The Opinion
—The Ideal Form of a Harmonious Coexistence Society
and its Medium- to Long-term Issues—
November 2021
Advisory Panel of Experts for the Realization of a Society
of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals
Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1 Ideal Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign
Nationals (Three Visions) ............................................................. 6
1 A society where all foreign nationals are included as members of
Japanese future society, and where all people can live safely and
comfortably ......................................................................................................... 6
2 A diverse and vibrant society in which all people, including foreign
nationals, from various backgrounds can participate and demonstrate
their abilities to their fullest............................................................................... 6
3 A society in which all people, including foreign nationals, respect each
other’s individual dignity and human rights and can live without
discrimination or prejudice................................................................................ 7
Chapter 2 Changes in the Situation of Foreign Residents in Japan........... 9
1 General Remarks................................................................................................ 9
2 Particulars ........................................................................................................... 9
(1) Changes in the number of foreign residents by status of residence ...................................9
(2) Changes in the number of foreign residents by nationality and region............................10
(3) Changes in the number of foreign residents by age (by age group of five years)............11
(4) Changes in the number of foreign residents by gender....................................................11
(5) Changes in the foreign population by local government..................................................12
Chapter 3 Direction of the Initiatives to Realize a Society of
Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals .................... 13
1 Initiatives Such as Japanese Language Education for Smooth
Communication and Participation in Society ................................................ 13
(1) Current situation and issues .............................................................................................13
a. Provide opportunities for Japanese language education...................................................13
b. Structured Japanese language learning at each life stage.................................................14
c. Improvement of the quality of Japanese language education...........................................14
(2) Direction of the initiatives................................................................................................14
a. Establishment of an environment that enables foreign nationals to acquire the
Japanese language skills necessary for daily life .............................................................15
b. Establishment of an environment that enables foreign nationals to learn Japanese
language in a structured manner for each life stage.........................................................16
c. Promotion of initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of Japanese language
education and securing professionals...............................................................................16
d. Promotion of initiatives to make it easier to learn Japanese language.............................17
2 Disseminating Information to Foreign Nationals/Strengthening
Consultation Systems for Foreign Nationals.................................................. 18
(1) Current situation and issues .............................................................................................18
a. Information dissemination to foreign nationals................................................................18
b. Consultation systems for foreign nationals......................................................................18
(2) Direction of the initiatives................................................................................................19
a. Enhancement of information dissemination from the perspective of foreign nationals...19
b. Strengthening the consultation system to help foreign nationals with their problems.....20
c. Providing information and consultation services in multiple languages and further
promoting the use of plain Japanese ................................................................................21
3 Support for Each Life Stage and Life Cycle................................................... 22
(1) Current situation and issues .............................................................................................22
(2) Direction of the initiatives................................................................................................22
a. Support for foreign nationals mainly during infancy, school age, and the early stage
of adolescence and adulthood (e.g., support for pregnancy, childbirth, child rearing,
schooling, and higher education) .....................................................................................23
b. Support for foreign nationals, especially those in adolescence and adulthood (e.g.,
support for employment)..................................................................................................27
c. Support for foreign nationals, especially those in old age (e.g., support for long-term
care)..................................................................................................................................29
4 Initiatives to Establish the Foundation of Society of Harmonious
Coexistence ...................................................................................................... 30
(1) Current situation and issues .............................................................................................31
a. Raising awareness to realize a society of harmonious coexistence..................................31
b. Creating systems to acquire knowledge of social systems...............................................31
c. Grasping the actual living conditions of foreign nationals...............................................31
d. Collection of information and cooperation among relevant organizations for the
support and residence management of foreign nationals .................................................32
e. Social participation of foreign nationals ..........................................................................32
(2) Direction of the initiatives................................................................................................33
a. Raising awareness to realize a society of harmonious coexistence..................................33
b. Creating a system to acquire knowledge of social systems..............................................35
c. Improvement of government statistics to investigate on the actual living conditions of
foreign nationals...............................................................................................................35
d. Enhancement of information collections and strengthening of cooperation among
relevant organizations for the development of infrastructure for realizing the society
of harmonious coexistence...............................................................................................37
e. Creating a system where foreign nationals also play an active role in a society of
harmonious coexistence ...................................................................................................41
Closing Remarks............................................................................................ 44
List of the Members of the Advisory Panel of Experts for the Realization
of Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals................. 46
Past Meetings of the Advisory Panel of Experts for the Realization of
Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals..................... 47
- 1 -
Introduction
The number of foreign nationals living in Japan was about 2.89 million at the end of
2020, decreasing from the record high set at the end of 2019. However, the population
increased significantly from 1.08 million 30 years ago (at the end of 1990), 1.69 million
20 years ago (at the end of 2000), and 2.13 million 10 years ago (at the end of 2010)1.Under these circumstances, promoting initiatives to realize a society of harmonious
coexistence with foreign nationals is obviously a matter of urgency. The revised
Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act enforced in 1990 created a new status
of residence called "Long-Term Resident," which attracted Japanese descendants mainly
from South American countries. The increased migration of Japanese descendants has led
communities to recognize the importance of harmonious coexistence with them and
prompted local governments, particularly those with a large community of foreign
nationals, to take necessary action. On March 27, 2006, the Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Communications formulated the Plan for the Promotion of Multicultural Coexistence
in Local Communities, and using this as a model, local governments have begun to
formulate their own multicultural coexistence guidelines and plans2.Amid the emergence of educational, employment, and other issues, on December 25,
2006, the government compiled the Comprehensive Measures for "Foreign Nationals as
Residents"3
to enable foreign nationals to live in Japan as members of society while using
the same public services as Japanese people.
The global financial crisis that occurred in September 2008 made it difficult for many
foreign residents, particularly those of Japanese descent, to keep their jobs and earn a
living. As represented by the Action Plan on Measures for Foreign Residents of Japanese
Descent4
formulated on March 31, 2011, the government’s measures to develop an1The numbers until 2011 are those of registered foreign nationals while the numbers from 2012 are
those of residing foreign nationals.2The Plan for the Promotion of Multicultural Coexistence was revised in September 2020 to reflect
socioeconomic changes, such as the increasing foreign resident population and its diversification of
nationalities, the creation of a new status of residence called "Specified Skilled Worker," moves to
bring diversity and inclusiveness into society, the progress of digitization, and increasing devastating
weather disasters.3The Comprehensive Measures were compiled by the Inter-ministerial Liaison Council for Foreign
Worker Issues on December 25, 2006. They include (1) making communities more livable for foreign
nationals, (2) improving the education of foreign children, (3) improving the working environment
for foreign nationals and promoting their enrollment in social insurance, and (4) reviewing the
residency management system for foreign nationals.4The action plan was determined by the Council for the Promotion of Measures for Foreign Residents
of Japanese Descent on March 31, 2011. The action plan aims to specify measures for foreign
residents in five fields: (1) Japanese language education, (2) childcare and education, (3) job security,
(4) social security, and (5) respect for cultural diversity.
- 2 -
environment to accept foreign nationals had been focused on foreign residents of Japanese
descent until around 2010. To promote the acceptance of foreign nationals, the
government has taken various measures, including formulating the 300,000 International
Student Plan 5
in 2008, starting a points-based system for highly-skilled foreign
professionals in 2012, and introducing a new Technical Intern Training Program in 2017.
In order to solve the serious labor shortage in small- to medium-sized businesses, the
government decided to create new statuses of residence in the Basic Policy on Economic
and Fiscal Management and Reform 2018 on June 15, 2018. The national government
also showed its commitment to realizing a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign
nationals as the population of foreign nationals is expected to continue to rise.
In line with these moves, the Cabinet approved "the Basic Policy on Operations for the
Development of an Environment for Acceptance of Foreign Nationals" on July 24, 2018.
This policy requires relevant ministries and agencies to work more closely to develop an
environment to accept foreign nationals effectively and efficiently in cooperation with
local governments under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice.
On the same day, the Ministerial Conference on Acceptance and Coexistence of
Foreign Nationals (hereinafter referred to as "Ministerial Conference") was established
to make government-wide efforts based on the close cooperation between relevant
administrative agencies in order to discuss what is needed to realize a society of
harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals. On December 25, 2018, the Ministerial
Conference compiled the Comprehensive Measures for Acceptance and Coexistence of
Foreign Nationals (hereinafter referred to as "Comprehensive Measures") (Reference 1)
to help realize a society where both Japanese and foreign nationals can live comfortably
and safely.
The Comprehensive Measures, which have been refined through revisions, including
the 2021 revision approved by the Ministerial Conference on June 15, 2021 (Reference
2), are taking root in Japanese society as a policy providing a direction for the realization
of a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.
As discussed above, Japan’s efforts to develop an environment to accept foreign
nationals have been made in accordance with the Comprehensive Measures. However, in
an emergency situation of the spread of COVID-19, which started at the beginning of
2020, it became clear that they are having problems in various situations such as daily
life and employment. That is because many foreign nationals do not fully understand the5In 2008, this plan was formulated to accept 300,000 international students by 2020 as part of the
global strategy to make Japan more open to the world and expand the flow of people, goods, money,
and information to and from Asia and the rest of the world.
- 3 -
Japanese language, Japanese customs or social systems because they have not been
provided enough opportunities to learn them or do not have easy access to necessary
information because they do not know where they can get it. In addition, some foreign
nationals have faced discrimination based on misunderstandings and prejudice, as
evidenced by news reports about shops that have refused to allow them to enter.
In the meantime, the international community recognizes the importance of the
Sustainable Development Goals (the "SDGs")6
more strongly than ever as the COVID-
19 has pushed vulnerable people into a corner. The SDGs echo human security principles
and pledge to create a sustainable, diverse, and inclusive society that "leaves no one
behind," consisting of 17 international goals, including ensuring inclusive and equitable
quality education for all and reducing inequalities within and among countries. The
international community calls for all relevant parties to take action not only to overcome
the difficulties caused by the COVID-19, but also to create a more sustainable and
inclusive society to achieve the SDGs.
The SDGs Action Plan 2021, the government’s package of concrete measures to
promote the SDGs, considers the Comprehensive Measures as part of the efforts to
"promote diversity and barrier-free society," linking them with the international goals of
Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth,
Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Peace, Justice and Strong
Institutions7.Local governments, private support groups, and volunteer groups have long taken a
leading role in making innovative efforts to achieve coexistence with foreign nationals.
On the other hand, private companies, which have benefited from the acceptance of
foreign nationals amid a serious labor shortage, are now required to join the efforts to
develop an environment to accept foreign nationals under the National Action Plan on
Business and Human Rights (formulated by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Japan’s
National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights on October 16, 2020) (Reference 3).
In the Free and Fair Trade section of the Carbis Bay G7 Summit Communiqué, delivered6The SDGs are international goals to achieve a better and more sustainable world by 2030, which
were included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and unanimously adopted at the
September 2015 UN summit as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
established in 2001. In order to create a sustainable, diverse, and inclusive society that "leaves no one
behind," the SDGs have 17 international goals, under which there are 169 targets and 231 indicators
(as of March 2020).7The SDGs Action Plan 2021, adopted at the ninth meeting of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) Promotion Headquarters on December 21, 2020, considers the Comprehensive Measures as
part of the efforts to create an inclusive and gender-equal society.
- 4 -
at the G7 Cornwall Summit held in the U.K. in June 20218
, the leaders agreed on the
importance of upholding human rights and international labor standards throughout
global supply chains and tackling instances of forced labor. Under this agreement, there
needs to be more respect for the human rights of foreign nationals working in Japan.9
Under these circumstances, as measures to develop an environment to accept foreign
nationals, the government needs not only to complete the short-term task of revising the
Comprehensive Measures in consideration of the impact of the COVID-19 on foreign
nationals, but also to establish visions for a society of harmonious coexistence with them,
set medium- to long-term goals, and make more efforts with local governments and the
private sector to achieve these visions and goals.
Since February 2021, we have met once a month and studied what a society of
harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals should be like and what medium- to long-
term tasks should be addressed to realize it in order to express our opinions to the
Ministerial Conference. In this process, we have considered that it is necessary to present
national visions for a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals in order
to bring it to fruition.
As a result of these meetings, we now present the following three visions for an ideal
society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals in line with the philosophy of
the SDGs, which set forth international goals for creating a sustainable, diverse, and
inclusive society that "leaves no one behind" (see Chapter 1 "Ideal Society of Harmonious
Coexistence with Foreign Nationals (Three Visions)") (Reference 4).
Asociety where foreign nationals are included as members of Japanese future society,
and where all people can live safely and comfortably
 A diverse and vibrant society in which all people, including foreign nationals, from
various backgrounds can participate and demonstrate their abilities to their fullest
 A society in which all people, including foreign nationals, respect each other’s
individual dignity and human rights and can live without discrimination or prejudice
As medium- to long-term issues that must be addressed in order to realize a society of
harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, we have determined four priority areas
and the direction of initiatives: (1) initiatives such as Japanese language education for8The G7 Summit took place in Cornwall, United Kingdom from June 11 to 13, 2021.9The Analysis and Evaluation Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
to the comments by the Government of Japan regarding the Concluding Observations of the
Committee (CERD/C/JPN/CO/10-11) (September 2020) (available on the website of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs) expresses the Committee’s concern over reports that technical intern trainees are
subjected to poor working conditions, abusive and exploitative practices, and bonded labor-like
situations.
- 5 -
smooth communication and participation in society, (2) disseminating information to
foreign nationals/strengthening consultation systems for foreign nationals, (3) support for
each life stage and life cycle10
, and (4) initiatives to establish the foundation of a society
of harmonious coexistence (see Chapter 3 "Direction of the Initiatives to Realize a Society
of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals").
We would like the government to complete all the initiatives within five years,
beginning with those that can be started soon, in line with the direction of the initiatives.
When taking initiatives in line with the direction of the initiatives, the government
should organize various measures taken by local governments for local residents and
establish a system that enables local governments to apply such measures that fit their
local needs.
We would like the Ministerial Conference to take seriously the fact that the realization
of a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals is an important challenge
that affects the future and nature of Japan. We strongly hope that the government will
accurately grasp the current situation, indicate the ideal society of harmonious
coexistence with foreign nationals and their measures to be taken to achieve it, and
compile them into a medium- to long-term action plan incorporated with KPIs (key
performance indicators) based on our visions for a society of harmonious coexistence
with foreign nationals and the direction of the initiatives presented in this report.10We discussed priority areas using the words "life stage" and "life cycle." We used "life stage" to
discuss whether foreign nationals are provided with sufficient support for social participation in the
stages of "infancy" (ages 0 to 5), "school stage" (ages 6 to 15), "adolescence and adulthood" (ages
16 to 64), and "senior stage" (ages 65 and older). We used "life cycle" to discuss what support foreign
nationals need to live in Japan as they grow older and transition from one stage of life to another
according to their own choice.
- 6 -
Chapter 1 Ideal Society of Harmonious Coexistence with
Foreign Nationals (Three Visions)
1 A society where foreign nationals are included as members of
Japanese future society, and all people can live safely and comfortably
In order to realize an ideal society of harmonious coexistence with foreign
nationals, the government needs to create a society where foreign residents,
including those who stay temporarily in Japan, are included as members of society
with a sufficient safety net, and all people can live in safety and security.
Some foreign nationals do not fully understand Japanese language, culture,
customs, and social systems, including taxes and social security, because they have
not been provided with sufficient opportunities to learn about them. Therefore, the
government needs to create a system to guarantee them opportunities to learn
Japanese and provide them with information on Japanese culture, customs, and social
systems so that they can fully understand these aspects of Japan.
When providing support to foreign nationals, the government needs to consider
the language barrier and other difficulties that they face, work closely with local
governments, schools, businesses, and private support groups, and understand their
circumstances and support needs as an effort to provide support from their viewpoint.
Since the difficulties faced by many foreign nationals may also be faced by many
"individuals who have roots in foreign countries,"11
the government should also
consider such people when formulating support measures.
This approach is consistent with the philosophy of the SDGs, which aims to create
a society that "leaves no one behind" and is also needed to realize a stable society
free from immobilized disparity or social division.
Furthermore, the national government needs to continuously help all foreign
nationals have access to rights that everyone should enjoy, such as education for
children, which is the foundation of life, and medical services, including maternal
and child health services.
2 A diverse and vibrant society in which all people, including foreign
nationals, from various backgrounds can participate and demonstrate
their abilities to their fullest
Since the Comprehensive Measures for "Foreign Nationals as Residents" were
compiled in December 2006, Japan’s efforts to develop an environment to accept11"Individuals who have roots in foreign countries" refers to people whose parent or parents are of
foreign origin, regardless of their nationality.
- 7 -
foreign nationals have centered on a social welfare approach that enables them to use
the same public services as Japanese people and live safely.
However, there are growing expectations for foreign nationals as members of
society because many among them are playing active roles in Japan, such as young
foreign nationals who received education in Japan, foreign researchers and
executives who contribute to Japan’s social and economic development with their
advanced knowledge and skills, and foreign residents who volunteer to interpret in
times of disaster and who join a residents’ association or volunteer to be in a fire
brigade or on a PTA committee.
In taking a medium- to long-term perspective in promoting the efforts to realize a
society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, the government needs to
do more than only incorporate vitality into Japanese society by accepting foreign
workers in professional and technical fields; the government needs to create a society
in which all people, including foreign nationals, with various backgrounds are
provided with opportunities for social participation and demonstrate their abilities to
their fullest. If all people, including foreign nationals, can fully demonstrate their
abilities and become active members of society, Japan can achieve a virtuous cycle
that leads to growth and innovation and leads to a diverse and vibrant society.
Therefore, it is necessary to understand that a society of harmonious coexistence
with foreign nationals is not only for their benefit, but also for the growth of all
people, businesses, and communities in Japan, and ultimately society as a whole.
3 A society in which all people, including foreign nationals, respect each
other’s individual dignity and human rights and can live without
discrimination or prejudice
In the ideal society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, all people,
including foreign nationals, need to consider our diversity as the wealth of society
and respect each other’s individual dignity and human rights in lieu of considering it
as a difference that should be subject to discrimination and exclusion. This
philosophy should be the foundation of such a society, where no individual dignity
or human rights must be violated. In this respect, hate speech 12
and hate
propaganda13
, which hurt each other’s dignity and cause discrimination, must not be12Hate speech refers to any one-sided speech, such as attempting to harm or ostracize someone from
Japanese society solely because he or she is from a specific country or a descendant of someone from
a specific country. The Hate Speech Elimination Act enforced on June 3, 2016 declares that all forms
of unfair discriminatory speech and behavior against people of foreign origin should not exist.13Hate propaganda refers to any malicious false information on a specific race or people in a specific
- 8 -
tolerated in order to realize an affluent, safe, and mature society where individual
human rights are respected.
In addition, in order to respect each other’s individual dignity and human rights,
all people also need a better understanding of the necessity and significance of
building a society together, and to be a member of a society that abides by the rules.
Only by maintaining such a society, safety, security, and vitality can be provided.
In order to create such a society, it is essential for all people to respect and understand
each other, and abide by the rules as fellow citizens who will build the Japanese
future society together.
region.
- 9 -
Chapter 2 Changes in the Situation of Foreign Residents in
Japan
1 General Remarks (Reference 5)
The total population of Japan peaked at 128,083,960 in 2008 and has been on the
continued decline since 2011, dropping to 126,226,568 in 202014.While the total population is on the decrease, the number of foreign residents15ison the rise, reaching a record high of 2,933,137 and accounting for 2.32% of the total
population by the end of 2019. The number of foreign residents at the end of 2020
decreased by 46,021 year-on-year to 2,887,116, accounting for 2.29% of the total
population, mainly because the number of foreign nationals entering Japan decreased
significantly due to the COVID-1916.In addition, while the working-age population (ages 15 to 64) has been
consistently decreasing since its peak of 87.26 million in 199517
, the number of
foreign workers reached a record high of 1,724,328 by the end of October 2020
despite the COVID-19.
2 Particulars
(1) Changes in the number of foreign residents by status of residence
(Reference 6)
Changes in the number and ratio of foreign residents by status of residence over
the 10-year period from 2010 to 2020 show that at the end of 2010, "Permanent
Resident" status was the largest group of foreign residents (565,089 or 27.1%),
followed by "Special Permanent Resident" (399,106 or 19.1%), "Student"
(201,511 or 9.7%), "Spouse or Child of Japanese National" (196,248 or 9.4%),
and "Long-Term Resident" (194,602 or 9.3%), and that at the end of 2020,
"Permanent Resident" status was the largest group of foreign residents (807,517
or 28.0%), followed by "Technical Intern Training" (378,200 or 13.1%), "Special
Permanent Resident" (304,430 or 10.5%), "Engineer/Specialist in14The data is based on the Population Estimates (as of October 1 of each year) and the Population
Census (the total population in 2020 is based on preliminary results) of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications. The total population in 2011 was 127,834,233.15"Foreign resident" refers to mid- to long-term residents and special permanent residents.16According to the Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan and the Number of Japanese
Nationals Departing Japan in 2020 released by the Immigration Services Agency (on March 31,
2021), the number of foreign arrivals in 2020 was 4,307,257, a decrease of 26,879,922 (86.2%) from
the previous year.17The data is based on the Population Estimates (as of October 1 of each year) of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs and Communications.
