Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
# Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

## Section 1 Changes in the Number of Foreign Nationals Entering and Departing from Japan

### 1. Foreign Nationals Entering Japan

## (1) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan

The number of foreign nationals entering Japan was only about 18,000 in 1950 when the statistics relating to immigration control first began to be recorded. As a result of the enforcement of the “Peace Treaty with Japan” (Treaty No. 5 of 1952) on April 28, 1952, Japan recovered complete sovereignty and acquired the authority to decide whether or not to grant permission for entry based on the Immigration Control Order. The number of foreign nationals entering Japan has experienced an almost consistent upward trend partly as a result of cheaper and more convenient flights, which is achieved through improvements in international transportation such as through the use of larger jumbo jets, exceeding 1 million in 1978, 2 million in 1984, 3 million in 1990, 4 million in 1996, 5 million in 2000, and 10 million in 2013. The number in 2016 was 23,218,912 persons, an increase of 3,530,665 (17.9%) compared to the number of 19,688,247 of 2015, exceeding 20 million persons for the first time setting a new record.

Of the 23,218,912 foreign nationals entering Japan in 2016, the number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan was 21,092,975, which was an increase of 3,296,828 (18.5%) compared to 17,796,147 in 2015, while the number of foreign nationals re-entering Japan was 2,125,937, which was an increase of 233,837 (12.4%) compared to 1,892,100 in 2015.

It is thought that this overall increase in the number of foreign nationals entering Japan is led by the efforts toward the realization of Japan as a tourism-oriented country by the entire government working together with private sectors encouraging an increase in tourists (Reference 1).
Reference 1 Changes in the number of foreign nationals entering Japan

$ ^{*} $ There are no separate categories for arrivals for 1955 and 1960.

## (2) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Nationality/Region

According to the statistics for the number of foreign nationals entering Japan in 2016 by nationality/region, the largest number of foreign nationals came from the Republic of Korea (R.O. Korea) at 5,351,093, accounting for 23.0% of the total. R.O. Korea was followed by China at 5,172,945 (22.3%), Taiwan at 4,019,879 (17.3%), China (Hong Kong) at 1,749,157 (7.5%) and the U.S. at 1,270,523 (5.5%) $ ^{*} $ . Of these numbers, Japan's four neighboring countries/regions: R.O.Korea, China, Taiwan and China (Hong Kong) accounted for more than half of the total number of foreign nationals entering Japan at 70.2%. In addition, the top five countries/regions accounted for 75.6% of the total number (Reference 2).
Reference 2 Changes in the number of foreign nationals entering Japan by major nationality/region

Regarding the top five countries/regions, a comparison of the numbers of foreign nationals entering Japan between 2015 and 2016 shows that all of the countries/regions: R.O.Korea at 1,098,704 (25.8%), China at 675,707 (15.0%), Taiwan at 443,669 (12.4%), China (Hong Kong) at 276,016 (18.7%), and the U.S. at 207,807 (19.6%), increased.

## (3) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Gender and Age

Looking at the number of foreign nationals entering in Japan in 2016 by gender, 10,712,511 were males and 12,506,401 were females. Males accounted for 46.1% of the total while females accounted for 53.9%, and therefore, more foreign females came to Japan than males in 2016.

Next, according to the statistics by age, foreign nationals in their 30s represented the largest age group, accounting for 24.0% of the total. Moreover, looking at the numbers for males and females in each of the age groups, one particular characteristic is that the percentages of females were higher in all age groups (Reference 3).
## Reference 3 Number of foreign nationals entering Japan by gender and age (2016)

## (4) Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan by Purpose of Entry (Status of Residence)

The number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan in 2016 was 21,092,975. Looking at this Reference by purpose of entry (status of residence), the most common status of residence was “Temporary Visitor” standing at 20,665,390, which accounted for 98.0% of the total number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan, followed by “Student” at 108,146, accounting for 0.5%, “Technical Intern Training (i)−(b)” at 99,453, accounting for 0.5%, and “Entertainer” at 39,057, accounting for 0.2% (Reference 4).
Reference 4 Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan by status of residence

