## ② Review of the Organizational Structure of the Immigration Control Offices

With regard to organizational expansion in FY 2016, supervising immigration inspectors were assigned to Chitose Tomakomai Branch Office, Sapporo Regional Immigration Bureau and Naha Airport Branch Office, Naha District Immigration Office, Fukuoka Regional Immigration Bureau as additional officers to supervise the examination booths in order to be able to implement prompt and rigorous immigration examinations to handle the increase in the number of foreign nationals visiting Japan.

In addition, amid pressure due to the increase in the airport immigration work which requires handling by the branch offices resulting in there being some offices where no supervising officer is available as well as the increase in the number of various residency-related applications, there has been a considerable amount of new work generated by the Amended Immigration Control Act entering into force in July 2012 such as the necessary administrative work of extending the period of validity of the residence card, and the handling of coordination and queries relating to residency management work for the new system from the municipal governments, the police and other related agencies, and therefore, supervisors have been assigned to the Chiba Branch Office, Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, and chief supervisors and supervisors were increased for Mito Branch Office, Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau and for Shizuoka Branch Office and Kanazawa Branch Office of Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau.

Furthermore, a new refugee inquiry department was established at Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau, which has the largest number of refugee recognition applications after the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, focusing full-time on refugee recognition work in order to swiftly process the cases and to reliably offer asylum to those in genuine need.

Further, most branch offices (including branch offices of district immigration offices) of regional immigration bureaus were located within the area of seaports, based on the historical background that they were originally established for immigration examination of crew members and passengers on oceangoing vessels. Now, as the primary means of international transportation shifted from vessels to aircraft, immigration examinations at airports became the main service, and as foreign nationals residing in Japan for a long time increased, the Ministry has proceeded to reorganize, integrate or scrap branch offices at 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 (Reference 79).

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, 2016. 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 to 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