- 10 -
Humanities/International Services" (283,380 or 9.8%), and "Student" (280,901 or
9.7%). Although "Permanent Residents" status continues to account for more than
a quarter of the total number of foreign residents, there was a significant increase
in the number of "Technical Intern Training" and "Engineer/Specialist in
Humanities/International Services" status holders.
(2) Changes in the number of foreign residents by nationality and region
(References 7 and 8)
Changes in the number and ratio of foreign residents by nationality and region
over the 10-year period from 2010 to 2020 show that at the end of 2010,
residents from "China" were the largest group (678,391 or 32.5%), followed by
"Korea" (560,799 or 26.9%) 18
, "Brazil" (228,702 or 11.0%), "Philippines"
(200,208 or 9.6%), and "Peru" (52,385 or 2.5%), and at the end of 2020, residents
from "China" were the largest group (778,112 or 27.0%), followed by "Vietnam"
(448,053 or 15.5%), "Republic of Korea (R.O. Korea)" and "Korea" (454,122 or
15.7%)19
, "Philippines" (279,660 or 9.7%), and "Brazil" (208,538 or 7.2%). The
numbers of residents from "R.O. Korea," "Korea," and "Brazil" decreased, while
the number of residents from "China" increased, although their ratio to the total
population of foreign residents decreased. Meanwhile, the number of residents
from "Vietnam," which was 41,354 at the end of 2010, increased significantly to
448,053 by the end of 2020.
Changes in the number of foreign workers by nationality and region also show
a significant increase in the number of foreign workers from "Vietnam," which
replaced "China" (419,431) as the largest foreign workforce (443,998) by the end
of October 2020.18In the former Registered Alien Statistics, those with "Korea" and those with "R.O. Korea" in the
nationality section of their alien registration card are recorded together as "Korea."19The Statistics on Foreign Residents in Japan published by the Immigration Services Agency have
divided "Korea" into "R.O. Korea" and "Korea" since the end of 2012. For comparison with the
number of residents from "Korea" at the end of 2010, however, this report uses the expression "‘R.O.
Korea’ and ‘Korea’" and shows the total number of residents from "R.O. Korea" and "Korea." The
number of residents from "R.O. Korea" at the end of 2020 was 426,908.
- 11 -
(3) Changes in the number of foreign residents by age (by age group of
five years) (References 9, 10, and 11)
Changes in the number of foreign residents by age group of five years over the
10-year period from 2010 to 2020 show that while the number of foreign residents
in all age groups increased, the number of foreign residents in their 20s in
particular increased by about 300,00020
. The number of elderly (referring to the
age group of 65 and older; hereinafter the same) foreign residents at the end of
2020 was 190,947, accounting for 6.6% of the number of foreign residents, which
is lower than the ratio of the population aged 65 and older to the total population
of Japan (the population aging rate) which stands at 28.8% (as of January 1,
2021)21.Over the 10-year period from 2010 to 2020, the number of elderly foreign
residents increased by 59,677, from 131,270 at the end of 2010 to 190,947 at the
end of 2020, which is expected to continue increasing as more foreign residents
are settling in Japan.
In terms of statuses of residence, foreign residents in their 20s were mostly
"Students," "Technical Intern Training," or "Engineer/Specialist in
Humanities/International Services." The ratio of "Permanent Resident" increases
gradually from those in their mid-30s, and "Permanent Resident" account for a
majority of those in their mid-40s to mid-60s.
(4) Changes in the number of foreign residents by gender (References
11 and 12)
At the end of 2020, the ratio of female foreign residents to the total foreign
population was 50.5%, slightly higher than the male ratio of 49.5%.
In terms of the age groups of male and female foreign residents, more men were
in their 20s and 30s while more women were in their 40s and older. In terms of
the age groups and statuses of residence, more than 60% of women in their mid-
40s to mid-60s were "Permanent Residents."20While the data as of the end of 2010 is based on the former Registered Alien Statistics, the data as
of the end of 2020 is based on the Statistics on Foreign Residents in Japan published by the
Immigration Services Agency. From the end of 2010 to the end of 2020, the "0 to 9" age group
increased by 46,141, the "10 to 19" age group by 21,976, the "20 to 29" age group by 302,079, the
"30 to 39" age group by 147,618, the "40 to 49" age group by 44,987, the 50 to 59" age group by
105,026, the "60 to 69" age group by 47,157, the "70 to 79" age group by 27,600, and the "80 and
older" age group by 10,381.21The Population Estimates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications show that as of
January 1, 2021, Japan had a total population of 125.63 million (an estimate based on the 2015
Population Census) and a population aged 65 and over of 36.215 million, which accounted for 28.8%
of the total population (the population aging rate).
- 12 -
(5) Changes in the foreign population22 by local government
Changes in the foreign population by prefecture and municipality over the five-
year period from 2015 to 2020 show that both in 2015 and 2020, local
governments in three major metropolitan areas 23
had the largest foreign
population with no noticeable changes24
. The changes in the percentage of foreign
nationals in municipal populations over the five-year period from 2015 to 2020
show that at the end of 2015, Ikuno Ward, Osaka City had the largest percentage
(27.3%), followed by Oizumi Town, Gunma (18.5%), Shinjuku Ward (12.3%),
Naka Ward, Yokohama City (11.3%), and Naniwa Ward, Osaka City (11.2%), and
that at the end of 2020, Shimukappu Village, Hokkaido had the largest percentage
(47.0%), followed by Ikuno Ward, Osaka City (28.4%), Oizumi Town, Gunma
(23.5%), Kutchan Town, Hokkaido (17.3%), and Rusutsu Village, Hokkaido
(17.0%)25.The foreign population growth rates by municipality from 2015 to 2020 show
that Kutchan Town, Hokkaido had the largest growth rate (226.0%), followed by
Kato City, Hyogo (197.2%), Hakuba Village, Nagano (181.1%), Tadotsu Town,
Kagawa (148.4%), and Nabari City, Mie (137.0%)26
. This growth has been
significant not only in urban municipalities with large populations, but also rural
municipalities with small populations.22The foreign population refers to the population of foreign nationals eligible for the Basic Resident
Registration System, or more specifically, the population of mid- to long-term residents, special
permanent residents, foreign nationals granted permission for temporary refuge, foreign nationals
granted permission for provisional stay, foreign nationals granted transitional stay due to birth, and
foreign nationals granted transitional stay due to loss of nationality.23"Three major metropolitan areas" refers to a generic term for the Tokyo area (Tokyo, Kanagawa,
Saitama, and Chiba), the Nagoya area (Aichi, Gifu, and Mie), and the Osaka area (Osaka, Hyogo,
Kyoto, and Nara).24The data is based on "Population, Demographic Changes, and Number of Households Based on the
Basic Register of Residents" published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. In
both 2015 and 2020, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, and Osaka were the top prefectures with the
most foreign nationals, while Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe were the top cities with
the most foreign nationals.25The data is based on "Population, Demographic Changes, and Number of Households Based on the
Basic Register of Residents" published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.26The data is based on "Population, Demographic Changes, and Number of Households Based on the
Basic Register of Residents" published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The
survey targeted local governments with a foreign population of 1,000 or more as of January 1, 2020.
- 13 -
Chapter 3 Direction of the Initiatives to Realize a Society of
Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals
As a mid- to long-term task to be addressed in order to realize the vision of the ideal
society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals as shown in Chapter 1, the
government needs to first and foremost provide foreign nationals with opportunities to
learn the Japanese language needed for daily life and according to their life stages. From
this perspective, we will discuss the initiatives such as Japanese language education for
smooth communication and participation in society as the first key point.
The government also needs to ensure that foreign nationals have quick access to
necessary support in order to enable all to live safely and comfortably without being left
behind not only during ordinary times, but also in emergencies such as the COVID-19.
From this perspective, we will discuss disseminating information to foreign nationals and
strengthening consultation systems for foreign nationals as the second key point.
In addition, it is necessary to study measures necessary for foreign nationals to live in
or transition between the life stages of "infancy," "school stage," "adolescence and
adulthood," and "senior stage," while considering foreign nationals from multiple
perspectives by linking each life stage with life activities, such as schooling and
employment. From this perspective, we will discuss support for each life stage and life
cycle as the third key point.
To perform these three key points, it is important that the government plan and
formulate measures that fully reflect the actual living conditions of foreign nationals.
When implementing these measures, the government should ensure that all people,
including foreign nationals, understand the significance of building a society together,
and promote close cooperation among relevant organizations that contribute to the
support of foreign nationals and adequate residency management. From this perspective,
we will discuss initiatives to establish the foundation of a society of harmonious
coexistence as the fourth key point.
1 Initiatives Such as Japanese Language Education for Smooth
Communication and Participation in Society
(1) Current situation and issues
a. Provide opportunities for Japanese language education
The government has taken various measures to provide opportunities for
Japanese language education in a region, such as more support for opening
Japanese language schools in municipalities where there were none before.
As of November 2020, however, as many as 580,000 foreign residents lived
- 14 -
in such municipalities, and it is still difficult to say that foreign residents are
provided with sufficient opportunities to receive Japanese language education.
While the government provides foreign residents with information on social
rules and systems, some local governments offer a daily life orientation
program for new foreign residents. Regional discrepancies in the availability
and range of such public support have caused differences in their understanding
of Japan’s customs and social systems.
b. Structured Japanese language learning at each life stage
Although Japanese language education for each life stage, such as Japanese
language education at schools and workplaces, is independently provided by
relevant ministries and agencies, foreign residents find it difficult to learn
Japanese in a structured manner according to their needs and levels because
there is no standard for the Japanese level required for each life stage.
c. Improvement of the quality of Japanese language education
Japanese language teachers at Japanese language education institutions27
vary in quality and ability and have difficulty building long-term careers
mainly due to inadequate compensation. It is therefore essential to improve the
quality and quantity of Japanese language teachers.
(2) Direction of the initiatives
It is important for all foreign nationals to understand Japanese language and
customs and social systems in order to live safely and comfortably without being
left behind not only during ordinary times, but also in emergencies like the
COVID-19.
From this perspective, the government needs to provide them with opportunities
to learn Japanese for daily life and emergencies and to understand Japanese
customs and social systems.
In addition, it is important to enable them to access Japanese language education
that fits their individual needs and levels from anywhere at any time so that they
can learn the necessary Japanese and fully demonstrate their Japanese proficiency
when entering a new life stage, such as progressing to higher-level education or
getting a job.
When providing these opportunities, it is necessary to ensure that certain
educational standards and enough teachers are provided in Japanese language
education institutions.27A "Japanese language education institution" refers to the "institution providing Japanese language
education" as defined in Article 7 of the Act on Promotion of Japanese Language Education.
- 15 -
For this purpose, the government needs to continue its current efforts to improve
Japanese language education and discuss new actions described below.
a. Establishment of an environment that enables foreign nationals to
acquire the Japanese language skills necessary for daily life
(a) Provide opportunities for Japanese language education aimed at acquiring
the level of Japanese language necessary for daily life, and providing support
for participating orientation programs in order to adapt themselves smoothly
to society
In cooperation with local governments and companies, the government
should provide foreign nationals with opportunities to learn Japanese for daily
life that fit their needs and levels at Japanese language education institutions
at free of charge for a certain period.
For this purpose, the government should consider providing human
resources and systems that assess the Japanese learning needs and Japanese
levels of households that include a foreign national soon after their arrival and
help them create learning plans and learn Japanese language according to
their individual learning needs and levels so that foreign nationals can learn
Japanese language at a Japanese language education institution that meets
their learning needs and levels (see Item d (b), Section 4 (2), Chapter 3).
In order to provide opportunities to learn Japanese language nationwide,
the government should also make more efforts to increase the availability of
Japanese language education through the Program to Promote the Elimination
of Communities without Japanese Language Classes and other relevant
programs.
Furthermore, the government needs to offer daily life orientation programs
(which provide basic information necessary to live in Japan, such as social
rules and manners) because foreign nationals need to understand Japanese
customs and social systems as well as the language to access the information
necessary for daily life, and many of them want to learn Japanese out of their
interest in Japanese culture and society. Therefore, the government is
responsible for helping local governments and companies offer free daily life
orientation programs.
When providing the support concerned, the government should inform
foreign nationals of Japanese language and daily life orientation programs at
every opportunity, including through residence status applications,
consultation services at the Foreign Residents Support Center (hereinafter
- 16 -
referred to as "FRESC") and at local government support desks, as well as
through social media.
(b) Create curricula and teaching materials for learning Japanese for daily life
When the government provides foreign nationals with support for
participating in a Japanese language program that teaches Japanese for daily
life or a daily life orientation program, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the
Immigration Services Agency, and other relevant ministries and agencies
should work closely to create curricula and teaching materials.
(c) Provide online courses
The COVID-19 has prompted nationwide Japanese language education
institutions to start online courses, which have attracted remote and overseas
learners. If schools combine face-to-face classes with online courses, which
have such advantages as better accessibility and less time and financial
burdens, they can make learning more effective. For this reason, the
government and Japanese language education institutions should consider
providing online courses using their existing knowledge about ICT materials
development in order to maximize learning effectiveness.
b. Establishment of an environment that enables foreign nationals to
learn Japanese language in a structured manner for each life stage
Relevant ministries and agencies should work closely to create guidelines
that help foreign nationals to learn Japanese language according to their life
stages so that they can see the levels of Japanese language they can acquire
systematically through continuous efforts.
In order to select and participate in a Japanese language education institution
which meets their learning needs and level, the government should establish a
system that can objectively assess and clearly indicate the educational
standards of each institutions by utilizing the evaluation criteria for Japanese
language proficiency in the report on the framework of reference for Japanese
language education.
c. Promotion of initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of
Japanese language education and securing professionals
The government should establish a qualification tentatively called "Certified
Teacher of Japanese" to improve the quality of Japanese language education
and establish a system to allow Japanese language teachers to build a long-term
career in order to make the profession sustainable. This system will encourage
the proactive recruitment of motivated people, and ensure sufficient qualified
- 17 -
Japanese language teachers.
The government should also classify Japanese language education
institutions so that foreign nationals who want to acquire the Japanese
proficiency that meets their learning needs and levels can receive necessary
Japanese language education.
d. Promotion of initiatives to make it easier to learn Japanese
In addition to the actions described above, the government needs to consider
taking the following initiatives to enhance the motivation of foreign nationals
to learn Japanese language.
(a) Provide more accessible learning opportunities
Some foreign nationals may find it difficult to attend a Japanese language
education institution for reasons such as work commitments or high tuition
fees even if they want to receive Japanese language education. If they are
provided with more accessible opportunities to learn Japanese language, such
as Japanese language classes in their workplaces, it is thought that they will
be more motivated to learn Japanese language.
For this reason, the government should urge companies to provide their
foreign workers with opportunities for Japanese language education that
meets their individual learning needs and levels. The government should also
ask economic associations to provide their member companies with necessary
support and discuss the introduction of preferential treatment linked to the
results of corporate efforts to develop an environment to accept foreign
nationals. In addition, the government should consider providing employers
with financial assistance for the costs of their learning support.
(b) Promote interaction in communities
Although foreign children are expected to improve their Japanese
proficiencies through school classes and interaction with Japanese children in
their communities, their parents have fewer opportunities to do so. The gap
in Japanese proficiency between parents and children can lead to
miscommunication between the two, and may also isolate them in the
community.
The government should therefore consider financial supporting social
events with local foreign residents in order to provide foreign parents and
children with opportunities to learn Japanese and deepen their relationship
with their communities through interaction with local residents.
- 18 -
2 Disseminating Information to Foreign Nationals/Strengthening
Consultation Systems for Foreign Nationals
(1) Current situation and issues
a. Information dissemination to foreign nationals
Although the Daily Life Support Portal for Foreign Nationals operated by
the Immigration Services Agency provides information on measures taken by
relevant ministries and agencies (including measures to support foreign
residents affected by the COVID-19), there is concern that it is difficult for
them to appropriately and promptly select information, such as which support
suits their circumstances.
Other concerns include the lack of reader-friendliness in information
provided by the government, which often consists of large amounts of text, and
there is also a mismatch between the means of communication of various
support information and the channels through which foreign nationals obtain it,
which makes it difficult for them to receive necessary support information.
b. Consultation systems for foreign nationals
Although the government assists local governments in establishing and
operating one-stop consulting counters by granting them subsidies for
preparation for an environment for acceptance of foreign nationals, some local
governments have difficulty securing necessary interpreters due to the
increasing number of foreign nationals and the diversification of nationalities.
Some local governments are calling for further assistance from the government
as well as the ease of the subsidy requirements so that they can use the subsidies
widely to meet their local needs28.Since problems faced by foreign nationals are often complex and intertwined
with issues of status of residence, discrimination and prejudice, economic
problems, and family problems including domestic violence, relevant
organizations need to cooperate closely to deal with their problems.
It was also revealed that, in response to the spread of COVID-19, the staff of
municipal offices and public health centers who work at the forefront of
supporting foreign residents are having difficulty communicating with foreign
residents who are not proficient in Japanese, because sufficient resources for
interpretation and translation are not available.
Moreover, in an emergency situation of the spread of COVID-19, it is28These include the Proposal to the Government for FY 2021 (August 2020) by the Greater Fukuoka
Administrative Promotion Council.
- 19 -
necessary to quickly and accurately understand the problems faced by foreign
residents and take timely support measures for them. There needs to be a
system that can quickly and accurately identify their problems so that public
support can be provided in a timely manner.
(2) Direction of the initiatives
The government needs to improve its information dissemination and
consultation systems to ensure that all foreign nationals can have prompt and
reliable access to the support they need so that they can live safely and
comfortably without being left behind.
When discussing the improvement of such functions, the government also needs
to consider providing more information needed to encourage the social
participation of foreign nationals as they are drawing public attention for their
growing motivation to participate in social services and their active roles in society,
such as volunteer interpreters in times of disaster.
For this reason, the government needs to continuously promote its current
efforts to improve the functions and discuss the new initiatives described below.
a. Enhancement of information dissemination from the perspective
of foreign nationals
(a) Devising the content of information (what to convey)
It is commendable that the Daily Life Support Portal for Foreign Nationals
operated by the Immigration Services Agency categorizes information on
measures taken by relevant ministries and agencies, including measures to
support foreign residents affected by the COVID-19, by support purpose,
such as "livelihood support" and "work support," which eliminates vertical
divisions between ministries and agencies.
Some local governments have guidelines on what information should be
provided in plain Japanese as well as the order of priority of such information
so that foreign residents who are not proficient in Japanese language can have
equal access to necessary information.
The government needs to promptly and accurately identify problems faced
by foreign nationals, and promote the accurate understanding and analysis of
the support and information they need by using such good practices of local
governments and all available resources, such as hearings to the relevant
parties conducted by the Immigration Services Agency (hereinafter referred
to as "Hearings to the Relevant Parties") (Reference 13), the Basic Survey on
Foreign Residents, and regular exchanges of opinions with private support
- 20 -
groups. The government should also create guidelines on what information
should be provided and take other measures in order to effectively
communicate information needed by foreign nationals.
(b) Information conveyance (how to convey)
Information communicated by administrative agencies becomes useful
only after it is read and considered necessary by foreign nationals. Therefore,
"how to convey" is just as important as "what to convey."
Since information communicated by the government often is composed of
large amounts of text, the government should ensure that the information is
read, recognized as necessary information at a glance, and understood by
foreign nationals, such as by making visual or design improvements to the
information.
(c) Devising means of conveyance
It is commendable that ministries and agencies make efforts to strengthen
information dissemination to reach out to foreign nationals such as providing
them with necessary support information on their websites and through their
social media as well as email newsletter services.
However, there is concern about a mismatch between the means by which
administrative agencies provide support information and the media through
which foreign nationals obtain such information. The government therefore
needs to identify the media (such as social media, word of mouth among
communities, and print media) used by foreign nationals to obtain
information by attribute, such as nationality, age group, gender, and area of
residence. In addition, the government should use social media
advertisements to target specific languages and regions or take other measures
for effective communication in order to ensure that foreign nationals who
need support can receive necessary information.