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Status of Residence
Total	7,549,998	9,554,415	12,388,748	17,796,147	21,092,975
Diplomat	10,977	10,215	9,056	9,526	9,267
Official	26,991	26,131	23,844	25,788	28,282
Professor	2,595	2,662	2,709	3,140	3,172
Artist	281	315	327	360	387
Religious Activities	737	1,291	923	1,030	1,019
Journalist	51	46	66	81	111
Highly-Skilled Professional (i) - (a)	11	32
Highly-Skilled Professional (i) - (b)	107	166
Highly-Skilled Professional (i) - (c)	18	31
Highly-Skilled Professional (ii)	0	0
Business Manager	820	632	984	1,352	2,091
Legal/Accounting Services	4	0	3	0	4
Medical Services	9	11	27	29	34
Researcher	438	437	429	356	358
Instructor	2,312	2,366	2,526	3,020	3,042
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services	17,690	20,940
Engineer	5,216	5,387	7,662
Specialist in Humanities/International Services	4,993	5,354	6,608
Intra-company Transferee	6,126	6,245	7,209	7,202	7,652
Entertainer	34,969	37,096	35,253	37,155	39,057
Skilled Labor	4,910	2,030	2,360	6,421	6,404
Technical Intern Training (i) - (a)	5,876	5,585	6,377	6,680	6,665
Technical Intern Training (i) - (b)	62,039	61,841	76,139	90,307	99,453
Technical Intern Training (ii) - (a)	4	0	2	1	2
Technical Intern Training (ii) - (b)	49	17	15	16	11
Cultural Activities	3,104	2,947	3,230	3,467	3,531
Temporary Visitor	7,246,072	9,247,673	12,052,223	17,404,987	20,665,390
Student	57,579	70,007	82,460	99,556	108,146
Trainee	17,957	16,486	16,162	15,702	15,740
Dependent	20,653	19,028	20,429	23,118	26,594
Designated Activities	12,659	10,711	10,661	14,980	18,210
Spouse or Child of Japanese National	10,855	9,244	9,114	9,591	10,188
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident	1,877	1,870	2,039	2,007	1,959
Long-Term Resident	9,845	8,788	9,911	12,449	15,037

(*1) The statuses of residence of “Highly-Skilled Professional (i) - (a)”, “Highly-Skilled Professional (i) - (b)”, “Highly-Skilled Professional (i) - (c)” and “Highly-Skilled Professional (ii)” were newly established on April 1, 2015.

$ ^{*2} $ In accordance with the amendment Act, from April 1, 2015, the status of residence of “Investor/Business Manager” was changed to “Business Manager” and the statuses of residence of “Engineer” and “Specialist in Humanities/International Services” were combined into “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”.
### A. “Temporary Visitor”

Looking more closely at the number of foreign nationals who newly entered Japan with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor” in 2016, the number of foreign nationals for the purpose of sightseeing was 18,291,996, accounting for 88.5% of the total number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor”, which was higher than 86.6% in 2015 (Reference 5). It is thought that public-private measures toward a tourism-oriented country such as the strategic relaxation of the visa requirements, expansion of the tax exemption system, improvement of the immigration control system, expansion of the airline networks and other public-private measures aimed at realizing a tourism-oriented country contributed to the increase in the number of tourists.

The statistics for foreign nationals newly entering for the purpose of sightseeing by nationality/region show that the largest number of foreign nationals came from R.O.Korea at 4,443,044 (24.3%), followed by China at 3,792,547 (20.7%), Taiwan at 3,740,585 (20.4%), China (Hong Kong) at 1,694,290 (9.3%), and Thailand at 814,704 (4.5%). The tourists of these top five countries/regions accounted for more than 70% of the total number (Reference 6).
### B. Foreign Nationals Entering Japan for the Purpose of Employment in Professional or Technical Fields

The number of newly entering foreign nationals with a status of residence for employment in professional or technical fields (excluding the statuses of residence of “Diplomat”, “Official” and “Technical Intern Training” in the Appended Tables I (1) and I (2) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (hereinafter referred to as “Immigration Control Act”)) in 2016 was 84,500, an increase of 6,528 (8.4%) from 2015 (Reference 7).
Reference 7 Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering by status of residence for employment in professional or technical fields

(*1) Excludes the statuses of residence of “Diplomat”, “Official”, and “Technical Intern Training” of the Appended Table I (1) and I (2) of the “Immigration Control Act”.

