## Part II Major Policies Related to Immigration Control Administration

☐ Formulation of the Basic Plan for Immigration Control (5th Edition)

• Toward the realization of proper and smooth immigration control administration, the Minister of Justice shall formulate the Basic Plan for Immigration Control, which aims to clarify the situation of foreign nationals who enter and reside in Japan, and to stipulate the guidelines for management of entry and residence of foreign nationals and other necessary matters concerning related measures.

- The Basic Plan for Immigration Control (5th Edition), envisaging a period of the next five years, which is advocated smooth acceptance of foreign nationals vitalizing the Japanese economy and society, call for a national debate on the acceptance of foreign nationals in light of the declining birthrate and aging population, efforts toward the establishment of a new system of technical intern training, contributing to a symbiotic society co-existing with foreign nationals through accurate operation of the residence management system, etc. efforts to realize a tourism-oriented country, promotion of countermeasures at the port of entry toward the realization of a safe and secure society and countermeasures, etc. against illegal residents, and promotion of appropriate and prompt refugee protection, etc. as the basic policies was formulated on September 15, 2015.

## ☐ Outline of the Bill for Amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act

“Bill for Partial Amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act” was submitted to the 189th session of the Diet on March 6, 2015. The outline is as given below.

- In order to accept foreign nationals engaging in the work of nursing care, a new status of residence of “Nursing Care” will be established to enable foreign students graduated from a care worker training facility and acquired the qualification of a certified care worker to engage in the work of nursing care or instructions on nursing care as a certified care worker based on a contract with a Japanese nursing care facility, etc.

- A penalty which is equivalent to the current penalty for illegal entry or illegal landing will be imposed on the foreign national who obtained landing permission or permission to change the status of residence, etc. through deception or other wrongful means, and a penalty will also be established against those who facilitate the execution of this act for the purpose of profit, furthermore, the associated grounds for deportation and the grounds for revocation of the status of residence will be also revised.

- The amendment will make it possible to revoke the status of residence of the suspect immediately in the case where the suspect resides engaging in or attempting to engage in other activities without engaging in the original activities even when three months that is the period requirement of the current provision to revoke the status of residence have not yet elapsed, and moreover a new provision is to be established so that if there are reasonable grounds to believe that foreign nationals whose status of residence has been revoked for the reasons mentioned above, will flee, it will be possible to immediately switch to the deportation procedures, without setting a grace period for departure.

• Immigration control officers in addition to immigration inspectors are able to conduct inquiry into the facts relating to revocation of the status of residence.

Revision of the System of Technical Intern Training

“Bill on Proper Implementation of Technical Intern Training for Foreign Nationals and Protection of the Technical Intern Trainees” was submitted to the 189th session of the Diet on March 6, 2015. The outline is as given below.

- Provisions are laid down for a system of certification of the technical intern training plan created for each technical intern trainee, the criteria for certification such as the conducting of an evaluation on the acquisition of skills, etc. by the technical intern trainee and the grounds for disqualification of the certification, as well as