Mynaportal, the portal for the Individual Number System, sends tailor-
made and push-type notifications on various information useful for daily life.
Its information system should be modified so that the portal can also send
information on stay in Japan and entry and departure procedures for foreign
nationals (for the use of Mynaportal, see Item d (a), Section 4 (2), Chapter 3).
b. Strengthening the consultation system to help foreign nationals
with their problems
(a) Strengthening the support for one-stop consulting counters
From the perspective of improving the convenience of the one-stop
- 21 -
consulting counters and other support sections of local governments, the
government should secure interpreters on behalf of local governments and
provide interpretation services for foreign residents visiting such support
sections and their staff.
In addition, the government should provide one-stop consulting counters
with support that meets the needs of local governments, such as creating one-
stop consulting counter guidelines and establishing a database of good
support practices by gathering and analyzing the previous efforts of one-stop
consulting counters. The government should also consider reviewing the
requirements for subsidies for preparation for an environment for the
acceptance of foreign nationals in order to promote the establishment of one-
stop consulting counters.
(b) Promotion of cooperation among relevant organizations and establishment
of a supporters’ network for foreign nationals in local communities
Since problems faced by foreign nationals are often complex and
intertwined with issues of status of residence, discrimination and prejudice,
economic problems, and family problems including domestic violence,
relevant organizations need to work closely to deal with their problems.
In addition to the above actions in (a), the government should provide on-
site support through regional cooperation among relevant organizations and
consider establishing consultation services jointly operated by multiple
organizations, like the FRESC, in order to enable local governments and
national government organizations, including Regional Immigration Services
Bureaus, to work together.
Moreover, the Immigration Services Agency should promote the building
of regional support networks for foreign nationals that meet regional needs,
provide information on the government’s support through private support
groups, and establish a system that can promptly and accurately identify
problems faced by foreign nationals.
(c) Train consultation service specialists for foreign nationals
From the perspective of providing better support, including consultation
services for foreign nationals, the government should discuss the creation of
a system to train and certify staff to coordinate comprehensive support (for
discussions on a system to train and certify personnel to coordinate
comprehensive support, see Item d (b), Section 4 (2), Chapter 3).
c. Providing information and consultation services in multiple
- 22 -
languages and further promoting the use of plain Japanese
Efforts should be continued to provide information and consultation services
in multiple languages.
The staff of local governments who work at the forefront of supporting
foreign residents should be able to provide foreign residents who are not
proficient in Japanese with necessary information and consultation services in
plain Japanese even if necessary interpretation and translation resources are not
available. For this purpose, the government should provide plain Japanese
training for local government officials, promote the development and
introduction of tools for AI-based automatic translation into plain Japanese,
and consider launching a plain Japanese proficiency test.
In addition, the government should promote the use of plain Japanese
through those efforts so that local government officials can communicate
smoothly with foreign residents even in life-threatening situations such as
disasters and medical treatment.
3 Support for Each Life Stage and Life Cycle
(1) Current situation and issues
The government provides support to foreign nationals in the life stage of
"infancy," "school stage," "adolescence and adulthood," and "senior stage." Our
study based on the Hearings to the Relevant Parties and other surveys has found
that more support is necessary in each life stage. In particular, as the population
of elderly foreign nationals is increasing, there is a lack of measures focused on
the "senior stage" group in the Comprehensive Measures (Reference 14).
Although the government needs to discuss support necessary for foreign nationals
in this life stage, it has yet to understand the circumstances and challenges of
elderly foreign nationals.
If a foreign national participates in Japanese society as an international student
in the life stage of "adolescence and adulthood" and returns home after working
in Japan for a few years, or if a foreign national continues living in Japan from
their birth until they reach the life stage of "senior stage," the foreign national
lives in Japanese society, transitioning from one life stage to another according to
their own choices. However, they often face challenges and need support when
enrolling in compulsory schooling, progressing to higher-level education, entering
the workforce, or transitioning to a new life stage.
(2) Direction of the initiatives
- 23 -
The government needs to continuously promote its current efforts for each life
stage and discuss the new actions described below.
a. Support for foreign nationals mainly during infancy, school stage,
and the early stage of adolescence and adulthood (e.g., support
for pregnancy, childbirth, child rearing, schooling, and higher
education)
Among support for foreign children, education is the foundation of life in
Japanese society and very important for them in order to achieve independence
and self-fulfillment in the future.
The government needs to take the support measures described in (a) to (e)
below, such as promoting enrollment into compulsory schooling and
employment afterwards, while being aware of support at each stage of life,
including pregnancy, childbirth, child rearing, and other preschool stages, as
well as career development, so that foreign children can be hopeful about their
future.
From the perspective of promoting more foreign children to enroll in
compulsory schooling and being discouraged from dropping out of high school,
it is essential that their parents fully understand the importance of compulsory
education and higher-level education. For this purpose, the government should
establish a system that informs parents of future opportunities available for
their children, such as by providing them with schooling information before
their arrival or before their children go to preschool29.(a) Establishment of an environment that facilitates child rearing
In order to make it easier for foreign parents to raise their children in their
communities without both being isolated, the government should conduct a
survey of the child rearing environment and needs of foreign nationals so as
to provide support that prevents their isolation in their communities, including
support for pregnancy and childbirth, and study support measures based on
the survey results.
(b) Keep track of the enrollment of foreign children in compulsory schooling
and support for establishing preschools
 Keep track of the enrollment of foreign children in compulsory schooling29"Preschool" refers to "any place that provides foreign children below school-age and their parents
with education or support to help them adapt smoothly to school life" (the Report on the Provision
of Better Education to Foreign Children and Students (March 2020) published by the Advisory Panel
of Experts for the Provision of Better Education to Foreign Children and Students).
- 24 -
The government should establish a system where local governments
(including their boards of education), the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology, Regional Immigration Services Bureaus,
and other relevant organizations work together to manage and keep track
of the regional enrollment of foreign children in compulsory schooling
in an integrated manner and support their enrollment in compulsory
schooling. In order to establish such a system, the government should
discuss how to ensure that foreign children undergo a medical
examination before entering school. The government should also
establish a nationwide system where local governments provide foreign
parents with guidance and support concerning enrollment in compulsory
schooling as to ensure that necessary arrangements for enrollment are
made for all school-age foreign children soon after their arrival.
Infancy is a critical period for forming the foundation of a lifelong
personality, including feelings, motivation, attitude, and basic lifestyle
habits. Since preschool education is important for children to lead a
fulfilling life, the government should ascertain the preschool education
of foreign children, including the attendance of foreign children at
kindergartens and nursery schools.
 Support for children who are not enrolled in compulsory schooling
The government and local governments should provide necessary
support to children who, for a variety of reasons, are not enrolled in
compulsory schooling, such as support for Japanese and native language
instruction with the cooperation of NPOs and other organizations in order
to facilitate school attendance, so that they can enter public school30. Support the establishment of preschools
Although some local governments provide preschool programs for
foreign children of preschool-age and their parents in accordance with
local needs, they vary in their availability and services. For this reason,
the government should promote the establishment of preschools and30A good example of support for the school attendance of foreign children is the Rainbow Bridge
Class Project in the Program to Support the School Attendance of the Children of Foreign Residents.
This program was conducted from FY2009 to FY2014 in order to provide opportunities to learn
Japanese and develop learning habits so that foreign children who became unable to go to school due
to the economic crisis in the fall of 2008 were smoothly transferred to public school. In FY2015, the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology launched its successor, the Program
to Promote the School Attendance of Foreign Residents.
- 25 -
improve their quality by creating and providing preschool manuals and
curricula. In this process, the government should take into account the
advanced efforts of local governments and differences in the
circumstances of local governments.
Since there is concern that scholarships and other support programs
that are available to foreign children are not well known or utilized,
preschool programs, including other available support programs, should
be made known to all foreign nationals.
(c) Establish a Japanese language teaching system that considers the native
languages and cultures of foreign children
It is important to ensure that foreign children can learn Japanese in
connection with their native languages in order to develop their identity,
Japanese language skills, and cognitive abilities, and work with a global
mindset backed by their multiple cultural backgrounds.
For this purpose, the government needs to promote the efforts of boards of
education and schools to cooperate with NPOs, international exchange
associations, or other groups to promote efforts to provide all foreign children
who need Japanese language instruction with opportunities to experience
their native languages and cultures inside and outside of schools curricular
and extracurricular activities.
(d) Provide foreign children with total career development
In order to provide foreign children with support for career development,
the government needs to further promote the current measures and consider
taking the measures described below.
 Provide information on school attendance before arrival
Depending on when they arrive in Japan and where they reside in Japan,
foreign children may not be able to utilize the special admission quota
for foreign students when applying to public high schools or may suffer
other study disadvantages. The national government and local
governments should therefore provide them with necessary information
on school attendance before their arrival so that they will not be left
behind upon beginning their life in Japanese society.
 Provide role models to motivate foreign children to study
The government should establish a system where foreign students can
be exposed to various career options through interaction with role models
(older foreign residents), field trips, and other opportunities in school
- 26 -
education, so that they will be motivated to learn by having hopes for
their own career paths (Reference 15).
 Other Admission Support
According to the result of "FY2020 Survey on the Improvement of
Student Selections for Public High School Enrollment" conducted by the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 12
prefectures do not give special consideration to foreign students in
student selections for public high school enrollment.
For this reason, from the perspective of increasing their opportunities
to progress to higher-level education while securing educational
opportunities for Japanese students, the government and local
governments should promote introduce a special admission quota for and
other special considerations for foreign students in high school
examinations.
Moreover, the government should identify support needs and discuss
support measures that prevent foreign high school students from
dropping out, help dropouts restart their studies, provide them with places
to gather in their communities, and help them find employment, while
keeping in mind that high school students who need Japanese language
instruction are more likely to drop out than other high school students31.From the perspective of providing study opportunities to those who do
not complete compulsory education for reasons such as nonattendance,
the government should further promote efforts to establish a night junior
high school in every prefecture and ordinance-designated city.
(e) Support considering the legal status and roles of schools for foreign students
In light of the fact that some students at schools for foreign students will be
mid- to long-term residents in Japan, being enrolled in a school for foreign
students should not put them at a disadvantage compared to foreign children
enrolled in public schools. However, students who are enrolled in schools for
foreign students face difficulties in progressing to higher-level education as
they are ineligible to take public high school entrance examinations even if
their schools are recognized as miscellaneous schools.31According to "Survey on Acceptance of Children and Students Who Require Japanese Language
Education (FY2018)" conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology, although the dropout rate of all high school students (excluding the students of special
needs high schools) was 1.3%, that of high school students who need Japanese language teaching
(excluding the students of special needs high schools) was 9.6%.
- 27 -
In addition, amid the COVID-19, it was revealed that some schools for
foreign students cannot take sufficient measures against infections because
they are not provided with enough information on prevention, and other
schools for foreign students cannot ensure the health of their students because
they do not conduct regular medical checkups for their students.
According to the Survey on the School Attendance of Children of Foreign
Nationals conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science
and Technology in May 2019, foreign children who may not be enrolled in
compulsory schooling may include those who go to schools for foreign
students instead of public schools. It is therefore important for the government
to cooperate with schools for foreign students in order to understand the actual
school attendance of foreign children.
The government needs to recognize the above problems and provide
flexible support based on the legal status and roles of schools for foreign
students.
b. Support for foreign nationals, especially those in adolescence and
adulthood (e.g., support for employment)
In order to improve their global competitiveness, it is important that
companies understand that human resources with various backgrounds can
vitalize their organizations and use the diversity for innovation.
In this respect, as detailed in the Introduction section, the SDGs Action Plan
2021 shows specific measures including the need to promote diversity
management, which enables diverse human resources, including foreign
workers, to maximize their potential to create innovations and reach other
achievements.
Tolerant workplaces in terms of personnel systems and corporate culture are
essential for organizations where diverse human resources, including foreign
employees, can demonstrate their abilities. The government therefore needs to
urge companies, through economic associations, to change their mindset and
corporate culture in order to create a better working environment for foreign
workers.
The government has made various measures to lower the turnover rate of
foreign workers based on the understanding that effective workplace
communication is necessary for a low turnover rate.
Nevertheless, some problems have been identified, such as Japanese
companies expecting foreign workers to have higher Japanese language skills
- 28 -
than necessary, the lack of multilingual or plain Japanese translations of work
regulations and operational manuals, and even when translated to different
languages, they fail to explain the Japanese working culture behind the work
regulations.
Furthermore, amid the COVID-19, some Japanese companies decreased the
working days of their foreign workers and dismissed those who did not
understand Japanese.
Under these circumstances, the government needs to further promote its
current measures and urge companies to take the following initiatives in order
to encourage them to cooperate in development of an environment for the
acceptance of foreign nationals.
 Some companies require foreign workers to have the N1 level of the
Japanese-Language Proficiency Test32
or the equivalent. However, they
should use tests that are deemed adequate by fully considering the
characteristics, targets, and difficulty levels of the tests published by the
testing organizations, and ensure that their recruiting plans reflect the
levels of Japanese language required for the expected duties of foreign
workers.
 In order to achieve effective workplace communication, companies
should promote the mutual understanding of their Japanese and foreign
employees by helping their foreign workers learn the Japanese necessary
for their work and promote the use of plain Japanese as a tool of
communication with their foreign workers.
 When translating work regulations and operational manuals, companies
should keep in mind that behind the communication gap between
Japanese and foreign workers and the quick turnover of foreign workers,
there may be a lack of understanding of Japanese working culture by
foreign workers.
 Foreign workers are vulnerable to economic downturns and tend to be
dismissed more often than Japanese workers in the event of downsizing.
Under these circumstances, it is important for companies to provide their32The Japanese-Language ProficiencyTest is conducted in Japan by the Japan Educational Exchanges
and Services and overseas by the Japan Foundation with the cooperation of local organizations for
non-native Japanese speakers to measure and certify their Japanese proficiency. The test levels are
classified into five levels from N1 to N5. N1 is the highest level and requires the ability to understand
logically complex and abstract Japanese used in newspaper editorials and critiques, coherent
conversations, news reports, and lectures.
- 29 -
foreign workers with more training opportunities suitable to their
Japanese language levels in order to help them acquire the skills or
qualifications for job security. For this purpose, companies should
provide their foreign workers with training opportunities with the aim of
supporting job security and career advancement by bearing part of the
training cost.
When urging companies to take the above measures, the government should
ask economic associations to support their member companies as well as share
with them good practices of hiring foreign nationals (Reference 16) as to secure
their cooperation. Through these efforts, the government should help foreign
workers have job security and more career opportunities and establish a job
matching system.
The government should also consider introducing preferential treatment
linked to the results of corporate efforts to develop an environment to accept
foreign nationals.
c. Support for foreign nationals, especially those in old age (e.g.,
support for long-term care)
The Comprehensive Measures do not include measures focused on foreign
nationals who grow old in Japan33
. With the population of elderly foreign
nationals increasing, issues concerning them, such as aging and long-term care,
financial security after retirement, and issues surrounding death in the context
of cultural and religious diversity, are going to be a challenge on an everyday
life level.
Some foreign nationals are not eligible for social insurance programs, such
as long-term care and pension programs, due to poor understanding of
eligibility by either the employer or the foreign national. On the other hand,
some foreign nationals from countries with which Japan has not concluded a
social security agreement34
may ultimately receive little or no pension benefits33Some local governments have their own welfare benefit programs for foreign residents who are
ineligible for public pension benefits.34Some old-age pension plans require their members to pay for the plans for a certain period of time
to receive benefits. People who work overseas for a short period of time may not be able to secure
their eligibility for an old-age pension plan because many of them cannot meet the payment
requirements to be eligible to receive the pension benefits of the plan even if they participate in a
public pension program in that foreign country for that period.
Under a social security agreement, the total period of participation in the pension systems of both
countries can be added up so that, if it exceeds the minimum period required to receive pension
benefits, pension benefits corresponding to the period of participation in each country's system can
be received from their respective systems.
- 30 -
because the pension premiums they paid in their home countries do not lead to
pension benefits in Japan. These safety nets need to be considered for these
foreign nationals.
For this reason, with regard to the following three aspects, the government
needs to understand the circumstances and support needs of foreign nationals,
including elderly foreign nationals who have no relatives to depend on35
, and
discuss safety nets for them.
 Long-term care insurance system, which plays an important role in
welfare policies for the elderly
 Pension system, which serves as the important foundation of financial
security after retirement
 How to die with human dignity
In terms of safety nets for elderly foreign nationals, the government should
discuss how the social insurance system should be structured so that it can be
understood by all people, including foreign nationals, bearing in mind that the
social insurance system is a system of compulsory participation based on the
spirit of social solidarity and mutual aid.
4 Initiatives to Establish the Foundation of Society of Harmonious
Coexistence
Measures related to key points 1 to 3 should fully reflect the actual living
conditions of foreign nationals. When implementing these measures, the government
must promote close cooperation among relevant organizations that contribute to
providing support for foreign nationals and adequate residency management while
gaining a broad public understanding of harmonious coexistence with foreign
nationals.
In order to attract more foreign nationals who want to work in Japan, the
government should foster an environment in which they can enjoy a secure and
continued stay in Japan and demonstrate their abilities to their fullest, by taking
measures to encourage their social participation.
This section presents issues and the direction of the initiatives concerning the
foundation for development of an environment for the acceptance of foreign
nationals under the above circumstances.35According to Shigehiro Ikegami’s article "The Brazilian Family and Crisis: 30 Years After the
Amendment to the Immigration Control Act in 1990" (page 62 of Migration Policy Review, No. 13
of 2021), in the FY2020 Shizuoka Prefecture Basic Survey of Multicultural Coexistence (survey of
foreign residents), of the 92 Brazilian residents in the prefecture who answered "living alone," 42.4%
were in their 50s and 19.6% were in their 60s or older, accounting for 60% of the respondents.
- 31 -
(1) Current situation and issues
Described below are issues concerning the groundwork for a society of
harmonious coexistence.
a. Raising awareness to realize a society of harmonious coexistence
In order to create a society of harmonious coexistence, all people, including
foreign nationals, need to understand the significance of working together to
build society.
However, there is still discrimination and prejudice against foreign nationals
in various social settings, such as schools, workplaces, and communities36
, and
making it necessary to raise public awareness of the need to create a society of
harmonious coexistence.
b. Creating a system to acquire knowledge of social systems
Foreign nationals are also expected to fulfill their public obligations, such as
paying taxes and social insurance premiums, and act responsibly as members
of society.
Despite these expectations, some foreign nationals unintentionally fail to
fulfill their public obligations or cannot receive necessary public services
because they do not fully understand Japanese culture, customs, or social
systems, including the tax and social security systems.
The reason for this situation is that the government and local governments
are not enough to ensure that foreign nationals fully understand Japanese social
systems. It is therefore important to create systems that helps foreign nationals
fully understand Japanese culture, customs, and social systems, including tax
and social security systems.
c. Grasping the actual living conditions of foreign nationals
Considering the impact of the COVID-19, the government has promptly
provided adequate support to technical intern trainees who were dismissed or
could not continue their internship by allowing them to find new work in a
designated industry and granting them "Designated Activities" status. However,
the government still needs to do more to make such support known to more
foreign nationals and used by them.36In the FY2020 Basic Survey on Foreign Residents conducted by the Immigration Services Agency,
in response to the question, "What problems do your children face at school?", 7.8% of the
respondents answered "Bullied for their foreign roots," as the most common answer, along with "Not
understanding Japanese." In addition, in response to the question "When have you experienced
discrimination?", the most common answer was "When searching for somewhere to live" (24.6%),
followed by "When working" (24.1%) and "When searching for a job" (19.6%).
- 32 -
In order to provide detailed support during ordinary times that meets the
needs in each of their life stages and cycles as well as social demands and from
the perspective of gender equality, the government needs to understand the
actual living conditions of foreign nationals through government statistics and
public opinion polls. However, it is difficult to fully understand their actual
living conditions because only a limited number of government statistics focus
on "nationality," "status of residence," "country/region of origin," and "main
language spoken" as survey items.
d. Collection of information and cooperation among relevant
organizations for the support and residence management of
foreign nationals
The government needs to make more efforts to strengthen its information
collection functions in cooperation with private support groups and other
organizations in order to identify the problems and support needs of foreign
nationals and provide them with support that meets their needs.
Although relevant organizations are working to provide better support to
foreign nationals, it is important for them to cooperate with each other in order
to address their diversified and complex problems. For this purpose, it is
necessary to develop human resource for coordinating support provided from
relevant organizations to meet individual support needs.