(*2) In accordance with the amendment Act, from April 1, 2015, the statuses of residence of "Engineer" and "Specialist in Humanities/International Services" were combined into "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services".

$ ^{*3} $ For the years from 2012 to 2014, the numbers for “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” are the number combining “Engineer” and “Specialist in Humanities/International Services” respectively.
### C. “Technical Intern Training (i)” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 7–1)

The number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Technical Intern Training (i)” was 106,118 in 2016, an increase of 9,131 (9.4%) from 2015.

According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Technical Intern Training (i)” came from Viet Nam at 43,774 (41.3%), followed by China at 32,895 (31.0%), the Philippines at 10,741 (10.1%), Indonesia at 8,050 (7.6%) and Thailand at 4,126 (3.9%) (Reference 8).

Reference 8 Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering with the status of residence of “Technical Intern Training (i)” by major nationality/region

### D. “Student” (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 9–1)

The number of foreign nationals newly entering Japan with the status of residence of “Student” in 2016 was 108,146, an increase of 8,590 (8.6%) when compared to 2015, with students from Asia accounting for the top five countries/regions (72.3%).

In terms of nationality/region, China stood at 38,662, accounting for 35.7% of the total, followed by Viet Nam at 22,268 (20.6%), R.O.Korea at 6,482 (6.0%), Nepal at 5,728 (5.3%) and Taiwan at 5,091 (4.7%) (Reference 9).
Reference 9 Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering with the status of residence of "Student" by major nationality/region

### E. Foreign Nationals Entering Japan with a Status of Residence for Resident Activities Based on Personal Status or Position (Data Section 4, Statistics (1) 13–1, 14–1)

When foreign nationals enter Japan for activities based on their personal status or position, one of three types of statuses of residence; namely, “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”, “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” or “Long-Term Resident” may be granted (Note that the status of residence of “Permanent Resident” shall not be granted to foreign nationals at the time of entry (Article 7, paragraph (1), item (ii) of the Immigration Control Act)).

In 2016, the number of newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” stood at 10,188, and those with the status of residence of “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” stood at 1,959, and while those with the status of residence of “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” saw an increase of 597 (6.2%), those with the status of residence of “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” saw a decrease of 48 (2.4%) from 2015.

The number of foreign nationals newly entering with the status of residence of “Long-Term Resident” in 2016 had increased by 2,588 (20.8%) to 15,037 from 2015 (Reference 10).
According to the statistics for newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Spouse or Child of Japanese National” by nationality/region, the largest number came from China at 2,412 (23.7%). China was followed by Brazil at 2,308 (22.7%) and the Philippines at 1,926 (18.9%).

According to the statistics by nationality/region for newly entering foreign nationals with the status of residence of “Long-Term Resident”, the largest number came from Brazil at 8,591 (57.1%). Brazil was followed by the Philippines at 2,767 (18.4%) and China at 1,925 (12.8%).
Reference 10 Changes in the number of foreign nationals newly entering by status of residence for activities based on personal status or position
### 2. Special Landing Permission

The number of cases in which received special landing permission in 2016 was 4,749,924, a significant increase of 1,221,965 (34.6%) from 2015.

Among those, the number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Crew Members” in 2016 was 2,790,348, and the number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists” was 1,936,469, which combined accounted for 99.5% of the total number of cases of special landing permission (Reference 11).

Reference 11 Changes in the number of cases of special landing permission

(Cases)

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Division
Total	2,204,644	2,165,112	2,452,119	3,527,959	4,749,924
Permission for Landing at a Port of Call	136,916	76,378	257,873	15,944	16,694
Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists	1,071,724	1,936,469
Permission for Landing in Transit	2,862	2,571	3,372	5,150	5,871
Landing Permission for Crew Members	2,064,409	2,085,701	2,190,439	2,434,617	2,790,348
Permission for Emergency Landing	370	318	360	434	473
Landing Permission Due to Distress	82	142	74	86	68
Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge	5	2	1	4	1

$ ^{*} $ The permission of “Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists” was newly established on January 1, 2015.

The following is the number of cases of special landing permission by category.

## (1) Permission for Landing at a Port of Call

The number of cases being granted “Permission for Landing at a Port of Call” in 2016 was 16,694, an increase of 750 (4.7%) from 2015.

