Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
information gathering and analysis, all of which enables the immigration bureau to implement strict crackdowns on imposter foreign residents.

## (2) Handling Through Reinforced Exposure and Proactive Application of Law

In order to work on proactive exposure of imposter residents, when as a result of an investigation, a foreign national who resides in Japan with a status of residence which has restrictions on the contents of the activities is discovered engaging solely in a work activity which is not permitted with his/her status of residence previously granted, deportation procedures will be executed against such a foreign national as a violator engaging in an unauthorized activity.

In addition, even if a foreign national does not fall under the grounds for deportation, the Immigration Bureau has been making efforts to reinforce crackdowns through such means as having immigration control officers and immigration inspectors coordinate to uncover the actual situation of the foreign national, and if a foreign national is found to fall under the grounds for revocation of the status of residence, the procedure for revocation of the status of residence will be instituted.

### 3. Strict Handling of Brokers Involved in Aiding Illegal Residence and Imposter Residence

Article 24 of the Immigration Control Act provides that anyone coming under any of the following grounds for deportation will be deported: a person who has prepared or otherwise provided forged or false documents for the purpose of having another foreign national illegally acquire permission; a person who has had another foreign national engage in illegal work; a person who possesses forged residence cards for the purpose of using them; and a person who has forged or otherwise provided residence cards. In close cooperation with the police and other agencies, the Immigration Bureau proactively exposes brokers and other offenders involved in aiding foreign nationals overstaying their authorized period of stay and imposter foreign residents pursuant to the provisions of this Article, and moreover, takes stringent actions against those unlawful employers who are involved in the crime of aiding with illegal employment.

## Section 3 Efforts for Further Appropriate Treatment

### 1. Efforts for Further Appropriate Treatment of Detainees

Based on an agreement reached with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) in September 2010, the Immigration Bureau started discussions with the JFBA on better measures about treatment of foreign nationals held in the detention centers, and will continue to hold such discussions in the future. To date, the Immigration Bureau has already implemented measures together with the JFBA such as having attorneys provide legal consultations to detainees, while some members of JFBA have been providing regular consultations over the phone or in person to detainees in the detention centers.
In addition, when a foreign national has been issued a deportation order, but there is no prospect for deportation owing to such circumstances preventing the deportation that the detainee suffers from a disease, that it is difficult for such person to acquire a passport or that the case is pending in court. In these situations, the Immigration Bureau, as far as possible, proactively grants provisional release to ensure that such foreign nationals are not detained for a long period of time.

Furthermore, in order to realize more proper treatment to the detainees with due consideration being given to their human rights, while taking into consideration the circumstances of individual facilities, the hours of open treatment, outdoor activities and taking a bath have been extended to the greatest extent permissible in terms of security and, periodical medical checks by visiting psychiatrists commenced in June 2011 at the Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center.

### 2. Activities and Duties of the Immigration Detention Facilities Visiting Committee

The Immigration Detention Facilities Visiting Committee was established for the purpose of securing transparency in security treatment and of improving the management of the immigration detention facilities. Currently there are two committees; one is in the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, and the other is in the Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau. Each committee takes charge of immigration centers and departure waiting facilities in 24 locations (as at the end of March 2017) spread across Japan according to its districts. Each committee inspects the facilities, meets with and interviews detainees, checks the opinions and proposals posted by detainees in the proposal boxes, and holds meetings. Based on the result of these activities, the committee expresses an opinion to the Director of the Immigration Detention Center or the Director of the Regional Immigration Bureau (hereinafter referred to collectively as "Directors").

Over the course of a year from April 2016 to March 2017, a total of 14 inspections and 115 interviews took place in the facilities throughout Japan, and 42 opinions were given to the directors of the facilities. On receiving the opinions from the committee, the directors promptly review them and endeavor to take measures where possible.

Committee members, who are selected from people who have a reputable character, possess deep insight and are committed to improving the operations of the immigration detention centers, are appointed as part-time officers by the Minister of Justice. A maximum of no more than ten members may be appointed for each committee from experts from diverse fields, such as academic experts, legal experts, medical experts, NGO workers, the staff of international organizations and representatives of the local community.