Moreover, in order to reduce the burden of foreign nationals in the
application process for status of residence and properly manage their residency,
the Immigration Services Agency needs to improve convenience by realizing
the smooth immigration examination and achieve proper residency
management, by efficiently obtaining the information necessary for residency
management (information on the payment of taxes and social insurance
premiums and identity) through linkage with the Individual Number (My
Number) system.
Foreign nationals have been subject to the Basic Resident Registration
System since 2012. Nevertheless, some local governments do not make use of
data available from their Basic Resident Register, such as the population of
foreign nationals, to make their services more convenient for foreign residents.
e. Social participation of foreign nationals
In terms of developing an environment to accept foreign nationals, the
Comprehensive Measures for "Foreign Nationals as Residents" finalized in
December 2006 required the government to "it is necessary to create an
- 33 -
environment where foreign nationals can use the same public services as
Japanese as members of society." This principle is still advocated by the
Comprehensive Measures revised in FY202137.Thus, Japan’s initiatives to develop an environment to accept foreign
nationals have centered on a social welfare approach, with insufficient efforts
to help them participate in society and demonstrate their abilities to their fullest.
There are growing expectations for foreign nationals as members of society
because many among them are playing active roles in Japan, such as young
foreign students who received education in Japan, foreign researchers and
executives who contribute to Japan’s social and economic development with
their advanced knowledge and skills, and foreign residents who volunteer to
interpret in times of disaster and who join a residents’ association or volunteer
to be in a fire brigade or on a PTA committee. It is therefore necessary to
provide more opportunities to foreign nationals who want to participate in
society.
(2) Direction of the initiatives
a. Raising awareness to realize a society of harmonious coexistence
In order to create a society of harmonious coexistence, all people, including
foreign nationals, need to respect the diversity that each of us has and grow
together through interaction with foreign nationals.
For this purpose, all people, including foreign nationals, should understand
the significance of working together to build society and participate actively in
the efforts to create a society of harmonious coexistence. The government
needs to continue its current efforts, including the activities to raise public
awareness, and discuss new initiatives as described below.
(a) Support regional activities to raise public awareness
Some local governments hold events to raise public awareness of
harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals in cooperation with local
private support groups. They need to expand such activities to involve those
who work for harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals and capture the
interest of more Japanese people.
Therefore, the government needs to incorporate the theme of creating a
society of harmonious coexistence into events related to human rights in order37The Comprehensive Measures revised in FY2021 show the government’s commitment to "making
every effort to create an environment where foreign nationals can use the same public services as
Japanese and live comfortably."
- 34 -
to raise public awareness of human rights in society as a whole and promote
that all forms of discrimination and prejudice will not be tolerated.
Linking the theme with other issues also helps expand the activities to raise
public awareness of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals. A good
example of this initiative is the case of a workshop jointly organized by a local
government and other organizations for the purpose of fostering
entrepreneurs, which included multicultural coexistence as a theme, where
participants discussed and presented business models based on the ideas of
local foreign nationals38.Such events combining "harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals"
with other issues can link diversity with innovation, creation, and growth, and
are very helpful in spreading the vision of a society of harmonious
coexistence and promoting public understanding of the significance of
working together to build society. In order to promote such events nationwide,
the government should be active in making advanced initiatives known to the
public and consider providing financial support to model projects.
Furthermore, the government should promote efforts to raise public interest
and the understanding of harmonious coexistence with foreign residents by
creating a month for raising public awareness of harmonious coexistence with
foreign nationals and incorporating participatory events such as national
caravans, symposiums, and essay contests during said month.
(b) Promote education about harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals in
preschool and school education
Children with foreign roots are sometimes subjected to bullying at school
and prejudice and discrimination in their communities.
Under these circumstances, it is important to promote efforts to deepen the
understanding of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals in preschool
education, which provides the foundation for personality development, and in
school education, along with regional activities to raise public awareness of
harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.38In November 2015, with a broad range of participants interested in entrepreneurship, community
development, and design, Shiga Prefecture held Startup Weekend Shiga (Change Makers in
Nagahama City)*, an event which had a subtheme of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.
Under the theme of services created together with people who have foreign roots, participants
discussed and presented business models based on the ideas of local foreign residents.
* Startup Weekend is a global entrepreneurship training program provided by UP Global, an NPO
headquartered in Seattle, U.S.
- 35 -
For this purpose, the government should discuss the introduction of
education about harmonious coexistence in preschool and school education,
taking into account the reality of discrimination against foreign nationals and
overseas advanced approaches to education about harmonious coexistence. In
this process, the government should ensure that human rights education aimed
at reducing prejudice and discrimination in schools is not only superficial, but
substantial enough so as to confront the seeds of discrimination in the mind
of children.
The government should also consider providing foreign children with
opportunities to be exposed to their native languages if local circumstances
require it, because language education helps cross-cultural understanding and
have more confidence in themselves through opportunities to learn the culture,
history, and customs of countries where their native languages are officially
spoken.
b. Creating a system to acquire knowledge of social systems
For foreign nationals to fulfill their public obligations, such as paying taxes
and social insurance premiums, it is necessary to establish a system that helps
them fully understand Japanese culture, customs, and social systems.
For this purpose, the government should provide foreign nationals with
information on such public obligations through daily life orientation programs
(see Item a, Section 1 (2), Chapter 3) and to continuously do so after the
government has done such programs.
In addition, for their secure and continued life, the government should
provide them with useful information that they need for life planning
(information on marriage, childbirth, higher-level education for children, and
retirement life) and establish systems that helps them understand it.
c. Improvement of government statistics to investigate on the actual
living conditions of foreign nationals
In order to discuss and provide support that meets the needs in each life stage
and cycle of foreign nationals, it is important to accurately understand their
actual living conditions in each life stage, focusing on what trends are seen in
each attribute, such as "nationality," "status of residence," "country/region of
origin" and "main language spoken" as well as "individuals who have roots in
foreign countries," and how foreign nationals compare with Japanese people.
Then, based on the problems identified from their actual living conditions,
the government needs to improve its current measures, and plan and formulate
- 36 -
new measures, and introduce a KPI-based assessment system for the progress
of the measures.
The Population Census39
, the Vital Statistics40
, and the National Survey on
Migration 41
include nationality data while the Basic Survey on Wage
Structure42
includes status of residence data.
In this regard, estimates based on the Vital Statistics reveal that, for example,
people from Thailand and the Philippines are prone to heart or cerebrovascular
diseases43
. However, public surveys that inquire about health checkups, alcohol
and tobacco consumption, and other health-related habits do not include
nationality data, making it impossible to identify factors that caused the
aforementioned diseases. As a result, these public surveys do not help public
health authorities to implement well-designed disease control measures based
on actual health conditions.
In addition, some have suggested that the School Basic Survey44
would
enable schools to have accurate information on their foreign students by adding
"by school grade and by nationality" to the School Survey Form.
The government therefore needs to discuss the new initiatives described
below.
(a) Review the survey items of government statistics
The government should review and consider adding survey items to
39 The Population Census conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is the
Japan’s most important statistical survey, covering all people and households living in Japan,
surveying the population by age, family structure, people working and foreign nationals living in
Japan.40The Vital Statistics conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is an important
statistical survey to understand Japan’s demographic changes. Covering all births, deaths, marriages,
divorces, and foetal deaths reported under the Family Register Act and the Stillbirth Reporting
Regulations, the survey aims to obtain data such as the total fertility rate, the average number of
children a woman would bear in a lifetime, the number of deaths by cause of death, and the number
of marriages and divorces by age.41The National Survey on Migration conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social
Security Research, which consists of the Annual Population and Social Security Surveys, aims to
clarify recent migration trends and obtain basic data for projecting future migration.42The Basic Survey on Wage Structure conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
collects information on wages by worker attributes, such as type of employment, type of work,
occupation, sex, age, school career, length of service, and occupational career.43Reiko Hayashi, "Causes of Death of Foreign Nationals in Japan: In Comparison to Japanese and
Nationals at Origin," Population Research Journal (2020), Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 218–23944The School Basic Survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology collects basic school data, such as the number of schools in Japan, their number of
current students, and their number of graduates.
- 37 -
government statistics that contribute to the understanding of the living
conditions of foreign nationals at each stage of life, including those with
foreign roots, in order to understand what trends are seen in each attribute
such as "nationality," "status of residence," "country/region of origin," and
"main language spoken," and how foreign nationals compare with Japanese
people.
(b) Promote the improvement of current measures using information obtained
and analyzed based on government statistics
The government should compile information obtained and analyzed based
on government statistics reviewed in the above initiatives (a) into a report
called the "White Paper on Harmonious Coexistence (tentative title)."
In addition, the government should then understand and identify problems
with the actual living conditions of foreign nationals by listening to the
opinions of experts, visualize the gap between the problems and the
government’s measures, and urge relevant ministries and agencies to improve
their current measures and plan and formulate necessary ones. In this process,
the government should thoroughly manage the progress of its efforts by using
KPIs.
In the future, when providing support to people who are not protected by
national safety nets, the government should consider including foreign
nationals in those who can receive the support. In this process, the
government should carefully listen to the voices of those who work at the
forefront of supporting foreign nationals in need and search thoroughly for
potential problems even if quantitative evidence, such as government
statistics, is not available.
d. Enhancement of information collections and strengthening of
cooperation among relevant organizations for the development of
infrastructure to realize the society of harmonious coexistence
In order to strengthen information collection functions and cooperation
among relevant organizations to develop the infrastructure for a society of
harmonious coexistence, the government needs to continue its current efforts
and discuss the new initiatives described below.
(a) Strengthen information collection functions and cooperation among
relevant organizations to provide support to foreign nationals and properly
manage their residency
 Strengthen information collection functions and cooperation among
- 38 -
relevant organizations to provide support to foreign nationals
• The government should help private support groups and other
organizations build support networks for foreign nationals in order
to identify their problems. In this process, the government should
encourage them to build regional networks tailored to local needs by
making use of the knowledge and experience of local universities,
industries, and government authorities.
Accepting Environmental Coordinators assigned to the Regional
Immigration Services Bureaus play an important role in helping
build support networks for foreign nationals. For this reason, the
government should develop the coordinators’ system, such as
assigning enough coordinators, offering training programs,
establishing career paths for them.
In order to make support for foreign nationals sustainable, the
government should also consider providing support, including
financial support, to certain private support groups and supporters
who serve as a bridge between administrative agencies and foreign
nationals.
• Amid the COVID-19, local governments were unable to receive the
information held by the government regarding the workplaces of
foreign nationals. Therefore, some issues became apparent such as
which made it impossible to alert foreign nationals of infections.
For this reason, the government should provide its information on
foreign nationals to local governments with their consent if the
provision contributes to their support or make other efforts to
strengthen information-sharing among relevant organizations.
• The government should discuss how local governments can properly
use information that makes the life of foreign residents more
convenient, such as the population of foreign nationals compiled
from their Basic Resident Register, while protecting personal
information.
 Strengthen information collection functions and cooperation among
relevant organizations to ensure proper residency management and
improve the convenience of the application process for status of
residence
• The Immigration Services Agency needs to obtain all the
- 39 -
information necessary for the residency management of foreign
nationals (information on the payment of taxes and social insurance
premiums and identity) and reduce their burden in the application
process for status of residence. For this purpose, the government
should consider establishing a system that enables the Agency to
obtain such information directly from relevant organizations.
• The government should increase the types of statuses of residence
and processes covered by online application, allow foreign nationals
to apply via Mynaportal, and consider enabling them to use their own
information (such as resident, tax, and social security information)
on Mynaportal for their application.
• If more foreign nationals have a My Number Card as a result of the
government’s planned integration of residence cards with My
Number Cards, they will have better access to Mynaportal. In
preparation of improved accessibility, the government should make
all useful information available through Mynaportal and consider
increasing useful information available through Mynaportal and
send tailor-made and push-type notifications on various information.
(b) Consider a system to develop and certify human resources for coordinating
comprehensive support
Administrative agencies, private support groups, and key persons in
communities of foreign nationals, and others need to work together to address
diversified and complex problems faced by foreign nationals, such as
problems with Japanese language proficiency and status of residence.
From the perspective of dissemination of information, for example, human
resource for working and communicating with communities of foreign
nationals are also important.
We have proposed providing human resources and systems that help
foreign nationals create study plans and provide support for learning so that
they can receive Japanese language education that meets their individual
learning needs, according to their life stages and cycles (see Item a (a),
Section 1 (2), Chapter 3). However, creating such plans requires human
resources for assisting foreign nationals in their life planning and career path
designing, including changing their status of residence, with accurate
understanding of their household circumstances, and based on their needs.
Since solving their problems requires human resources who are familiar
- 40 -
with various support initiatives and who can provide comprehensive support
coordination in cooperation with related organizations, the government
should discuss an ideal form of certification system for such human resource
for supporting foreign nationals by listening to the opinions of experts.
(c) Establish support centers for private support groups
The government should establish support centers that provide information
and consultation services to private support groups and human resources for
coordinating support for foreign nationals. These centers should consider
implementing a system to support the activities of supporters of foreign
nationals, such as networking those supporters, and offering training
programs to improve their skills.
(d) Develop the foundation for strengthening cooperation among local
governments
The government formulated the Plan for Promotion of Multicultural
Coexistence in Local Communities to help local governments formulate their
guidelines and plans on the promotion of multicultural coexistence, but it still
needs to develop the foundation for local governments in order for them to
respond to local needs, as there are differences in their efforts to develop an
environment to accept foreign nationals.
For this purpose, it is essential to strengthen cooperation among local
governments. For example, if local governments face the same challenge,
such as how Japanese language education can be effectively provided to
foreign residents in communities with a small population of scattered foreign
residents, they should work together to overcome it. Alternatively, if they are
experiencing a rapid increase in the number of foreign nationals in a short
period of time, they should follow the successful cases of other local
governments to develop an environment to accept foreign nationals when
formulating measures.
Therefore, in order to promote cooperation among local governments and
the spread of successful cases, the government should develop a system based
on the Regional Economic Analysis System (RESAS)45
that visualizes with45The RESAS (Regional Economy Society Analyzing System) is a system created by the Secretariat
for the Headquarters for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan,
Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in order to gather and visualize
big data from the government and private sector, such as industrial structure, demographic changes,
and migration.
This system primarily aims to provide prefectures and municipalities with objective data so that
- 41 -
maps and graphs the foreign resident data of each local government, including
their attributes (e.g., nationality, status of residence, and age), ratio of their
population to the total population, and the number of foreign children eligible
for school attendance, and enables local governments to easily search for
those who face the same issues and those who have made progress in
development of an environment for the acceptance of foreign nationals.
This system should be equipped with support functions that help plan and
formulate measures for harmonious coexistence, such as functions to compare
the differences in the living conditions and population of local foreign
residents with national averages and tips for formulating and reviewing
regional guidelines and plans on the promotion of multicultural coexistence.
e. Creating a system where foreign nationals also play an active role
in a society of harmonious coexistence
Until now, the government’s efforts to develop an environment to accept
foreign nationals have centered on a social welfare approach, but there has also
been growing attention to the role of foreign nationals as supporters, such as
interpreters, firefighters, and volunteers in times of disaster. In recent years,
foreign nationals have been playing an active role in various aspects of
Japanese society, such as the younger generation of foreign nationals who
received their education in Japan, and researchers and executives who
contribute to the social and economic development of Japan with their
advanced knowledge and skills.
It is important to enable motivated foreign nationals to participate in society
and demonstrate their abilities to their fullest in order to use their linguistic,
cultural, and other diverse backgrounds as social resources and vitalize society.
For this purpose, the government needs to continue its current efforts, such as
the JET Programme46
, and discuss the new initiatives described below.
(a) Promote initiatives to encourage foreign nationals to participate in society
 Provide foreign nationals with information and support for human
resources development
they can understand their local situation and issues, identify tasks that meet their local needs, and
formulate a comprehensive regional strategy. The system is equipped with a variety of functions to
support data analysis, including "suggestions," which highlight divergences from national averages,
and "case studies," which provide tips for formulating measures based on analysis results.46The JET Programme, or the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, invites young foreign
nationals to Japan to be employed by local governments as e.g. assistant language teachers in order
to provide better foreign language education and promote regional international exchanges.
- 42 -
In order to encourage foreign nationals to participate in society, the
curricula for learning Japanese for daily life (see Item a (b), Section 1
(2), Chapter 3) should include opportunities to learn the skills necessary
for smooth communication with Japanese and the provision of
information on social participation, such as disaster management
activities by residents’ associations and communities, as initiatives to
contribute to the development of community leaders who serve a bridge
between foreign residents and Japanese residents.
In light of the increasing number of foreign nationals and their
tendency to settle in Japan, the government should consider measures
to indirectly support human resources development, such as the
establishment of scholarship programs in fields of healthcare, welfare
services, and other services where the demand for foreign service
providers is expected to grow.
 Provide support for matching foreign nationals who want to participate
in society with local governments
The government should consider establishing necessary systems,
such as talent pools, to help match foreign nationals who want to
participate in society with local governments and private support
groups who want interpreters, translators, or other multicultural social
workers.
 Provide more opportunities for foreign nationals to participate in local
public services
As the population of foreign nationals is increasing, it is also
important to find ways that enable foreign nationals familiar with
Japanese society to participate in local public services.
For example, some police stations appoint local foreign residents to
members of their police station councils47
, which are used to listen to
the opinions of local residents and ask for their support and cooperation.
The government needs to consider the appointment of foreign
nationals as welfare commissioners in order to provide foreign
nationals with more opportunities to participate in local public services.
(b) Create synergy between harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals and
the revitalization of local communities47In principle, every police station across Japan has a police station council, where the chief listens
to the opinions of local residents and asks for their support and cooperation.
- 43 -
It is also important to consider the diversity of foreign nationals as a social
resource, and to utilize it to revitalize and globalize local communities.
Among the initiatives taken by local governments, some48
have taken
advantage of the unique perspective of foreign nationals to revitalize their
local communities, such as by uncovering new tourist attractions and
effectively communicating such new attractions overseas. In order to promote
such efforts to link harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals and
regional revitalization at the nationwide level, the government needs to be
active in making advanced efforts widely known and consider providing
financial support to model projects.
(c) Promote the accreditation of overseas skill tests and qualifications
The measures (a) and (b) above aim to encourage the social participation
of foreign national already residing in Japan. However, in order to attract
foreign nationals who want to work in Japan, including those residing outside
Japan, it is important to promote the accreditation of overseas skills tests and
qualifications conducted in various fields.
For example, currently the government already accredits tests and
qualifications of various countries related to information processing
technology in the field of IT. However, it still needs to actively promote the
accreditation of overseas tests and qualifications in the fields where foreign
nationals are expected to play an important role.48The initiatives of local governments are presented in the Case Studies on Multicultural Coexistence
(March 2017) created by the Case Studies on Multicultural Coexistence Production Working Group.
- 44 -
Closing Remarks
All the members of this Advisory Panel have seriously and earnestly discussed based
on each respective expertise on how to create a society of harmonious coexistence with
foreign nationals. The Opinion summarizes the visions for the society and the direction
of the initiatives needed to create it.
In order to create a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, it is
necessary to link foreign nationals with those issues, such as "foreign nationals and
education," "foreign nationals and disasters," "foreign nationals and aging," and "foreign
nationals and gender," and to address diversified and complex issues, such as "foreign
nationals, disasters, and aging." Addressing these issues will require the close cooperation
of relevant ministries and agencies, as well as government-wide initiatives. As stated in
the Introduction section, we want the government to formulate a medium- to long-term
action plan and promote government-wide initiatives in order to create a society of
harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals under the coordination of the Immigration
Services Agency.
When planning and formulating specific measures in line with the medium- to long-
term action plan, as mentioned repeatedly in this report, the government should
continuously spare no pains to listen to the opinions of private support groups and foreign
nationals through the Hearings to the Relevant Parties and other opportunities, and reflect
these opinions in the measures with a view to accurately understanding and meeting their
actual needs.
In this report, we have proposed introducing a KPI-based assessment system for the
progress of measures in order to realize a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign
nationals. However, we believe it would also be effective to check for inadequacies and
omissions in the measures taken in line with the 17 international goals, 169 targets, and
231 indicators of the SDGs, which share some philosophies with Japan’s visions for a
society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.
Although we are not in a position to investigate on how Japan should accept foreign
nationals or give our opinions about the issue to the Ministerial Conference, we
recommend that the government should formulate and promote the medium- to long-term
action plan in light of Japan’s visions for the acceptance of foreign nationals in order to
lay the groundwork for realizing the ideal society of harmonious coexistence described
in the three visions.