## (2) Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists

The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists” was 1,936,469 in 2016, which was a substantial increase of 864,745 (80.7%) compared with 2015. The system of landing permission for cruise ship tourists commenced in January 2015.

## (3) Permission for Landing in Transit

The number of cases in which received “Permission for Landing in Transit” in 2016 was 5,871, an increase of 721 (14.0%) from 2015.

## (4) Landing Permission for Crew Members

The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Crew Members” in 2016 was 2,790,348, an increase of 355,731 (14.6%) from 2015.
## (5) Permission for Emergency Landing

The number of cases in which received “Permission for Emergency Landing” in 2016 was 473, an increase of 39 (9.0%) from 2015.

## (6) Landing Permission Due to Distress

The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission Due to Distress” in 2016 was 68, a decrease of 18 (20.9%) from 2015.

## (7) Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge

The number of cases in which received “Landing Permission for Temporary Refuge” in 2016 was 1, a decrease of 3 (75.0%) from 2015.

### 3. Foreign Nationals Leaving Japan

The number of foreign nationals simply leaving Japan without having acquired a re-entry permit was 20,808,527 in 2016, an increase of 3,301,795 (18.9%) from 2015.

Among them, the number of foreign nationals leaving Japan with a period of stay of within 15 days was 19,895,977, which accounted for a significant 95.6% of the total. Further, the number of foreign nationals leaving Japan with a period of stay of within 3 months was 20,632,862, which accounted for 99.2% of the total (Reference 12).

Reference 12 Changes in the number of foreign nationals simply leaving Japan by period of stay

YearPeriod of Stay	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Total	7,403,884	9,395,836	12,148,890	17,506,732	20,808,527
Within 15 days	6,820,277	8,769,160	11,446,502	16,677,056	19,895,977
More than 15 days to 1 month	244,373	282,118	330,820	425,450	483,187
More than 1 month to 3 months	189,873	196,285	214,865	238,018	253,698
More than 3 months to 6 months	31,638	30,690	34,899	41,322	45,730
More than 6 months to 1 year	32,259	35,711	36,569	39,855	41,692
More than 1 year to 3 years	57,275	56,498	59,692	63,822	64,029
More than 3 years	26,879	24,374	24,476	20,183	23,140
Unknown	1,310	1,000	1,067	1,026	1,074
## Section 2 Judgment for Landing

### 1. Receipt and Processing of Hearings for Landing, and Filing of Objections

Hearing for landing

The number of new cases of hearings for landing (the number of cases which were assigned to a special inquiry officer on account of a foreign national not being granted landing permission by an immigration inspector) in 2016 was 8,880, an increase of 714 (8.7%) from 2015.

The most common cases were those in which the foreign national was required to undergo a hearing for landing on suspicion of having submitted a false landing application, such as

claiming to be a tourist or others while their real purpose of entry was illegal work or other illegal activities (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, paragraph (1), item (ii) of the Immigration Control Act). Such cases numbered 6,014, an increase of 980 (19.5%) from 2015, accounting for 67.7% of the total number of new cases in 2015. This was followed by cases which were assigned on account of the foreign national being suspected of not possessing a valid passport or visa, such as those attempting to illegally enter Japan using a forged or altered passport (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, paragraph (1), item (i) of the Immigration Control Act). Such cases numbered 1,723, a decrease of 292 cases (14.5%) from 2015, accounting for 19.4% of the total number of new cases in 2016. Furthermore, cases suspected to fall under one of the grounds for denial of landing (not meeting the conditions provided for in Article 7, paragraph (1), item (iv) of the Immigration Control Act) numbered 1,141, an increase of 24 (2.1%) from 2015, accounting for 12.8% of the total number of new cases in 2016. In addition, the number of cases that foreign nationals refuse to provide the immigration inspector with their personal identification information, which became mandatory by law from November 20, 2007 (coming under paragraph (4) of Article 7 of the Immigration Control Act) was 2 in 2016 (Reference 13).
Reference 13 Changes in the number of new cases of hearings for landing by grounds for landing

(Cases)