In addition, a summary of the opinions given by the committees and the measures taken by the Directors based on those opinions are published each year pursuant to the provisions of the Immigration Control Act.
## Section 4 Promotion of the Deportation of Deportees

### 1. Implementation of Safe and Reliable Deportation of Deportation Evaders

Recently, there has been the problem of an increasing number of foreign nationals who have been issued with a deportation order but who attempt to evade deportation (deportation evaders) because of aspiration to work in Japan or other reasons.

The Immigration Bureau tries to convince these deportation evaders to return to their country of their own volition, but if they still attempt to evade deportation, they will ultimately be deported on a regular flight accompanied by escort officers based on the provisions of law, or mass deportation may be implemented using chartered flights for the purpose of safer and more secure deportation.

In addition, some foreign nationals who attempt to evade deportation are often anxious about their lives after return, and with regard to foreign nationals who are deemed to require humanitarian considerations, programs are implemented for voluntary return and reintegration support with the cooperation of the Japan office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

### 2. Implementation of Mass Deportation Using Chartered Flights

Although we endeavor to repeatedly convince deportation evaders to return to their country of their own volition, if they still attempt to evade deportation, they will ultimately be deported on a regular flight accompanied by escort officers based on the provisions of law.

However, deportation using a regular flight can cause a disturbance, for example, deportees might start shouting in the cabin, and there are cases where the deportation cannot be implemented owing to the decision of the captain to deny boarding, or alternatively, even if detainees are able to board the aircraft, there might be the situation that tremendous burden is imposed on the private airlines by the detainee bothering other ordinary passengers.

For this reason, since 2013, we have been implementing the mass deportation using chartered flights, which allows for safe and reliable deportation without boarding being refused by the captain of the aircraft, and by the end of FY 2016, a total of 248 foreign nationals were deported over a total of six flights (five destinations).

### 3. Promotion of the Use of IOM Repatriation Programs

On the other hand, there are some foreign nationals whose deportation has been decided who attempt to evade deportation despite wanting to return to their home country because of fears about life after return.

Of these persons, with regard to foreign nationals who are deemed to require humanitarian considerations, programs for voluntary return and reintegration support have been implemented since FY 2013 with the cooperation of the IOM Japan office. This program aims to dispel
# Promotion of Appropriate and Prompt Refugee Protection

## Section 1 Revision of the Operation of the Refugee Recognition System, etc

### 1. Revision of the Operation of the Refugee Recognition System

## (1) Outline

With regard to the refugee recognition system, the time required for the examination of the cases is becoming more prolonged, and problems have been occurring which hinder the provision of prompt asylum to genuine refugees owing to the proliferation of applications for recognition of refugee status in recent years and applications which attempt to abuse the system for the purpose of employment or residence in Japan. Moreover, problems have also arisen concerning the difficulty of clarifying the decisions on whether or not an applicant is a refugee.

Therefore, based on the purport of the recommendations in the reports submitted in December 2014 by the “Sixth Immigration Policy Discussion Panel”, which is the private advisory council of the Minister of Justice, and the “Expert Meeting on the Refugee Recognition System”, a study was conducted on reviewing the operation of the refugee recognition system, which was published in the form of the “Summary of the Revision of the Operation of the Refugee Recognition System” on September 15, 2015.

## (2) Proper Operation of the System

The contents of the review were (i) clarifying the persons eligible for protection, the decisions on recognition and the procedures, (ii) strengthening the system and infrastructure pertaining to refugee recognition administration, (iii) appropriate handling of applications attempting to abuse or misuse the refugee recognition system and the measures implemented so far are as given below.

(i) Clarifying the persons eligible for protection, the decisions on recognition and the procedures

In the press release in March 2016 on the number of foreign nationals recognized as refugees in 2015, the cases of those recognized as refugees, the cases of those not recognized as refugees and cases where permission to stay was granted due to humanitarian considerations were announced with the points of these respective judgments. The same announcement was released in March 2017.

In addition, since March 2017, a trial has been taken to allow having interviews with a doctor, a counselor, or a lawyer, etc. for minors unaccompanied by their parents, individuals with severe physical disabilities, individuals with mental disabilities or individuals with serious illnesses.