Lastly, we ask the government to seriously discuss the medium- to long-term action
plan on the basis of the Opinion and from the perspective of where Japan stands regarding
cross-border migration and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, and what kind
- 45 -
of society Japan should build.
- 46 -
List of the Members of the Advisory Panel of Experts for the
Realization of Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign
Nationals
[Chairperson] Akihiko Tanaka, President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy
Studies
[Members] Shigehiro Ikegami, Professor at the Shizuoka University of Art and
Culture
Gunei Sato, Specially Appointed Professor at Meiji University
Susumu Takahashi, Chairman Emeritus of the Japan Research Institute
Taro Tamura, Representative Director of the Institute for Human
Diversity Japan
Reiko Hayashi, Deputy Director-General of the National Institute of
Population and Social Security Research
(All names, excluding the chairperson, are listed in the order of
Japanese syllabary with their honorific titles omitted.)
- 47 -
Past Meetings of the Advisory Panel of Experts for the Realization of
Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals
First meeting: February 24, 2021
 Visions for a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals and
medium- to long-term tasks
Second meeting: March 24, 2021
 Initiatives Such as Japanese Language Education for Smooth Communication
 Disseminating Information to Foreign Nationals/Strengthening Consultation
Systems for Foreign Nationals
Third meeting: April 28, 2021
 Support for Each Life Stage and Life Cycle
Fourth meeting: May 24, 2021
 Initiatives to Establish the Foundation of Society of Harmonious Coexistence
Fifth meeting: June 24, 2021
 Drafting of the Opinion
Sixth meeting: July 28, 2021
 Drafting of the Opinion
Documents
Document 1 Changes in Policies of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals
(Page 1)
Document 2 Outline of the Comprehensive Measures for Acceptance and Coexistence of
Foreign Nationals (FY2021 revised) (Page 2)
Document 3 National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (Outline) (Page 3,4)
Document 4 Ideal Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals (Three
Visions) (Page 5)
Document 5 Changes in the Number and Percentage of Foreign Residents, and the
Number of Foreign Workers (Page 6)
Document 6 [Status of Residence] Changes in the Number and Proportion of Foreign
Residents (Page 7)
Document 7 [Nationality/Region] Changes in the Number and Proportion of Foreign
Residents (Page 8)
Document 8 [Nationality/Region] Changes in the Number and Proportion of Foreign
Workers (Page 9)
Document 9 [Age] Changes in the Number and Proportion of Foreign Residents (Page10)
Document 10 [Age] Comparison of the Number of Foreign Residents and the Japanese
Population (Page 11)
Document 11 [Gender/Age/Status of Residence] Number of Foreign Residents (Page 12)
Document 12 [Gender] Changes in the Number of Foreign Residents and the Ratio of
Male and Female Residents (Page 13)
Document 13 Summary of Hearings to the Relevant Parties (Page 14-43)
Document 14 Current Status of Support for Each Life Stage and Life Cycle
(Comprehensive Measures) (Page 44)
Document 15 Reference Cases on Presenting Role Models (Page 45)
Document 16 Reference Cases on Publicizing Good Practices for Hiring Foreign
Nationals (Page 46)
ChangesinPoliciesofHarmonious
CoexistencewithForeign
Nationals1December25,2006
"Comprehensive
MeasuresforForeign
NationalsasResidents"
(Liaison
Committee
among
MinistriesandAgenciesonthe
Problems
FacedbyForeign
Workers)1December25,2006
"Comprehensive
MeasuresforForeign
NationalsasResidents"
(Liaison
Committee
among
MinistriesandAgenciesonthe
Problems
FacedbyForeign
Workers)5December25,2018
"Comprehensive
MeasuresforAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals"(126policies)
(Decisionbythe
Ministerial
ConferenceonAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals)
Revised
three
times5December25,2018
"Comprehensive
MeasuresforAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals"(126policies)
(Decisionbythe
Ministerial
ConferenceonAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals)
Revised
three
times
Comprehensive
MeasuresforAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals
(FY2021
revised)(197policies)
Comprehensive
MeasuresforAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals
(FY2021
revised)(197policies)2January30,2009
"Immediate
(Short-Term)
Support
MeasuresforForeign
ResidentsinJapan"
(Cabinet
Office)2January30,2009
"Immediate
(Short-Term)
Support
MeasuresforForeign
ResidentsinJapan"
(Cabinet
Office)3August31,2010
"Basic
PolicyonMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent"
(Councilforthe
PromotionofMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent)
March31,2011
"ActionPlanon
MeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent"
(Councilforthe
PromotionofMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent)3August31,2010
"Basic
PolicyonMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent"
(Councilforthe
PromotionofMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent)
March31,2011
"ActionPlanon
MeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent"
(Councilforthe
PromotionofMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent)4July24,2018
Establishmentofthe
Ministerial
ConferenceonAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals4July24,2018
Establishmentofthe
Ministerial
ConferenceonAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals
(Background)
Issues
became
apparentasthe
numberofforeign
nationals
settlinginJapan,aswellasthe
numberofchildren,wereexpectedtoincrease.
(Outline)Inlightofthe
above
background,itis
necessarytodevelopanenvironmentinwhich
foreign
nationalscanliveasmembersofsocietyandenjoythesame
public
servicesasJapanese
people.
Therefore,thegovernment
decidedtoimplement
policiessuchas(1)creatingacommunityinwhich
foreign
nationalscanlive
comfortably,(2)enriching
educationforforeign
national
children,(3)improvingtheworking
environmentforforeign
nationalsandpromoting
their
enrollmentinsocial
insurance,and(4)
reviewingtheresidency
management
systemforforeign
nationals.(Background)
PeopleofJapanese
descentandother
foreign
residents
faced
severe
situationbythe
global
financial
crisisintermsofeducation,
employment,andthe
other
areas.
(Outline)Inlightofthe
above
background,thegovernmenthascompiledtheabove
measuresandthe
"PromotionofSupport
MeasuresforForeign
ResidentsinJapan"
(April
2009),andhas
implemented
various
policiesoneducation,
employment,
housing,
supportforrepatriation,andthe
provisionofinformationbothin
Japanandabroad.
(Outline)
Basic
policyonmeasurestoaccept
foreign
residentsofJapanese
descentasmembersofJapanese
societywereformulated,andmeasures
relatedtothefiveareas
described
belowwereconsidered:(1)tobeabletolive
usingtheJapanese
language,(2)totakegoodcareof
children,(3)tohavestable
work,(4)tocopewith
difficultiesinsociety,and(5)torespecteachother’s
culture.
Afterwards,anactionplanwas
formulatedwiththeaimof
implementingthemeasuressetforthinthe
basic
policy.(InMarch
2014,the"PromotionofMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent"wasformulated,
integratingtheabove
basic
policyandactionplan[Councilforthe
PromotionofMeasuresforForeign
ResidentsofJapanese
Descent].)
(Outline)・The
MinistryofJusticewasgivenacomprehensive
coordinationroleregardingtheimprovementofthe
environmentforaccepting
foreign
nationals.
(Cabinet
decision)・Establishmentofthe
"Ministerial
ConferenceonAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals"
(Cabinet
approval)
(Outline)Thefollowing
policieswasimplementedfromthe
perspectiveofpromotingtheacceptanceandcoexistenceofforeign
nationalsina
strongerandmore
comprehensive
manner
throughtheconcerted
effortsofthe
entire
government:(1)listeningtoopinionsandawareness-raising
activitiestorealizeasocietyofharmonious
coexistencewithforeign
nationals,(2)supportforforeign
nationalsasordinary
residents,(3)initiativestopromotetheappropriateandsmooth
acceptanceofforeign
nationals,and(4)
establishmentofanewresidency
management
system.
Document 1(1)Outlineofthe
Comprehensive
MeasuresforAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals
(FY2021
revised)Asoftheendof2020,thenumberofforeign
nationals
residinginJapanwas2.89
million.Thenumberofforeign
workersasoftheendofOctober2020was1.72million(arecord
high).
Formulatedfromthe
pointofviewoffurther
enhancingtheenvironmentforthe
acceptanceofforeign
nationalsalsobasedonthe
issues
identifiedduetothespreadofCOVID-19,etc.(197
policies).Thegovernmentwillwork
togethertocontinuetosteadily
implementtherelevant
measuresandenhancetheComprehensive
Measures.June15,2021Ministerial
ConferenceonAcceptanceandCoexistenceofForeign
Nationals
Listeningtoopinionsandawareness-raising
activities,etc.to
realizeasocietyofharmonious
coexistencewithforeign
nationals(1)BuildingaframeworktolistentoopinionsofJapaneseandforeign
nationals
Formulationofwork
scheduleformediumtolong-term
issuesandmeasures,etc.tobeaddressedtorealizeasocietyofharmonious
coexistence
<Policy
1>
Listeningtothe
opinionsthatcontributetothe
planninganddraftingofharmonious
coexistence
measures
throughthe"MeetingtoListentoVoicesofOur
people"and"opinion
box",etc.<Policy
2>(2)Implementationofawareness-raisingandother
activities
Implementationofhuman
rights
awareness-raising
activitiesinordertorealizeaninclusive
society
whereallpeople
support
mutuallyandvalueeachother’s
human
rights
<Policy
7>
Implementationofpublicityofhuman
rights
counseling,andinvestigationandremedy
procedures
availableinmultiple
languages
<Policy
8>
Supportforsmooth
communicationandinformation
collection(1)Provisionofadministrativeandliving
informationinmultiple
languagesandplain
Japanese,anddevelopmentofcounseling
systems
Considerationofmeasurestopromotetheestablishmentofone-stop
consulting
countersbythe
local
governments
<Policy
9>
Taking
effectiveandefficient
supporting
measuresforcreatinganenvironmentforacceptanceofforeign
nationalstoJapanese
society,andproviding
relevant
informationtothe
local
organizationsbyFRESC
<Policy
10>(2)EnhancementofJapanese
language
education
(realizationofsmooth
communication)
Creationofguidebooksforthe
utilizationofthe
"frameworkofreferenceforthe
Japanese
language
education",andcreationofthe
"Candofor
foreign
nationalsasresidents"
indicatingthecontentofeducationinthe
fieldsoflife
<Policy
21>
Promotionofthe
utilizationofthe
"frameworkofreferenceforthe
Japanese
language
education"andthe
creationofsystemstofortifytheJapanese
language
education
environmenttobe
carriedoutby
prefectures,etc.in
cooperationwithrelevant
organizations
<Policy
22>
Enhancementoflife
situations
basedonthe
"frameworkofreferenceforthe
Japanese
language
education"onthe
Japanese
language
educationsite"ConnectandEnhanceYourLifeinJapanese"
<Policy
23>
Enhancementanddisseminationoftraining
programsforJapanese
language
teacherstoworkers,anddevelopmentanddisseminationofICT
teaching
materialsforsmooth
implementationof"essential
educational
contents"
requiredforthe
developmentofJapanese
language
teachers
<Policy
27>
Considerationofthe
legislationofqualificationsofJapanese
language
teachersandmechanismstomaintainandimprovethelevelofJapanese
language
educationbyJapanese
language
education
institutions
<Policy
28>
Disseminationandpromotionofutilizationofbi-directional
educational
video
training
materialsandguidebooksinworkplacesforJapanese
employeesandforeign
national
employees
<Policy
32>
Support
accordingtolife
stagesandlife
situations(1)Promotionandsupportofmeasuresformulticultural
coexistenceinlocal
communities
Identificationofthe
current
statusandissuesofactivitiesofforeign
national
supporters,etc.and
establishmentofa
networkofforeign
national
supporters
<Policy
34>
Promotionofeffortsoflocal
governmentsandNPOs,etc.to
buildasocietyofharmonious
coexistence
through
cooperationwithJICA
<Policy
39>(2)Improvementofthe
environmentonlife
services
Placementofstaff
members
capableofrespondinginforeign
languagesinthe
policeandpromotionofresponses
concerning
various
proceduresinforeign
languages
<Policy
50>
Promotionofdisseminationandpublicityofthe
"Guideforforeigners
lookingtorent",etc.thatcanbe
utilizedwhenlookingforapartments
<Policy
56>
Supportforsmooth
account
openingbyforeign
nationalsatfinancial
institutions
(distributionofleafletsforforeign
nationalsin14
languages,
disseminationforthe
preventionofinvolvementinfinancial
crimes,
etc.)
<Policy
58>(3)Measuresforforeign
national
children
EstablishmentofJapanese
language
teaching
system,etc.in
schoolsforforeign
pupilsandstudents,etc.<Policy
66>
Collaboration
betweentheschool-age
children
registration
systemandthe
Basic
Resident
Registration
system,andintegrated
managementandidentificationofthe
school
enrollment
statusofforeign
children
<Policy
69>(4)Supporting
employmentforinternational
students,etc.Supportforonline
educationforforeign
international
studentsintheirhomecountriesinpreparationforprolonged
COVID-19andnew
risks
<Policy
79>
Deploymentofthe
"Handbookforthe
EmploymentofInternational
StudentsandEmpowerment
After
Hiring"tolocal
governmentsandsupport
organizations,etc.<Policy
82>
Consistent
employment
support
through
reinforced
cooperation
between
universitiesandHello
Work,andsharingofinformationongood
practices,etc.with
universitiesandrelevant
organizations
acrossthecountry
<Policy
95>(5)Ensuringanappropriateworkenvironment
Multilingualizationofaudiovisual
materialsforforeign
workers(14languages)
<Policy
98>
Provisionoftraining
aimedatimproving
communication
skillsinJapanese
workplaces,
etc.,andcreationofmodel
training
curriculum,etc.<Policy
104>(6)Promotionofenrollmentinsocial
insurance,etc.Implementationofpersonal
identificationandinsurance
qualification
checkbyutilizingtheIndividual
Number
Cardsinmedical
institutions,etc.<Policy
110>(1)Information
disseminationandsupportintimeofemergencysuchasadisaster,etc.Disseminationof"Safety
tips",etc.and
developmentofan
environmentforaccurate
information
transmissionbythe
revisionofthe
multilingual
dictionary
<Policy
114>(2)Supportforprevention
COVID-19andsmooth
vaccination,etc.Provisionofinformationetc.to
higher
education
institutionsandJapanese
language
education
institutionsthatcontributestothe
preventionofCOVID-19
<Policy
118>
Promotionofeffortstoenhanceandstrengthen
information
dissemination,
including
aggregationandsharingofinformationonInfluencers,etc.identifiedbyeach
ministryandagency
<policy
119>
Requestforstrict
implementationofmeasurestopreventthespreadofCOVID-19inworkplacestothe
laborandmanagement
organizations
<Policy
120>
Implementationofscreeningbyutilizing
simple
antigen
kits,etc.in
Japanese
language
education
institutionswitha
large
numberofinternational
students,
professional
training
colleges,
etc.,andworkplaces
employing
foreign
nationals,andimplementationofpromptandflexiblePCRtesting,etc.of
broad
contact
personswhena
coronavirus-positive
personisfound
<Policy
121>
Disseminationandpublicityofvaccinationtoforeign
residents,
ensured
deliveryofvaccination
notice,andsecuring
consultationandresponse
systemsinmultiple
languages
<Policy
122>
Offering
informationandholdingofeventsonCOVID-19onthe
"OpenforProfessionals"
Platform
<Policy
125>
Employment
supportincooperation
betweentherelevant
organizations
supporting
needy
international
studentsandHello
Work,anddisseminationofsupport
content
<Policy
126>
Disseminationofinformationinplain
Japaneseandmultiple
languagesandimplementationofthe
measures
basedonthe
contentofthe
discussionsatthe
Advisory
Committeeonthe
HealthandHygiene
Environmentasthe
COVID-19
measuresinschoolsforforeign
students
<Policy
128>(1)Employment
supportforspecified
skilled
workersandother
measures
Promotionofutilizationofthe
Specified
Skilled
Worker
SystembyholdingjobfairinJapanandoverseas
information
sessions,etc.<Policy123(reposted)>(2)Smooth
implementationofskill
examsandJapanese
language
testsofthe
Specified
Skilled
Worker,anddisseminationandsmooth
utilizationofthe
Specified
Skilled
Worker
System,etc.Implementationandpromotionofskill
examsandJapanese
language
tests,andconsiderationofutilizationofnew
Japanese
language
testsbythe
relevant
ministriesandagenciesinthe
fields
<Policy
134>
Furthering
implementationofthe
Specified
Skilled
Worker(ii)skill
exams,andconsiderationofthe
additionoffields
coveredinthe
Specified
Skilled
Worker(ii)andtheorganizationofbusiness
categories
<Policy
141>(3)Eliminationofmalicious
intermediary
organizations,etc.Indirect
supportforeffortsinJapanbyutilizing
expertise,etc.gained
through
technical
cooperationfordeveloping
countries
<Policy
156>(4)Expansionofthe
Japanese
language
educationbaseabroad
PromotionofeffortstoreinforcethefoundationforJapanese
language
education
throughtheJapan
Foundationandto
disseminate
attractivenessofJapanese
cultureandsociety,etc.<Policy
161>(1)Implementationofsmoothandexpedited
proceduresforthe
statusofresidence
Considerationofmeasurestoimprovetheconvenienceofelectronic
payment,etc.offeesfor
residence
procedures,etc.<Policy
163>
Realizationofonline
applicationbyforeign
nationals
themselvesandconsiderationofexpansionofprocedurestobemadeonline
<Policy
164>
Considerationofintegrationofthe
residence
cardsandthe
Individual
Number
Cards
towardthecommencementofissuance
within
FY2025
<Policy
166>(2)Strengthening
residency
management
network
Organizationofinformationonthe
placesofresidenceofforeign
residentsincooperation
betweentherelevant
ministriesandagenciesandlocal
governments,etc.<Policy
170>(3)Accurate
managementofinternational
student
enrollment
Stricter
statusofresidence
examinations,suchasnotpermittingtheacceptanceofinternational
students,foruniversities,etc.thatdonot
appropriately
manage
international
student
enrollment
<Policy
179>(4)Further
optimizationofTechnical
Intern
Training
Program
OptimizationofTechnical
Intern
Training
Programbystrengthening
investigations
conductedincooperation
betweentheImmigration
Services
Agencyandthe
OrganizationforTechnical
Intern
Training,etc.<Policy97(reposted)>
Strengtheningofonsite
inspectionsasmeasures
against
disappearanceofthe
technical
intern
traineesandterminationofnew
acceptancefromthe
sending
organizationswitha
large
numberofmissing
technical
intern
trainees
<Policy
184>
Confirmationofequal
remuneration
betweenthetechnical
intern
traineesandJapanese
nationals,
etc.,andthorough
disseminationofwork-
style
reform
relatedlaws<Policy
186>
Steady
implementationofemployment
transfer
supportforthe
dismissed
technical
intern
traineesbythe
supervising
organizations,andappropriate
employment
support
through
continual
identificationofstatusofthe
technical
intern
trainees
<Policy
187>
Preferential
treatmentofimplementing
organizationsthatsecure
living
environmentsforthe
technical
intern
traineesinconsiderationoftheir
privacyandpreventionofinfection
<Policy
188>(5)Strengtheningofmeasures
against
illegal
foreign
residents
Effective
implementationofdetectionbystrengtheningthefunctionstocollectandanalyzetheinformationonthe
Notified
Foreign
National
Employment
Status,etc.<Policy
189>
Notes1:Underlines
indicate
changesfromthe
Comprehensive
Measures
(FY2020
revised).2:The
PolicyNos.inredindicatenewpolicies.
Safetynetand
support,etc.for
foreign
nationalsintimeofemergency
Smoothandappropriate
acceptanceofforeign
nationals
Constructionofthe
residency
management
systemasa
foundationfora
societyofharmonious
coexistence
Document 2(2)National
ActionPlanon
BusinessandHuman
Rights
(Outline)
TowardstheFormulationofthe
National
ActionPlan(NAP)
ActionPlanGovernment’s
Expectations
towards
Business
Enterprises
FrameworkforImplementationandReviewoftheNAPThe
GovernmentofJapan
expects
Japanese
business
enterprises,
regardlessoftheirsizeand
industry,torespect
internationally
recognized
human
rightsandto
introducethehuman
rightsduediligence
process(*)basedonthe
UNGPsandother
relevant
international
standards.(*)Identify,
prevent,
mitigate,
address,andshare
informationonhuman
rights
impactsofbusiness
activities.TheNAP
coversaperiodof5
years.AnInter-Ministerial
Committeewillfollowtheimplementation
progress,andwill
establish
opportunitiesfordialoguewithstakeholdersandthe
outlinesofthese
dialogueswillbemadepublic.