Year Conditions for Landing	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Total	8,087	6,675	7,567	8,166	8,880
Using counterfeit passports or visas, etc. (Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-(i))	1,583	1,466	1,905	2,015	1,723
False landing application, etc. (Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-(ii))	5,473	4,118	4,582	5,034	6,014
Ineligibility for the period of stay relating to the application (Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-(iii))	2	0	7	0	0
Falling under the grounds for denial of landing (Not conforming to Article 7-(1)-(iv))	1,028	1,091	1,073	1,117	1,141
Not providing personal identification information (Not conforming to Article 7-(4))	1	0	0	0	2

With regard to results of the hearings for landing in 2016 $ (^{*}) $ , the number of cases where landing permission was granted as it was found during the hearing that the foreign national conformed to the conditions for landing was 1,740, an increase of 113 (6.9%) from 2015.

In addition, cases in which foreign nationals were ordered to depart Japan because they were found not to meet the conditions for landing at the hearing for landing by a special inquiry officer and who later submitted to the findings numbered 4,846, an increase of 1,154 (31.3%) from 2015. Cases in which foreign nationals filed an objection with the Minister of Justice because they were not satisfied with the findings by the special inquiry officer that they did not meet the conditions for landing numbered 1,827, a decrease of 547 (23.0%) from 2015 (Reference 14).

Reference 14 Changes in the processing of the hearings for landing

(Cases)

Year	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Division
Total	8,109	6,677	7,567	8,164	8,875
Landing permission	2,179	2,423	2,255	1,627	1,740
Expulsion order	1,606	2,079	2,730	3,692	4,846
Filing of objection	3,901	1,819	2,161	2,374	1,827
Withdrawal of the landing application	318	286	348	391	363
Others	105	70	73	80	99

$ ^{*} $ “Others” includes cases where the jurisdiction has changed or the application was withdrawn owing to the departure, etc.
### 2. Foreign Nationals Falling Under Any of the Grounds for Denial of Landing

In principle, foreign nationals denied permission for landing are those who (i) are ordered to depart Japan as a result of a hearing for landing or (ii) are ordered to depart Japan as a result of filing an objection with the Minister of Justice.

The number of foreign nationals denied permission for landing in 2016 was 5,805, an increase of 1,193 (25.9%) from 2015.

According to the statistics by nationality/region, the largest number of foreign nationals denied permission for landing came from Indonesia standing at 1,683 (29.0%), followed by Thailand at 1,002 (17.3%) and Taiwan at 579 (10.0%). These top three countries accounted for 56.2% of the total (Reference 15). The reason why the number of persons from Indonesia has continued to increase significantly since 2015 is probably due to the influence of the visa waiver to relax visa requirements for temporary visitors staying within 15 days enforced on December 1, 2014.
### 3. Special Permission for Landing

The number of cases in which the Minister of Justice granted special permission for landing to foreign nationals in 2016 was 1,418, a decrease of 528 (27.1%) from 2015 (Reference 16).

Reference 16 Changes in the number of objections filed and decisions by the Minister of Justice

Year
Division	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Filing of Objection (*)	3,910	1,871	2,179	2,386	1,845
Decisions	With reason (Landing Permission)	22	21	22	15	12
without reason	Order to depart	333	340	366	348	347
Special Permission for Landing	3,440	1,442	1,746	1,946	1,418
Withdrawal	63	50	33	59	57
Outstanding	52	18	12	18	11

$ ^{*} $ “Filing of Objection” includes the number of outstanding cases of the previous year.

## Section 3 Pre-entry Examination

### 1. Advance Consultation for Visa Issuance

The number of cases of advance consultation for visa issuance was 6,614 in 2016, showing an increase of 307 (4.9%) from 2015.

### 2. Certificate of Eligibility

The number of cases of applications for Certificates of Eligibility was 418,764 in 2016, an increase of 34,182 (8.9%) from 2015.

The advance consultation for visa issuance and the examination of Certificates of Eligibility are jointly called pre-entry examinations. In recent years, the number of processed cases of applications for the issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility has steadily accounted for most of the total number of processed cases of pre-entry examinations (Reference 17).

Reference 17 Changes in the number of cases of pre-entry examinations

(Cases)

Year Division	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Advance consultation for visa issuance	4,910	4,635	4,741	6,307	6,614
Application for a certificate of eligibility	266,273	282,428	290,119	384,582	418,764