(ii) Strengthening the system and infrastructure pertaining to refugee recognition administration

As well as implementing refugee recognition administrative staff training for management-level officers with the cooperation of the UNHCR, the Immigration Bureau has been working on
the development and capacity-building of refugee inquirers through enhancing the content of the regular training relating to information on the countries of origin of the applicants for refugee recognition, and practical training using case studies.

(iii) Appropriate handling of applications attempting to abuse or misuse the refugee recognition system

In order to quickly and reliably provide asylum to those in genuine need, applications attempting to abuse or misuse the refugee recognition system such as applications claiming circumstances which clearly do not come under the grounds of persecution under the Refugee Convention are sorted beforehand at the stage prior to a fully-fledged investigation, and such cases are quickly processed while ensuring that the applicant has an opportunity to make a sufficient claim such as through a hearing into the circumstances by a refugee inquirer, and moreover, we have been revising the handling of permission for employment and residence for applicants of refugee recognition and by setting certain conditions, have been striving to make decisions on an individual basis $ ^{*} $ .

### 2. Revision of the System by Amendment of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition

A Ministerial Ordinance amending part of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was promulgated on May 1, 2017, based on which the authority for recognition of the refugees permitted only to the Minister of Justice was entrusted to Directors of the Regional Immigration Bureaus, a new application form to reapply for recognition of refugee status was established, which made it easier to grasp the contents of applicant's claim more efficient at sorting of cases and facilitated judgments pertaining to restrictions on employment or stay (effective from June 1, 2017).

## Section 2 Acceptance of Refugees Through Resettlement

Resettlement is intended to transfer and resettle refugees, who have been evacuated from their countries of origins and who are temporarily taking shelter in a refugee camp in a neighboring country or another place, to another country which agrees to accept such refugees from the countries where they were originally offered protection. Resettlement is deemed to be one of the permanent solutions of refugee problems, as well as “voluntary repatriation” and “resettlement in the first countries of asylum”.
information on the provision of housing, with the assistance of refugee support groups, for refugees awaiting the results of their application for recognition of refugee status.

In accordance with the three-party discussions based on this memorandum, during the period of April 2012 and March 2014, the Immigration Bureau implemented a “pilot project”, which the Immigration Bureau requested the Forum for Refugees Japan to secure a residence for foreign nationals claiming asylum at Narita Airport for whom it is difficult to secure a residence, and Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge or Permission for Provisional Stay was granted to foreign nationals who were accepted by the Forum.

Subsequently, following discussions by the three parties, the same measures under this project are currently being taken at Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, Chubu Airport and Kansai Airport. Since March 2017, foreign nationals from these airport branches have been sent to Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center, Tokyo Immigration Bureau, Nagoya Immigration Bureau, or Osaka Immigration Bureau, and when one of the immigration offices to which the person was sent makes a decision on permission for provisional stay or permission for provisional release, the same measures apply.
# Responses to International Society and International Situations

## Section 1 Treaties and International Conventions

### 1. Major Actions for Negotiations for the Conclusion of EPAs with Other Countries

The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are agreements which aim to promote liberalization and facilitation of trade between signatory nations, as well as the coordination of policies, relaxation of regulations, and cooperation in various economic areas, including tariffs, trade in services, investment, intellectual property and personal exchanges. The Immigration Bureau has been actively involved in negotiations for the conclusion of EPAs with various countries: Singapore (effective date: November 2002), Mexico (April 2005), Chile (September 2007), Thailand (November 2007), Indonesia (July 2008), the Philippines (December 2008), Switzerland (September 2009), Viet Nam (October 2009), India (August 2011), Peru (March 2012), Australia (January 2015) and Mongolia (June 2016); and has been responsible for the part in the negotiations in relation to the “movement of natural persons”.

As of November 1, 2017, the Immigration Bureau has primarily been involved in negotiations for the conclusion of EPAs with Canada, Colombia, EU and Turkey, etc.

### 2. Acceptance of Nurse and Certified Care Worker Candidates Based on EPAs

From the point of view of strengthening bilateral cooperation in economic activities, Japan commenced the acceptance of nurse and certified care worker candidates, who aim to acquire Japanese national nursing qualifications or national certified care worker qualifications, from Indonesia in FY 2008, the Philippines in FY 2009 and Viet Nam in FY 2014. The number of foreign nationals accepted as nurse and certified care worker candidates based on EPAs up until FY 2016 was 1,792 from Indonesia, 1,633 from the Philippines, and 470 from Viet Nam.