Therewillbeamid-term
reviewoftheNAP3
years
after
issuanceanda
revision
after5years.1Increasing
International
AttentiontoBusinessandHuman
RightsandtheNeedforNAPsInthemidstofthe
formulationoftheOECDGuidelinesforMultinational
Enterprises,theILO
DeclarationonMultinational
Enterprises,andthe
advocacyoftheUNGlobal
Compact,theUNhasendorsedtheUN
Guiding
PrinciplesonBusinessandHuman
Rights
(UNGPs).
Action
planswerealso
mentionedinG7andG20
declarations.Inresponsetothe
demandsofinvestorsandother
stakeholders,
business
enterprisesalsoneedtoaddresstheneedtorespect
human
rights.
Business
enterprisesneedto
identify
risks
relatedtohuman
rightsandtake
measurestorespondtothem.Todate,therelevant
ministriesandagenciesofJapanhaveimplemented
various
legislative
measuresandpolicies
contributingtothe
protectionofhuman
rights,andbusiness
enterpriseshavebeen
respondingtothem.Inlightofthe
growing
social
demandforbusinessandhuman
rights,thegovernmenthasformulatedanNAPinrecognitionoftheneedfor
further
efforts.Inthe
contextofCOVID-19,itis
necessarytosteadily
implementtheNAP.2PositioningoftheNAPTheNAPwas
prepared
basedonUNGPs,theOECD
GuidelinesforMultinational
Enterprises,andtheILODeclarationonMultinational
Enterprises.Itis
positionedasoneofthe
initiativesinthe
realizationofthe
SDGs.3Objectivestobe
Achieved
throughtheLaunchandImplementationoftheNAPProtectionandpromotionofhuman
rightsforsocietyasa
whole,
including
international
society
Ensure
policy
coherenceinrelationtobusinessandhuman
rights
Ensureandenhancetheinternational
competitivenessandsustainabilityofJapanese
business
enterprises
ContributetoachievingtheSDGs4TheNAPFormulation
ProcessInadditiontoa
baseline
studytoassessthecurrent
landscape,
consultation
meetingswereheldwiththe
business
sector,thelabor
sector,andcivil
society.AdraftwaspreparedinFebruary
2020,anda
public
comment
surveywascarriedout.1
Fundamental
PrinciplesoftheNAP(1)
Promotionofunderstandingandraising
awarenessofbusinessandhuman
rights
amongthegovernment,
government-related
organizations,andlocal
governments(2)Promotionofunderstandingandraising
awarenessofbusinessandhuman
rights
among
business
enterprises(3)Promotionofunderstandingandraising
awarenessofhuman
rights
throughout
society(4)Establishmentofmechanismstopromote
respectforhuman
rightsinthe
supply
chain(5)Establishmentandimprovementofremedy
mechanisms2AreasoftheNAP→Seenextpageformoredetails.
Chapter1Chapter2Chapter3Chapter4October2020Inter-Ministerial
CommitteeonJapan’s
National
ActionPlanon
BusinessandHuman
Rights
Document 3(3)A.
Public
Procurement
Thoroughly
implement
procurement
rules
relevanttobusinessandhuman
rightsB.Development
CooperationandDevelopment
Finance
Implement
effective
measures
regarding
environmentalandsocial
considerationinthe
fieldsofdevelopment
cooperationanddevelopment
financingC.PromotionandExpansionofthe
BusinessandHuman
Rights
Agendainthe
International
CommunityWorktowards
promoting
implementationofthe
UNGPsinthe
international
community
Boost
effortstopromote
businessandhuman
rights
through
human
rights
dialogue
Contributetodiscussions
regarding
relations
between
economic
activitiesandsocial
issues,atinternational
forumsMakeefforts
towards
concludingEPAsand
investment
agreementsthatbenefitnotonly
industrybutalsoawide
rangeofpeople,
including
workers
Joint
dialoguewithcivil
society
undertheJapan-EUEPAD.
Human
Rights
EducationandAwareness-Raising
Raise
awarenessofbusinessandhuman
rightsandconduct
trainingonthe
topicsforpublic
employees
Implement
human
rights
educationandhuman
rights
awareness-raising
activities
basedonthe
BasicPlanon
Human
Rights
EducationandHuman
Rights
Awareness-Raising
Implement
human
rights
awareness-raising
activities
through
cooperationandcollaborationwithprivate
enterprises
Continue
awareness-raising
seminarsforSMEs
Award
business
enterprises
tackling
social
issues,
including
respectforhuman
rights
PublicizetheNAPtoeducational
institutionsandother
relevant
bodies
Cooperatewithinternational
organizationsonthe
publicationoftheNAPand
related
awareness-raising
activitiesA.Measures
RelatedtoDomesticandGlobal
Supply
ChainsandPromotionofHuman
RightsDueDiligence
Basedonthe
UNGPs
PublicizetheNAPandraise
awarenessofhuman
rightsduediligence
among
Japanese
business
enterprisesincooperationwithindustry
groupsandother
relevant
bodies
Raise
awarenessontheOECDGuidelinesforMultinational
Enterprisesandraise
awarenessontheILODeclarationandILOMNEDeclaration
PublicizetheNAPandraise
awarenessofhuman
rightsduediligencetoJapanese
business
enterprises
operating
overseasviaJapanese
embassies,
consulates,andoverseas
officesofgovernment-related
entities
Raise
awarenessonthe
GuidanceforCollaborative
Value
Creation
Steadily
implementtheActonthe
PromotionofFemale
ParticipationandCareer
Advancementinthe
Workplace
Promote
information
disclosurebybusiness
enterprisesinaccordancewiththe
Environmental
Reporting
Guidelines
Support
initiativesbyinternational
organizations
overseasB.SupportforSmallandMedium
Enterprises
(SMEs)
regarding
BusinessandHuman
Rights
Provide
informationtoSMEs
throughtheportalsiteon
businessandhuman
rights
Conduct
seminars
targetingSMEsInclude
policies
regarding
business
termsandconditionsandimprovementofbusiness
practices
JudicialandNon-Judicial
Remedy
Digitalize
civil
proceedings
Conduct
trainingonhuman
rightsforpolice
officers,
public
prosecutors,andother
relevant
officials
Publicize
activitiesandimprove
operationofthe
Japanese
National
Contact
Point
(NCP)
Continue
human
rights
counseling
Prevent
human
rights
violationsandremedy
damages
Continueandreinforce
measures,
including
those
basedonspecific
legislation(forworkers,
personswithdisabilities,andforeign
workers,
including
technical
intern
trainees,andfor
whistleblower
protection)
Promoteuseof
alternative
dispute
resolution
procedures
Continuetheprovisionofconsultation
servicesindevelopment
cooperationanddevelopment
finance
Support
developmentoflegal
systemsindeveloping
countries
Promote
quality
infrastructure
investment(2)Measuresofthe
Governmentasan
Actor
regarding
StateDutyto
Protect
Human
Rights(5)Other
Measures(4)Measures
regarding
AccesstoRemedy(1)Cross-Cutting
Areas
Chapter2.2.
AreasoftheNAP(3)
Measures
Promoting
Corporate
ResponsibilitytoRespect
Human
RightsA.Labor
(PromotionofDecent
Work)
Promote
decentworkReinforceofmeasures
against
harassment
Protectandrespecttherightsofworkers
including
foreign
workersandtechnical
intern
traineesB.PromotionandProtectionofChildren’s
Rights
Contributetointernational
effortstoeliminate
child
labor,
including
traffickinginpersons
Raise
awareness
about
child
prostitution
Initiativestoend
violence
against
children
Disseminate
Sports
PrinciplesandBusiness
Principles
Develop
internet
usage
environment
Steadily
implementtheBasicPlanon
Measures
against
Child
Sexual
ExploitationC.Human
Rights
Associatedwiththe
DevelopmentofNew
Technologies
Address
online
defamation,
includinghatespeech
Promote
discussionontheuseofAIfromtheperspectiveofprotectionofhuman
rightsandprivacyD.RightsandRolesofConsumers
Popularizeandraising
awarenessofethical
consumption
Promote
consumer-
oriented
management
Promote
consumer
educationE.Equality
beforetheLaw
(PersonswithDisabilities,
Women,
PersonsofDiverse
Sexual
OrientationandGender
Identity,andOther
Groups)
Promote
barrier-freeanduniversal
design
Promote
employmentofpersonswithdisabilities
Advance
women’s
empowerment
Promote
understandingandacceptanceofdiverse
sexual
orientationandgender
identity
Ensure
impartial
treatment
among
employment
fields
Ensure
impartial
treatmentinpublic
spacesorservicesF.Acceptanceofand
CoexistencewithForeign
Nationals
Improveandpromoteofthe
developmentofan
environmentforacceptanceofforeign
nationals
leadingtothe
realizationofa
societyofharmonious
coexistence(4)Ideal
SocietyofHarmonious
CoexistencewithForeign
Nationals
(Three
Visions)Thethree
visionsofan
ideal
societyofharmonious
coexistencearebasedonthe
principlesofSDGs,
whichsetinternational
goalsforachievingasustainable,
diverse,andinclusive
societythatleavesnoone
behind.
DiverseandVibrant
Society
SocietythatRespects
Individual
DignityandHuman
RightsSafeand
Comfortable
Society
SocietyofHarmonious
CoexistencewithForeign
Nationals
(Three
Visions)Asociety
where
foreign
nationalsareincludedasmembersofJapanese
future
society,andwhereallpeoplecanlive
safelyandcomfortably.Adiverseandvibrant
societyinwhichallpeople,
including
foreign
nationals,fromvarious
backgroundscanparticipateanddemonstrate
their
abilitiestotheir
fullest.Asocietyinwhichallpeople,
including
foreign
nationals,
respecteachother’s
individual
dignityandhuman
rightsandcanlivewithout
discriminationorprejudice.
Document 4(5)Changesinthe
NumberandPercentageofForeign
Residents,andthe
NumberofForeign
Workers00.511.522.533.544.5505001,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,50019861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020Numberofforeign
residents
Numberofforeign
workers
Percentageofforeign
residentsintotal
population
September2008Global
Financial
Crisis*The
numberofforeign
residentsisbasedonthe
former
"Registered
alien
statistics"(asoftheendofDecember)bythethenImmigration
Bureauofthe
MinistryofJustice
until
2011,andsince
2012,onthe
"Statisticsonforeign
residentsinJapan"(asoftheendofDecember)bythe
Immigration
Services
AgencyofJapan.*The
numberofforeign
workersisbasedonthe
"SummaryofNotificationofForeign
Workers’
Employment
Status"
(statisticsasoftheendofOctoberofeach
year)bythe
MinistryofHealth,
LabourandWelfare(Asthe
systemfornotifyingthestatusofforeign
workers
beganonOctober1,2007,thefiguresshowchanges
since
2008).*The
total
populationisbasedonthe
"Population
Estimates"
(statisticsasof
October1ofeachyear)andthe
"Population
Census"
(preliminary
resultsfor2020)bythe
MinistryofInternal
AffairsandCommunications.
March2011GreatEastJapan
Earthquake2020COVID-19
EpidemicJuly2012
Introductionofnew
residency
management
systemJune1990
EstablishmentofStatusofResidence
(Thousand
People)Endof20202,887,116
peopleEndof20192,933,137
people
1,724,328
people
486,398
people(%)2.32%
0.80%July2010
Creationof"Technical
Intern
Training"
Integrationof"College
Student"
statusand"Pre-College
Student"
status
NumberofForeign
ResidentsandForeign
Workers
PercentageofForeign
ResidentsinJapan’s
Total
Population
November2017ImplementationofTechnical
Intern
TrainingActApril2019Establishmentof"Specified
Skilled
Worker"
System
2.29%
Document 5(6)[StatusofResidence]
Changesinthe
NumberandProportionofForeign
Residents20202010*Figuresfor2010arebasedonthe
former
"Registered
alien
statistics"(asoftheendofDecember)bythethenImmigration
Bureauofthe
MinistryofJustice.
Figuresfor2020arebasedonthe
"Statisticsonforeign
residentsinJapan"(asoftheendofDecember)bythe
Immigration
Services
AgencyofJapan.*The
numberofregistered
foreign
nationalsasoftheendof2010
(2,087,261)isthe
numberofregistered
foreign
nationalswhohaveastatusofresidencethatcouldbeclassifiedasmidtolong-termresidentorSpecial
Permanent
Resident.*The
numberfor"Engineer/SpecialistinHumanities/International
Services"attheendof2010isthetotalof"Engineer"and"SpecialistinHumanities/International
Services."*The
numberfor"Technical
Intern
TrainingandTrainee"attheendof2010isthetotalof"Technical
Intern
Training,"
"Designated
Activities"
(Technical
Intern
Training),and"Trainee."
Permanent
Resident
807,517
28.0%
Technical
Intern
Training
378,200
13.1%
Special
Permanent
Resident
304,430
10.5%
Engineer/
SpecialistinHumanities/
International
Services
283,3809.8%Student
280,9019.7%Long-Term
Resident
201,3297.0%Dependent
196,6226.8%SpouseorChildofJapanese
National
142,7354.9%Designated
Activities
103,4223.6%SpouseorChildofPermanent
Resident
42,9051.5%Other
145,6755.0%Permanent
Resident
565,089
27.1%
Special
Permanent
Resident
399,106
19.1%
Student
201,5119.7%SpouseorChildofJapanese
National
196,2489.4%Long-Term
Resident
194,6029.3%Technical
Intern
TrainingandTrainee
159,4317.6%Dependent
118,8655.7%Engineer/
SpecialistinHumanities/
International
Services
115,0595.5%Skilled
Labor
30,1421.4%Designated
Activities
(excluding
technical
intern
training)
22,294
,1.1%
Other
84,9144.1%Numberofregistered
foreign
nationals:
2,087,261
Numberofforeign
residents:
2,887,116
Document 6(7)[Nationality/Region]
Changesinthe
NumberandProportionofForeign
Residents20202010
Numberofregistered
foreign
nationals:
2,087,261
China
678,391
32.5%
Korea
560,799
26.9%
Brazil
228,702
11.0%
Philippines
200,2089.6%Peru
52,3852.5%United
States
49,8212.4%Vietnam
41,3542.0%Thailand
38,2401.8%Indonesia
24,3741.2%India
21,7231.0%Other
191,2649.2%China
778,112
27.0%
Vietnam
448,053
15.5%
R.O.Korea
426,908
14.8%
Philippines
279,6609.7%Brazil
208,5387.2%Nepal
95,9823.3%Indonesia
66,8322.3%Taiwan
55,8721.9%United
States
55,7611.9%Thailand
53,3791.8%Other
418,019
14.5%
Numberofforeign
residents:
2,887,116*Figuresfor2010arebasedonthe
former
"Registered
alien
statistics"(asoftheendofDecember)bythethenImmigration
Bureauofthe
MinistryofJustice.
Figuresfor2020arebasedonthe
"Statisticsonforeign
residentsinJapan"(asoftheendofDecember)bythe
Immigration
Services
AgencyofJapan.*The
numberofregistered
foreign
nationalsasoftheendof2010
(2,087,261)isthe
numberofregistered
foreign
nationalswhohaveastatusofresidencethatcouldbeclassifiedasmidtolong-term
residentorSpecial
Permanent
Resident.*Regarding
"Korea,"
untiltheyear-end
statisticsof2011,
thosewith"Korea"inthe
"Nationality"
columnoftheir
certificateofalien
registrationandthosewithR.O.Korean
nationalitywith"R.O.Korea"inthe
columnwererecorded
togetheras"Korea."
However,
startingasoftheyear-end
statisticsof2012,
thosewith"R.O.Korea"
writteninthe
"Nationality/Region"
columnoftheir
residence
cardsarerecordedas"R.O.Korea"andthosewith"Korea"
writteninthe
columnarerecordedas"Korea."*Regarding
"Taiwan,"
thosewhohold
passports
issuedbyauthorized
agenciesinTaiwanhada
certificateofalien
registrationwith"China"
writteninthe
"Nationality"
column
untilJuly8,
2012,butsinceJuly9,
2012,
"Taiwan"hasbeen
writteninthe
"Nationality/Region"
columnoftheir
residence
cards.
Startingasoftheyear-end
statisticsof2012,
thosewhoreceived
residence
cardswith"Taiwan"
writtenonthemarerecordedas"Taiwan."
Document 7(8)China
287,105
44.2%
Brazil
116,363
17.9%
Philippines
61,7109.5%R.O.Korea
28,9214.4%Peru
23,3603.6%G8
nations
46,2217.1%Other
86,302
13.3%
[Nationality/Region]
Changesinthe
NumberandProportionofForeign
Workers20202010
Numberofforeign
workers:
649,982
Numberofforeign
workers:
1,724,328
Vietnam
443,998
25.7%
China
419,431
24.3%
Philippines
184,750
10.7%
Brazil
131,1127.6%Nepal
99,6285.8%R.O.Korea
68,8974.0%Indonesia
53,3953.1%Peru
29,0541.7%G7/G8
nations
80,4144.7%Other
213,649
12.4%*Basedonthe
"Notification
StatusofForeign
Workers’
Employment
Status"(asoftheendofOctober
2010)and"SummaryofNotification
StatusofForeign
Workers’
Employment
Status"(asoftheendofOctober
2020)bythe
MinistryofHealth,
LabourandWelfare.*"G8
nations"in2010and"G7/G8
nations"in2020
refertothe
United
Kingdom,
United
States,
Germany,
France,
Italy,
Canada,
Russia,
Australia,andNew
Zealand.
Document 8(9)[Age]
Changesinthe
NumberandProportionofForeign
Residents*Figuresfor2010arebasedonthe
former
"Registered
alien
statistics"(asoftheendofDecember)bythethenImmigration
Bureauofthe
MinistryofJustice.Thefiguresfor2020arebasedonthe
"Statisticsonforeign
residentsinJapan"(asoftheendofDecember)bythe
Immigration
Services
AgencyofJapan.
67,909(3.2%)
60,600(2.8%)
62,334(2.9%)
78,826(3.7%)
276,281(12.9%)
310,723(14.6%)
272,198(12.8%)
227,918(10.7%)
207,583(9.7%)
165,909(7.8%)
116,919(5.5%)
88,312(4.1%)
67,369(3.2%)
46,217(2.2%)
33,486(1.6%)
21,878(1.0%)
29,689(1.4%)0100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,0000to4yrs5to9yrs10to14yrs15to19yrs20to24yrs25to29yrs30to34yrs35to39yrs40to44yrs45to49yrs50to54yrs55to59yrs60to64yrs65to69yrs70to74yrs75to79yrs80yrs+2020201090,065(3.1%)
84,585(2.9%)
68,712(2.4%)
94,424(3.3%)
367,186(12.7%)
280,548(9.7%)
224,517(7.8%)
193,962(6.7%)
174,516(6.0%)
135,741(4.7%)
92,830(3.2%)
67,913(2.4%)
49,807(1.7%)
33,157(1.1%)
40,070(1.4%)0100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,0000to4yrs5to9yrs10to14yrs15to19yrs20to24yrs25to29yrs30to34yrs35to39yrs40to44yrs45to49yrs50to54yrs55to59yrs60to64yrs65to69yrs70to74yrs75to79yrs80yrs+(People)
(People)
456,051(15.8%)
433,032(15.0%)
Document 9(10)[Age]
Comparisonofthe
NumberofForeign
Residentsandthe
Japanese
Population90(3.1%)85(2.9%)69(2.4%)94(3.3%)433(15.0%)456(15.8%)367(12.7%)281(9.7%)225(7.8%)194(6.7%)175(6.0%)136(4.7%)93(3.2%)68(2.4%)50(1.7%)33(1.1%)40(1.4%)
4,540
(3.7%)
4,932
(4.0%)
5,287
(4.3%)
5,550
(4.5%)
5,991
(4.9%)
5,882
(4.8%)
6,234
(5.1%)
7,141
(5.8%)
8,141
(6.6%)
9,619
(7.8%)
8,558
(7.0%)
7,859
(6.4%)
7,329
(6.0%)
8,074
(6.6%)
9,341
(7.6%)
6,972
(5.7%)
11,661
(9.5%)05,000
10,000
15,00001002003004005000to4yrs5to9yrs10to14yrs15to19yrs20to24yrs25to29yrs30to34yrs35to39yrs40to44yrs45to49yrs50to54yrs55to59yrs60to64yrs65to69yrs70to74yrs75to79yrs80yrs+(Thousand
People)
(Thousand
People)*The
numberofforeign
residentsisbasedonthe
"Statisticsonforeign
residentsinJapan"(asoftheendof2020)bythe
Immigration
Services
AgencyofJapan.*The
Japanese
populationisbasedonthe
"Population
Estimates"(asof
January1,2021,withestimates
basedonthe2015Population
Census)bythe
MinistryofInternal
AffairsandCommunications.
