decreased by about 40% from 1981.

Those branch offices should not only improve convenience for foreign nationals who come to submit various applications or reports but also enhance close cooperation with related local organizations, such as the police, in collecting information on illegal and imposter residents. With a view to enhancing cooperation with local authorities and related organizations which accept foreign nationals who intend to reside in Japan for a medium and long term, it is necessary to continue rationalizing and streamlining the organizational structure, with the aim of ensuring smooth and proper processing, including immigration examination, residence examination, and collection of information on offenders in violation of the Immigration Control Act, and establishing a more comprehensive framework for branch offices.

In Hokkaido, Asahikawa city is third only to Sapporo city and Hakodate city for the largest number of mid to long-term residents, and in addition, Asahikawa Airport has the largest number of foreign nationals entering and departing from Japan following New Chitose Airport and Hakodate Airport, and therefore, a branch office was established in the fall of FY 2014 in Asahikawa city, the location of Asahikawa Airport. Along with this, on account of the geographical circumstances and workload of each of the branch offices in Hokkaido, Otaru Port Branch Office, which was the closest to the main bureau, Sapporo Regional Immigration Bureau, was abolished.