### 3. Reports and Examinations in Accordance with Human Rights Treaties

Japan is a signatory to various treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). With regard to government reports on the status of the implementation of those treaties, the Immigration Bureau is involved in the drafting of reports, review of the government reports and
follow-up thereof from the perspective of immigration control administration.

## Section 2 International Conferences/ International Exchange

### 1. Responding to International Conferences

The Migration Experts Sub-Group (MESG) Meeting, one of the sub groups of the G7 Rome-Lyon Group, which is a working experts' group to discuss measures against international terrorism and transnational organized crime, is discussing measures that the G7 members should take cooperatively in the area of illegal immigration and forgery or alteration of documents.

MESG meeting was held in Hiroshima in November 2016 and in Italy in April and October 2017, and officials from the Immigration Bureau attended the meetings to exchange information and opinions with the counterparts of other countries.

In addition to the international meetings mentioned above, the Immigration Bureau sends delegates to the Government Delegation on Anti-Human Trafficking Measures to exchange information on recent efforts to counter trafficking in persons, as well as to the Consular Consultation etc. to express Japan's position actively and build cooperative relationships with other countries. The Immigration Bureau also sends officials to participate in multinational meetings, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) / Control Authorities Working multinational Group (CAWG) for the purpose of information sharing and exchanging opinions.

### 2. International Exchange

The Immigration Bureau has been striving to strengthen cooperative relations with other countries and regions such as by actively exchanging views with the immigration authorities of other countries at different levels and accepting visits from related organizations.

The High-Level Immigration Officers Meeting is held mutually with the Korean immigration authorities, and the Immigration Bureau attends the immigration control meetings with Taiwan organized by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association and shares information and exchanges opinions on mutual efforts. In addition, a memorandum of cooperation was signed with the Australian immigration authority in August 2016, pertaining to the establishment of a framework to strengthen cooperative relations between the authorities of both countries, so that in the future, two authorities will be sharing information relating to border control to combat terrorist threats and transnational crimes and facilitation of the immigration procedures, and strengthening cooperation to develop the professional capacity of the authorities of both countries.

In addition, in FY 2016, the relevant organizations of the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and China visited the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice in order to exchange opinions, and the relevant organizations of Thailand, Singapore and Kenya visited the regional immigration bureaus and the airport district offices.
# Improvement of Public Relations Activities and Public Services

Chapter 8

## Section 1 Promotion of Public Relations Activities

Recognizing that public relations and enlightenment activities both in Japan and abroad play a major role in the smooth implementation of immigration control administration, the Immigration Bureau has been further promoting more active public relations activities than ever before. The main promotion of public relations activities are provision of information including the circumstances concerning immigration control administration, new systems and changes of procedures.

In terms of immigration control administration, statistics concerning immigration control administration such as the number of those entering or departing from Japan, the number of foreign residents and the number of foreign nationals overstaying their authorized period of stay are released on the website of the Ministry of Justice. In addition, we also disclose information on cases of special permission to stay in Japan, the average processing time for refugee recognition examinations, the immigration examination waiting times at Japanese airports and endeavor to widely spread understanding of the current situation of immigration control administration.

We also proactively publicize the immigration control system and procedure guidelines, post information such as on switching to the special permanent resident certificate, changes to the format of the disembarkation card for foreign nationals and notices on the Trusted Traveler Program and also conduct publicity activities by distributing posters and leaflets.

In 2017, as a tie-up plan with Yoshimoto Creative Agency Co., Ltd., the Immigration Bureau produced publicity videos on the automated gates and points-based system for highly-skilled professionals and posted them on the Ministry of Justice website. In addition, for the purpose of preventing illegal work through the appropriate employment of foreign nationals, the Immigration Bureau holds an “Illegal Work Prevention Campaign” as part of the larger campaign for “Foreign Labor Problems Awareness Month” conducted by the government every June, so that the general public, companies hiring foreign nationals and relevant organizations and governments in other countries will be able to better understand the issues and offer cooperation to the Immigration Bureau.

Promotion of the automated gates

Illegal Work Prevention Campaign