■しかく
Japanese
population
■しかく
Numberofforeign
residents
Document 10(11)[Gender/Age/StatusofResidence]
NumberofForeign
Residents
Skilled
Labor
Engineer/
SpecialistinHumanities/
International
Services
Technical
Intern
Training
(i)(b)
Technical
Intern
Training
(ii)(b)
Student
Dependent
Designated
Activities
Permanent
Resident
SpouseorChildofJapanese
National
Long-Term
Resident
Special
Permanent
Resident60402002040600yrs5yrs10yrs15yrs20yrs25yrs30yrs35yrs40yrs45yrs50yrs55yrs60yrs65yrs70yrs75yrs80yrs+
(Thousand
People)
Professor
Artist
Religious
Activities
Journalist
Highly
Skilled
Professional
(i)(a)
Highly
Skilled
Professional
(i)(b)
Highly
Skilled
Professional
(i)(c)
Highly
Skilled
Professional(ii)Business
Manager
Legal/Accounting
Services
Medical
Services
Researcher
Instructor
Engineer/
SpecialistinHumanities/
International
Services
Intra-Company
Transferee
NursingCareEntertainer
Skilled
Labor
Specified
Skilled
Worker(i)Specified
Skilled
Worker(ii)Technical
Intern
Training
(i)(a)
Technical
Intern
Training
(i)(b)
Technical
Intern
Training
(ii)(a)
Technical
Intern
Training
(ii)(b)
Technical
Intern
Training
(iii)(a)
Technical
Intern
Training
(iii)(b)
Cultural
Activities
Student
Trainee
Dependent
Designated
Activities
Permanent
Resident
SpouseorChildofJapanese
National
SpouseorChildofPermanent
Resident
Long-Term
Resident
Special
Permanent
Resident
FemaleMale*Thenumberofforeign
residentsisbasedonthe
"Statisticsonforeign
residentsinJapan"(asoftheendof2020)bythe
Immigration
Services
AgencyofJapan.
Document 11(12)[Gender]
Changesinthe
NumberofForeign
Residentsandthe
RatioofMaleandFemale
Residents*Until
2011,thenumberofforeign
residentswasbasedonthe
former
"Registered
alien
statistics"(asoftheendofDecember)bythethenImmigration
Bureauofthe
MinistryofJustice,andsince
2012,onthe
"Statisticsonforeign
residentsinJapan"(asoftheendofDecember)bythe
Immigration
Services
AgencyofJapan.671680702731736748797833862884906968
1,002
1,032
1,0059729459229439801,050
1,135
1,234
1,328
1,446
1,4296836827137527768088909459901,031
1,067
1,117
1,151
1,186
1,181
1,162
1,133
1,112
1,123
1,142
1,182
1,248
1,328
1,403
1,487
1,458
49.6%
49.9%
49.6%
49.3%
48.7%
48.1%
47.3%
46.9%
46.5%
46.2%
45.9%
46.4%
46.5%
46.5%
46.0%
45.6%
45.5%
45.3%
45.7%
46.2%
47.0%
47.6%
48.2%
48.6%
49.3%
49.5%
50.4%
50.1%
50.4%
50.7%
51.3%
51.9%
52.7%
53.1%
53.5%
53.8%
54.1%
53.6%
53.5%
53.5%
54.0%
54.4%
54.5%
54.7%
54.3%
53.8%
53.0%
52.4%
51.8%
51.4%
50.7%
50.5%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%0500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
(Thousand
People)MaleFemaleMaleFemale
Document 12(13)Summary of Hearings to the Relevant Parties
Contributing to consider the ideal form of Japan’s immigration control and
residency management administration, hearings to the relevant parties which
interviews with a broad range of relevant parties are held from the perspective
of listening to voices of the people.
[Hearings]
FY 2020
1st Friday, February 19, Ms. Yumi Shimokawa
Citizen Collaboration Promotion Section, Civil Environment Department,
Tosu City, Saga Prefecture
2nd Monday, February 22, Ms. Midori Nii
Citizen’s Network for Global Activities (CINGA)
3rd Friday, March 5, Ms. Naomi Kudo
Originator Co., Ltd., The Japan Association for the Employment of
Foreign Nationals, and International Person Exchange Support
Association
4th Tuesday, March 9, Japan Federation of Certified Administrative
Procedures Legal Specialists Associations
5th Wednesday, March 10, Mr. Cesar Cabrejos
Language One Corporation
6th Monday, March 15, Mr. Ichiro Asami
Naitei Bridge Co., Ltd.
7th Tuesday, March 16, Council of Local Authorities for International
Relations (CLAIR)
8th Friday, March 26, Mr. Takashi Tsuchiya
Elementary and Junior High School Planning Section, School Education
Planning Department, Secretariat of the Board of Education of
Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
9th Friday, March 26, Ms. Keiko Sakurai
Shizuoka Prefecture, Hamamatsu City Board of Education, School
Education Department, Guidance Division, Educational Support Center,
Foreigners Support Group
10th Tuesday, March 30, Ms. Iki Tanaka
Youth Support Center
Document 13(14)FY 2021
1st Tuesday, April 6, Ms. Shuko Ebihara
kuriya
2nd Thursday, April 8, Mr. Seiju Takahashi
Multicultural Education Network Kanagawa (ME-net)
3rd Friday, April 9, National Association for Global & Open Minded
Communities (NAGOMi)
4th Monday, April 12, Ms. Rosa Mercedes Ochante Muray, Associate
Professor
St. Andrew’s University of Education
5th Wednesday, April 14, Ms. Kumiko Sakamoto
Aidensha
6th Friday, April 16, Ms. Yoshimi Kojima, Associate Professor
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
7th Tuesday, April 20, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture
8th Interview on Wednesday, April 21, Mr. Takaharu Hayashi
Japan Overseas Council
9th Monday, May 10, Ms. Megumi Fukuyama and Mr. Huhdelger
Kobe Foreigners Friendship Center (KFC)
10th Thursday, May 13, Japan Association of New Economy
11th Monday, May 17, Ms. Yukimi Miyagi
12th Tuesday, May 25, KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation)
13th Tuesday, June 4, Mr. Tetsuyoshi Kodama
ALIANÇA DE INTERCÂMBIO BRASIL JAPÃO
14th Wednesday, June 9, National Federation of Small Business
Associations
15th Tuesday, June 29, Japan Trade Union Confederation
16th Thursday, July 15, Japan Federation of Bar Associations
[Summary]
1st Interview (February 19, 2021)
Ms. Yumi Shimokawa
Citizen Collaboration Promotion Section, Civil Environment Department, Tosu
City, Saga Prefecture(15)(Points of Opinions)
The use of plain Japanese should be promoted as a tool for making
communication with foreign nationals easier and on the national
government’s websites.
Japanese language classes in communities have difficulty finding teachers
and staff. Since continuous human resources development is necessary,
the government should take necessary action.
It is essential to promote the use of plain Japanese in order to promote the
development of intercultural communities. If Japanese residents can
communicate smoothly with foreign nationals, they can learn about foreign
cultures and customs while in Japan.
Intercultural cohesion programs and Japanese language class programs
are also helpful for Japanese residents.
2nd Hearing (February 22, 2021)
Ms. Midori Nii
Citizen’s Network for Global Activities (CINGA)
(Points of Opinions)
Since some government staff who attend to foreign residents are not good
at communicating with foreign nationals, it is necessary to promote plain
Japanese as a tool for making communication with them easier and set
the trainings for the staff.
In terms of Japanese language education, it is necessary to provide foreign
nationals with opportunities to learn the Japanese language necessary for
them to live independently in communities.
The Foreign Residents Support Center should provide intermediary
support (support for local governments and international exchange
associations which carry out front-line support).
It is necessary to motivate foreign residents to receive Japanese language
education (link learning Japanese with their status of residence).
In terms of personnel development for Japanese language education, it is
necessary to invest in personnel development in elementary education.
3rd Hearing (March 5, 2021)
Ms. Naomi Kudo
Originator Co., Ltd., The Japan Association for the Employment of Foreign
Nationals, and International Person Exchange Support Association(16)(Points of Opinions)
Japanese companies tend to expect foreign workers to be very proficient
in Japanese language. They should get accustomed to Japanese
language spoken by non-native.
To motivate foreign nationals to learn Japanese, it is important to clarify
their individual learning needs, for example, business terms necessary for
their work and words and expressions useful for shopping.
In terms of human resources of Japanese language education, there are
difficulties of developing a long-term career mainly due to pay levels. It is
necessary to provide Japanese language teachers with information on
Japanese language learners and Japanese language education
institutions.
There should be a national system for providing Japanese language
education to newcomers. There should also be national programs like
orientation programs other than language programs to provide them with
information necessary for life in Japan.
Even if public support is available to foreign nationals, some of them are
unaware of the support and cannot use that. Information of public support
should be shared through social network services or by other means.
4th Hearing (March 9, 2021)
Mr. Haruo Mizuno and others
Japan Federation of Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialists
Associations
(Points of Opinions)
In terms of information dissemination of special measures for the status of
residence, from the viewpoint of certified administrative procedures legal
specialists who support foreign nationals, we request the government to
clarify the legal grounds for the special measures for status of residence,
in addition to merely explaining the special measures for the status of
residence.
In terms of making sustainable support for foreign nationals, the
Immigration Services Agency should consider providing financial support
to the proven NPOs in supporting foreign nationals.
While many minors under provisional release go to school, schools have
to be very careful about them as they are not eligible to health insurance.(17)Therefore, such minors should be eligible for health insurance so that they
can study in the same conditions as other students.
5th Hearing (March 10, 2021)
Mr. Cesar Cabrejos
Language One Corporation
(Points of Opinions)
Since many foreign residents understand some Japanese language, even
if an interpreter is available, healthcare workers should speak with them in
plain Japanese so that they can understand their condition to some extent.
However, healthcare workers still need to be careful of their possible
misunderstanding of plain Japanese.
It will be effective in transmitting information for foreign nationals to use
social networking services and places where they gather, such as
international exchange associations.
Officially certifying medical interpreters is preferable, but it would hinder
volunteer interpreters.
To have more foreign children playing an active role in Japanese society,
it is important to provide their parents with more information on educational
support. Support programs, such as scholarship programs, are unused if
foreign parents do not know such support is available.
6th Hearing (March 15, 2021)
Mr. Ichiro Asami
Naitei Bridge Co., Ltd.
(Points of Opinions)
When communicating with foreign nationals, we need to tell them the
cultural codes and backgrounds behind our words which we are not usually
conscious of. Since many Japanese companies seek for foreign workers
who can understand such cultural codes at the same level as native
Japanese, they fail to tell their foreign workers necessary cultural codes
when coaching or training their foreign workers in workplaces and
formulating their work rules or other internal rules. The government needs
to change such a corporate mindset.
Plain Japanese language used to support companies hiring foreign
workers needs not only to simplify words and phrases, but also to help
foreign workers understand such cultural understanding.(18)It is not very effective for administrative agencies to promote Japanese
language education for foreign workers in an uncoordinated manner.
Instead, they need to work together toward the common goal: "settlement
after hiring."
To retain and rely on foreign workers, companies hiring foreign workers
and their industrial associations should show the necessary Japanese
language levels when foreign workers join the company and after that.
7th Hearing (March 16, 2021)
Mr. Takanori Shimizu and Ms. Kaori Fujinami
Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)
(Points of Opinions)
Although many local governments provide foreign residents with
information in multiple languages, such information includes mere
translations of information aimed at Japanese citizens and information
hardly understandable for foreign nationals without background
knowledge. In terms of the Guidebook on Living and Working published by
the Immigration Services Agency, to make it more understandable and
useful, it is preferable that the agency would revise it with the help of
foreign committee members and so on.
To raise Japanese awareness of their role as a host country, it is necessary
to provide multilingual information for foreign nationals through new
channels from the viewpoint of promoting intercultural cohesion.
If such information is provided not only by local governments, international
exchange associations, and NPOs and other parties involved in
intercultural cohesion, but also by private companies, schools, local
communities, and other organizations not related with foreign nationals
before, Japanese citizens can understand what considerations they should
show for foreign nationals around them and that their workplaces and
schools already have those with foreign roots. This will help broader public
understanding of people with various backgrounds.
Information should be provided in plain Japanese as well as multiple
languages. Wider use of plain Japanese by Japanese people will make it
easier for them to communicate with foreign nationals and promote mutual
understanding through, for example, greeting exchanges in communities,
disasters, the activities of neighborhood associations, and other
opportunities.(19)Support desk workers, whether for Japanese or foreign nationals, have a
role that not everyone can do as they need listening skills, mental care
skills, and a personal and institutional network. For this reason, support
desk workers for foreign residents should be professionalized with
qualifications or certifications. In addition, coordinators need to be
assigned to support desks so that support desk workers can refer foreign
nationals seeking help to suitable organizations.
The assignment of coordinators can create a cycle of analyzing handled
cases, identifying the problems of foreign nationals seeking help,
conducting specialized training, and providing better support services, and
even help plan and implement effective measures for intercultural
cohesion.
Support for foreign children needs to include not only educational support,
but also human resource development and providing sufficient financial
support to help them learn their native language and Japanese, promoting
their parents’ understanding of their career development, providing
healthcare support in infancy and childhood, and providing livelihood
support including support for households in need. It is therefore important
for local governments to make interdepartmental efforts to support foreign
children.
8th Hearing (March 26, 2021)
Mr. Takashi Tsuchiya
Elementary and Junior High School Planning Section, School Education
Planning Department, Secretariat of the Board of Education of Yokohama City,
Kanagawa Prefecture
(Points of Opinions)
The name of a foreign national on their residence card is used as their
official name. While graduation certificates need to bear the official names
of graduates, schools cannot write their official names in kanji on
graduation certificates if asked by foreign students whose residence card
does not have their names in kanji or their parents. Every year we have
many inquiries related to this problem from local schools. If the application
form for issuance of residence card has a Chinese version, there will be
less misunderstanding and fewer troubles at the time of application.
Foreign children and students include those enrolling in a school for foreign
students, those enrolling in an international school, and even those not(20)living in Japan. Although teachers visit such children and students to check
their school enrollment as whether they live in or outside Japan is not
known, it is still difficult to understand the actual situation.
If children and students with foreign nationality have good memories of
school days, they will be good friends of Japan in the future. Since there
are no parents who are not interested in the education of their children, it
is important to ensure that foreign parents can make their children study
at school without worry.
9th Hearing (March 26, 2021)
Ms. Keiko Sakurai
Shizuoka Prefecture, Hamamatsu City Board of Education, School Education
Department, Guidance Division, Educational Support Center, Foreigners
Support Group
(Points of Opinions)
To assist children who need Japanese Language Support, it is important
to create an environment that values the student culture and native
(mother) language, cultivate their skills to study by themselves, and guide
them to be able to have dreams and hopes.
Since the school system differs from country to country, it is important to
explain to the parents about Japanese Schools. In order to provide the
child’s needed support, Hamamatsu City’s "Orientation about Japanese
Schools" also talk about the children’s/parents’ Japanese ability, situation
at the previous school, diagnosis of developmental disorder (if needed),
religion, among others.
Children who do not have a status of residence cannot be identify unless
they come to the consultation. It would be nice to have a system to follow
foreign children when their families move into a new city.
Some children with foreign nationality born in Japan are neither fluent in
Japanese language nor in their native (mother) language. Without a
conscious opportunity to nurture their native (mother) language, it could be
difficult to develop that language, and parent-child communication
becomes impossible.
Children can improve their Japanese ability if they enter a Japanese school,
parents cannot. It would be nice to have a system where parents and
children can learn Japanese in their communities.(21)10th Hearing (March 30, 2021)
Ms. Iki Tanaka
Youth Support Center
(Points of Opinions)
YSC Global School mainly admits children with foreign roots and provides
them with Japanese language education. Most of our students are in their
mid-teens, including those who are over school age and those who
graduated from junior high school without a clear career path. There are
few places that accept such students aged 15 or older who want to go to
high school or work. Night junior high schools do not meet their needs.
The school offers online classes, but of course those classes cannot
provide everything, particularly local information. It is thus essential for us
to work with local supporters, such as schoolteachers, who are close to
students, and international exchange associations.
Some students with foreign roots are ineligible for a quota for foreign
students when taking a high school entrance examination because they
have Japanese nationality or have lived in Japan for certain years. We are
working with local high schools to help as many students as possible enroll
in the high schools of their choice.
An increasing number of students who use the school’s scholarship
program suggests that many of their families have been financially affected
by the COVID-19.
Foreign children under provisional release are placed in a very precarious
position, and the situation needs to be improved.
The government should provide sufficient educational information to
foreign nationals before their arrival in Japan. Their migration conditions,
such as when they come to Japan and where they live in Japan, make
huge differences in the living conditions and career paths of their children,
including ineligibility for a quota for foreign students, but many foreign
nationals migrate to Japan without knowing this fact.
FY 2021
1st Hearing (April 6, 2021)
Ms. Shuko Ebihara
kuriya
(Points of Opinions)(22)The worries of young people with foreign roots often come from multiple
reasons, such as poor academic ability, the lack of role models, problems
with their status of residence, and financial problems. These problems
need to be addressed individually.
Young foreign nationals who stay in Japan with a "Dependent" or "Official"
status are not eligible for scholarship programs or other financial support,
so the eligibility requirements should be eased.
High schools need to support their students with foreign roots as a team
of their teachers and outside staff, such as counselors and social workers.
Since not all young foreign nationals are covered by safety nets, they
should be provided with multilayered support through cooperation by
inside and outside of schools.
Providing necessary information to foreign nationals needs someone who
enters foreign communities and builds a relationship with foreign nationals.
For this purpose, it should be a good idea to use liaison meetings with key
persons of support groups and foreign communities.
The COVID-19 has worsened the isolation of foreign residents. The
government should grasp the reality of their isolation and visualize their
problems.
Some young foreign nationals graduate from high school without a clear
career path and have difficulty going to Japanese language school
because of high tuition. The government should identify their needs and
discuss measures to help them learn Japanese.
Since a job of supporting foreign nationals hardly provides financial
security, and also the aging of the staff is ongoing, young staff is not
developed. There needs to be a system that develop human resources,
for example, by covering part of our personnel expenses.
2nd Hearing (April 8, 2021)
Mr. Seiju Takahashi
Multicultural Education Network Kanagawa (ME-net)
(Points of Opinions)
We need a fair entrance examination system for high schools that takes
into consideration differences in Japanese levels and educational
backgrounds among foreign students. It is necessary to provide special
education nationwide that meets the individual needs of foreign students.(23)For supporting children with foreign root, it is necessary to understand the
reality of children with foreign roots and consider supporting way for them
based on their detailed data, such as data by municipality, age and status
of residence.
It is necessary to develop human resources of addressing issues of
multiculturalism and diversification through education at universities and
professional training colleges.
To help young foreign nationals who stay in Japan with a "Dependent"
status find employment and change the status of residence, the
government needs to inform the system that allows such foreigners to work,
simplify the paperwork for changing the status of residence, and promote
online application.
Since foreign children applying for a refugee status, overstaying their visas,
or with a "Dependent" status are often placed in a precarious position,
support desks for them should be established.
The government should assist with cooperation between local
governments and NPOs and other organizations to eliminate differences
in support for foreign residents among local governments.
With the government’s support, local governments should train
multicultural social workers who can handle complicated problems.
To eliminate children with foreign nationality who do not attend school,
there should be a system where local governments and schools cooperate
in referring school-aged foreign children to local schools when they come
to Japan.
3rd Hearing (April 9, 2021)
Mr. Tsutomu Takebe, Mr. Kunio Umeda, and Mr. Masao Manjome
National Association for Global & Open Minded Communities (NAGOMi)
(Points of Opinions)
In terms of the Technical Intern Training Program, the lack of
communication is one of the main causes of disappearance and other
problems. Passing the N5 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
should be requirement of the program.
Applicants for a "Student" or "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/
International Services" status should be obligated to submit a graduation
certificate and transcript issued by the competent authorities as
countermeasures against document falsification.(24)The Organization for Technical Intern Training should conduct stricter
inspections of licensed supervising organizations and implementing
organizations impose severer punishment on unlawful organizations (as
measures to prevent human rights violations).
Appropriate measures should be taken to avoid incurring unnecessary
debts for technical intern trainees and Japanese language school students.
The government should assess and support the efforts of licensed
supervising organizations to protect technical intern trainees facing
difficulties resulting from the COVID-19, such as the termination of their
contracts, and prevent their situations from worsening. The government
also needs to expand matching support.
More support is needed to provide better Japanese education in the post-
arrival training for technical intern trainees.
The Japanese that foreign nationals want to learn varies depending on
their migration purposes. It may be a good idea to launch other tests for
measuring the Japanese communication skills of mid- to long-term foreign
residents such as adding higher levels to the Japanese Foundation Test
for Basic Japanese.
It is necessary to strengthen the system which strictly conduct on-site
inspections, examine, and punish Japanese language education
institutions and universities. Records of past inspection and guidance
should be publicly disclosed.
The Japanese proficiency requirements of the migration system for fourth-
generation foreign nationals of Japanese descent should be eased.
It may be a good idea to promote the export of TV dramas, animations,
music, and other Japanese cultural content to increase opportunities for
foreign nationals to be exposed to Japanese.
It is effective to utilize living guidance counselors and training instructors
as well as licensed supervising organizations and implementing
organizations so that technical intern trainees can quickly get information
on social rules in an easy to understand format.
It is effective to share the health problems of technical intern trainees seen
by licensed supervising organizations and implementing organizations and
their responding to the problems as know-how. Since some hospitals do
not accept foreign patients not accompanied by an interpreter, the
government should consider providing an online interpretation service and
assigning medical interpreters to hospitals.(25)Since the Comprehensive Measures for Acceptance and Coexistence of
Foreign Nationals can be interpreted that disaster and weather information
to be targeted at only foreign nationals with specific statuses of residence,
the government should clarify that such information needs to be shared by
all foreign nationals.
The government should consider providing public housing or other housing
support to technical intern trainees who were dismissed due to the COVID-
19 and lost their homes.
The government should clarify its recognition of the current
situation/issues of the aging issues of permanent foreign residents,
including those of Japanese descent, in the Comprehensive Measures,
and discuss the need for measures.
The government should establish one-stop support centers nationwide as
places where foreign residents can get necessary information on various
public services. Local governments should regularly meet to share their
advanced measures related to harmonious coexistence.
It may be a good idea to create "Handbook on Employment Management
of Foreigners" (provisional name) and conduct awareness activities to
enable companies hiring foreign workers to share know-how on how to
prevent various problems resulting from differences in languages, religious
beliefs, and customs as well as employment-related laws.
4th Hearing (April 12, 2021)
Ms. Rosa Mercedes Ochante Muray, Associate Professor
St. Andrew’s University of Education
(Points of Opinions)
Many children with foreign nationality are traumatized by bullying or
discrimination. Schools need to provide intercultural cohesion education
and human rights education involving local communities.
It is important for foreign children to use their native language. I have seen
many young foreign nationals who stopped speaking their native language
in their early childhood as a result of feeling uncomfortable using it at
Japanese school, and relearn it afterward. Since Japanese society will be
more diversified in the future, bilingual children should be encouraged to
use their native language.(26)It is necessary to eliminate regional differences in support for foreign
students after compulsory schooling, such as quotas for foreign students
in high school admission.
Foreign students drop out of high school for multiple reasons, such as their
academic ability, bullying, and financial difficulties. As the reasons include
their parents’ failure to understand Japanese educational systems, it is
necessary to make foreign parents understand the importance of going to
high school.
Compared to elementary and junior high schools, study support provided
by high schools to their foreign students is not enough. Moreover, there is
a lack of individual tuition and support in learning native languages.
The financial insecurity of foreign parents affects their children. It is
necessary to prevent foreign nationals from being isolated and inform them
of where they can seek help when necessary.
Role models are important for foreign children to determine their career
paths and develop their careers. If they do not have role models around
them, it is preferable to make opportunities to interact with role models by
using online.
Children with foreign roots will become members of Japanese society.
There needs to be a common understanding that support for them will
contribute to Japanese future society.
5th Hearing (April 14, 2021)
Ms. Kumiko Sakamoto
Aidensha
(Points of Opinions)
Aidensha is devising information conveyance such as using Facebook
paid advertising to transmit information to foreign nationals who really
need it. It is effective to transmitting information to foreign nationals in each
foreign language.
Information provided by the government and local governments has some
issues such as tending to use too much text and be difficult and poorly
interpreted and translated. They need to transmit understandable
information and carefully check the interpretation and translation quality of
their information.
Networking of support for foreign residents and intercultural cohesion and
other cooperation frameworks have enabled us to work with support(27)groups to provide better support, discuss necessary support, and make
joint proposals to the government. It is particularly important that local
governments can now directly hear the opinions of foreign nationals in
cooperation with local foreign communities.
Amid the accelerating decline of the Japanese population, measures for
harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals should be linked with
population issues. The government should enlighten encouraging
companies and other organizations to accept foreign nationals as
members of society.
While the population of foreign residents is increasing, there is a limit to
the support that NPOs and other organizations can provide without
compensation or with a single-year budget, so it is necessary to be multi-
year budget projects.
6th Hearing (April 16, 2021)
Ms. Yoshimi Kojima, Associate Professor
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
(Points of Opinions)
Local governments should include education of foreign nationals in their
"official functions" to eliminate Non-Japanese Children not attending
school.
Some schools do not grasp accurately nationalities and situation of their
Non-Japanese Children. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science, and Technology should add the "numbers of students by school
year and by nationality" to the School Basic Survey and include Non-
Japanese Children in the subjects of the Survey on School-Aged Children
and Students Not Enrolling in Compulsory Schooling.
It is necessary to eliminate regional differences in the availability of quotas
or other special measures for students who graduate from a junior high
school in high school admission since the availability greatly affects their
career paths.
More relearning support needs to be provided to Non-Japanese Children
over school age. Especially, every prefecture and ordinance-designated
city must have a public night junior high school.
In some municipalities, graduates from a junior high school of Ethnic and
International Schools are not qualified for entrance examinations for public
high schools. This is because local governments differently interpret "other(28)persons who are considered by a high school to have academic ability
equal or superior to that of junior high school graduates" under the
Regulation for Enforcement of the School Education Act. They should
therefore have the same interpretation. To ensure the health and safety of
Non-Japanese Children, the School Health and Safety Act, the Act on the
National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health (the Injury and
Accident Mutual Aid Benefit System), and the School Lunch Program Act
should apply to full-time Ethnic and International Schools that provide
group activities.
Whether Non-Japanese Children can receive sufficient education depends
on the financial security of their parents. The government should provide
employment security to Non-Japanese parents, for example, by providing
them with opportunities to learn Japanese through the refugee
resettlement program or other programs.
Non-Japanese Children and their parents who are considered to stay in
Japan for a long time should be provided with information on school
attendance soon after their arrival and tracked afterward.
7th Hearing (April 20, 2021)
Mr. Akihiro Yamada and others
Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture
(Points of Opinions)
Since FY 2019, we have provided study support to elementary school
students with foreign nationality on summer or winter vacation under the
sponsorship of the local international exchange association with the help
of volunteers. It is preferable to continue this program from the perspective
of developing human resources of supporting our community because it
has helped foreign students smoothly start their study in the new school
period and made other achievements. The program, which has been
subsidized by the social welfare promotion and subsidy program of the
Welfare and Medical Service Agency (WAM) until this fiscal year, needs
future financial support as it is unknown whether it will be continuously
subsidized in the next fiscal year and afterward.
As our support for preschool foreign children, we have assigned
coordinators who can speak Portuguese and Spanish to public day-care
centers to provide support services to their parents. Some private day-care
centers with many foreign children also employ interpreters or foreign staff.(29)However, only a few day-care centers can do so, so continuous support is
necessary.
Suzuka City has three Japanese language classes, all of which are
operated by local volunteers, and short-staffed is an issue due to the aging
of their staff. While they are more often asked by local companies hiring
foreign workers to admit the foreign workers, they cannot operate with the
current staff also due to the COVID-19. Companies should provide
Japanese language education to their own foreign workers as their
responsibility. On the other hand, the government should consider
providing know-how on online learning and financial support for retaining
the current learning environments.
Information for foreign nationals needs to be provided in multiple foreign
languages. Ministries and agencies, which have translated information on
COVID-19 into multiple foreign languages, should continuously provide in
multiple foreign languages such information that can be used by local
governments.
Since social media, such as Facebook, can effectively provide information
to foreign residents free of charge, they should be useful tools for
communities with a small population of scattered foreign residents.
8th Hearing (April 21, 2021)
Mr. Takaharu Hayashi
Japan Overseas Council
(Points of Opinions)
The 1990 revision to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act
attracted many foreign nationals of Japanese descent as labor, who have
not been covered by social security programs due to the subsequent
collapse of the bubble economy and corporate downsizing. In three to five
years, they will reach an age that needs long-term care and may need to
live in nursing homes or other facilities, so it is necessary to respond their
demand.
Many elderly foreign residents of Japanese descent who want to spend
the rest of their lives in their home countries will not (or cannot) do so for
such reasons as their families or relatives living in Japan or the poor
welfare systems of their home countries.
Many foreign residents of Japanese descent currently receiving our
support do not understand their own employment status (such as direct or(30)indirect employment and regular or non-regular employment). Due to the
COVID-19, there are many cases that their working days are significantly
reduced. These foreign workers have not been identified as those who
need support because they have not been fired yet.
Any official support, including public assistance, is not provided without
application. For this reason, many foreign residents of Japanese descent
cannot receive public assistance because they do not know how to apply.
Cremation is not customary in some countries while people in other
countries do not want to keep the ashes of their dead families at home. As
such, views about funerals differ from country to country, consideration for
funeral is needed.
It is necessary to investigate on the actual situation by realistic survey like
our survey on all the apartments of the Chiryu housing complex.
Corporate downsizing and the government’s program for supporting return
home after the Lehman shock prompted some foreign community leaders
to return home, causing serious damage to the whole foreign communities.
The absence of community leaders is a serious problem.
Having conducted many support activities, including support sessions and
food banks, we want government officials to see our activities with their
own eyes because they will not otherwise understand the reality. We also
want them to listen to foreign nationals patiently.
9th Hearing (May 10, 2021)
Ms. Megumi Fukuyama and Mr. Huhdelger
Kobe Foreigners Friendship Center (KFC)
(Points of Opinions)
After the start of the long-term care insurance system in 2000, many
foreign elderlies were reluctant to use the system because of their
misunderstanding of the system or cultural differences. We explained the
system to them and encouraged them to use the system through such
opportunities as social gatherings of Vietnamese.
Many foreign elderlies forget to extend their periods of stay or find it difficult
to go out for the procedure. The government should allow the elderlies to
stay in Japan for five years, make it unnecessary for them to renew their
residence cards, or take other measures for them.
Since language or cultural barriers often make it difficult for many foreign
residents to be aware of and access available public services, they should(31)be provided with better access. Local governments should have staff who
understand their public services and can communicate directly with foreign
residents without an interpreter.
Local governments should support foreign workers, including technical
intern trainees, as their residents. They seem to be excluded from those
eligible for public services as short-term workers.
The first generation of Japanese war orphans left behind in China is
decreasing, and the second generation is aging. While the first generation
is provided with a lot of support from the government under law, the second
generation is not. The government should consider providing some
support to the second generation.
Without an interpreter, foreign elderlies cannot understand the contents of
an interview at home for a certification of needed long-term care. In
addition, even if an interpreter is available, they may find it difficult to
explain the long-term care insurance system to foreign elderlies because
the system is complicated. They need someone who understands both the
system and their native language.
Support for foreign elderlies needs skills of handling dementia or other
similar condition as well as understanding of their linguistic, cultural, and
historical backgrounds. Long-term care insurance services provided in a
foreign language should be rewarded under the system.
Some foreign nationals are not rewarded for their hard work, such as those
who cannot pass The National Examination for Certified Care Workers due
to their language problems and those who cannot work full-time to take
care of their children. These people should be provided with opportunities
to learn Japanese and gain the knowledge necessary to live in Japan after
their arrival and support in taking such examinations. And there should be
discussions on how permanent residency should be so that these people
will have a chance to live permanently in Japan.
10th Hearing (May 13, 2021)
Mr. Soichi Sato and Mr. Yoshio Takahashi
Japan Association of New Economy
(Points of Opinions)
Diversity brought by foreign nationals is a source of innovation and helps
Japanese society with a declining population. Amid intensifying global(32)competition for foreign workers, it is important for both the government and
the private sector to take action to make Japan more attractive.
The government should clarify its basic visions of acceptance of foreign
nationals, including the goals, what kind of foreign nationals Japan wants,
and how Japan accepts them, as well as its strategies to realize the visions.
In line with the strategies, the government should also redesign the
residence status system (primarily to enable foreign nationals to have
various career paths) and further promote its measures to integrate foreign
nationals into society.
For policies on the acceptance of and harmonious coexistence with foreign
nationals, the measures of the private sector, including companies, are
important. The government’s support for the measures of the private sector
will make it possible to effectively achieve the policy goals.
More specifically, the government first needs to show the basic concept of
the acceptance of immigrants as "Basic Immigration Act." Under this law,
it needs to set the specific goals of acceptance plans and social integration
policies and manage the progress toward the goals with KPIs.
In addition, the government needs to design the residence status system
to provide foreign nationals with various career paths. More specifically,
necessary changes should include adding the industries in which
"Specified Skilled Workers (ii)" can work, taking special measures to allow
foreign nationals to be accompanied by their families when they change
their status of residence from "Engineer/Specialist in
Humanities/International Services" to "Specified Skilled Worker (i)," and
easing the requirements for "Designated Activities (46)1."
The Comprehensive Measures for Acceptance and Coexistence of
Foreign Nationals needs to organize problems with a matrix of tasks and
their targets. For this purpose, there needs to be a system for collecting
data by such means as website reviews and surveys.
Although the government has made various improvements, including the
launch of a portal site for foreign nationals, there are the opinions that
information provided in plain Japanese or multiple foreign languages is still1This status of residence allows foreign nationals who graduated from a Japanese
university to engage in a broad range of work at a public or private organization in Japan
on the condition that they use their broad knowledge or practical ability gained at the
Japanese university or their high Japanese proficiency gained through their experience as
an international student.(33)difficult to understand or find, so the government needs to constantly
review these problems. The government also needs to ensure that more
foreign nationals know the Foreign Residents Support Center and trust it
as a place where they can solve their problems.
Speaking of each issues, foreign nationals are still often treated in an
unfriendly or unreasonable way when renting an apartment, opening a
bank account, paying tax or insurance premiums, or using necessary
services. Japanese commercial practices and public services need to be
changed as necessary.
Individual Number (My Number) and My Number Card can be useful from
the viewpoint of the social integration and proper residency management
of foreign residents.
In terms of support in the private sector, some companies have promoted
initiatives to retain their foreign workers and for achieve harmonious
coexistence, such as support for Japanese language education, life
assistance, and consideration for different cultures and customs. The
government should support those positive initiatives with tax breaks or
other measures.
In terms of digitization of administrative procedures, we hope that the
government will make steady efforts to put into action in accordance with
the basic plan to significantly increase online application and reporting.
11th Hearing (May 17, 2021)
Ms. Yukimi Miyagi
(Points of Opinions)
The education and career paths of children with foreign roots are greatly
affected by their parents. It is therefore necessary to ensure that not only
children with foreign roots, but also their parents understand Japanese
school systems and curriculums and the importance of educational
backgrounds for the future. It is particularly necessary to provide more
information on post-compulsory education because such information is
less available than that on compulsory education.
While individual tuition in a subject for children with foreign roots is
effective in providing them with study and psychological support, it could
make them fall behind in their study of other subjects. It is thus necessary
to carefully choose subjects for individual tuition and provide individual
tuition only for a limited time.(34)There are preschools for children with foreign roots, and similar programs
should be available to children admitted to a school in the middle of an
academic year. Such programs should measure their academic ability and
help them understand Japanese school rules and what they need to know
about their school life in Japan.
Public high schools should have an international course for children who
are good at study, but not good at Japanese.
Support for children with foreign roots in learning their native language
depends on volunteers and has difficulty finding places to teach. Local
governments should provide financial support to teachers of their native
languages and places where they can gather.
In terms of Japanese language education, there are regional differences
as it is more available in cities with a large population of foreign nationals
than other cities. Opportunities for Japanese language education should
be provided equally, for example, with standardized learning materials.
While the government and local governments need to provide foreign
nationals with necessary information in plain Japanese and multiple
languages, it should be more efficient for them to use social media, such
as LINE, because such information is not always available to those who
need it.
Although discrimination and prejudice against foreign nationals seem to be
less common than 10 years ago, I still often hear stories of foreign
nationals being blamed for messy garbage dumps or refused an apartment
application because of their nationality.
To build a society of harmonious coexistence, it is necessary to educate
the public, particularly children, about diversity, including nationality, and
the importance of showing their individuality.
12th Hearing (May 25, 2021)
KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation)
Mr. Yasukiyo Horiuchi et al.
(Points of Opinions)
Basically, foreign nationals need to have certain Japanese proficiency to
settle in Japan. For this reason, it is necessary to improve the quality of
Japanese language education for them and provide them with more
learning opportunities.(35) We highly value the role of the Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC)
as a cross-cutting institution to support foreign residents to settle in Japan.
The FRESC should provide genuine one-stop support services, including
administrative applications such as status of residence, share data to
support foreign nationals among other institutions, and widening their
service network across Japan through their local offices.
 Foreign nationals tend to gain information mostly from their compatriot
communities without accessing to official information provided by the
national/local governments. The national/local governments should
improve the ways to reach foreign nationals to attend to their various needs
with the aids of NGOs/NPOs supporting foreign nationals.
 It is also important to ensure that technical intern trainees who face human-
rights infringements can access to helplines to get support.
 The number of foreign nationals who wish to work in Japan has not been
on steep rise. A more strategical public relations to attract overseas talents
would be necessary.
 To attract the top tier of highly-skilled professionals, the level of salary is
the largest obstacle for Japanese companies to hire them. Other obstacles
include housing, tax rates, and education for children.
 The concept of "marriage/family" in Japan is different from that of the
western countries, as the latter includes same-sex marriage, civil
partnership (available to both same-sex couples and opposite-sex
couples), and couples without legal grounds. Therefore, some migrants
who are out of the conventional Japanese family concept face difficulties
to be accompanied by their partner/spouse/step-children, thereby giving
up moving to Japan.
 Japan’s labor practices, such as seniority systems and the systematic
difficulty of taking long vacations, sometimes make it difficult for Japanese
companies to retain foreign nationals.
 Japanese companies need not only to respect the human rights of their
foreign workers in their workplaces and comply with relevant laws and
regulations, but also to provide them with better working environments that
enable them to work in Japan for a long time. Japanese companies need
to continue promoting diversity programs and improving working
environments.
 Foreign nationals have been expected to be proficient in Japanese when
accessing to social security such as medical, welfare, and public services(36)in their daily life. It is therefore necessary to actively promote the usage of
plain Japanese and English.
 We believe the government should appoint an administrative leader
(someone like Minister in charge of migration policies) to coordinate
migration policies across Ministries with their strong leadership in order to
create a friendly environment for foreign nationals. For example, it might
be helpful to expand the administrative capacities of the Immigration
Services Agency so that the Agency can exert the leadership role across
Ministries.
 It is necessary to establish databases for seamlessly integrated migration
policy. The government needs to integrate Individual Number Card (My
Number Card) and a residence card to realize a data linkage between
them.
 If foreign nationals can access the information required across their life
cycle through Mynaportal, the portal will be useful in the face of various
typical challenges including seeking for a job, opening a bank account,
concluding lease contracts for residential or office properties, as well as
renewing a period of stay or a status of residence. Procedures required by
the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, measures, and adequate
security control are essential there.
 13th Hearing (June 4, 2021)
Mr. Tetsuyoshi Kodama
ALIANÇA DE INTERCÂMBIO BRASIL JAPÃO
(Points of Opinions)
 After the Lehman shock, some Brazilians of Japanese descent who kept
living in Japan recognized the importance of the education of their children.
And their children graduated from a high school or university in Japan and
had a full-time job in various industries. Such children are less connected
and affiliated with Brazilian communities.
 Speaking of support for mother tongue and native culture, in Hamamatsu
City, support groups provide Portuguese classes. Appreciating the
government’s support for such activities, we think that the government
does not necessarily need to do those measures. Moreover, the
government’s duty is rather teach Japanese to all foreign children.(37) We hope that children with foreign roots will be treated equally with
Japanese based on their ability rather than nationality without any
discriminations.
 Brazilian children who enroll at Brazilian school in Japan to go to university
in Brazil have to live in Japanese society if they do not return to Brazil.
Some of them, even if they did well academically, have no choice but to
get a job that does not require Japanese language skills, such as a
manufacturing job, because they have never received Japanese language
education before. Brazilian school students need to be provided with
opportunities to learn Japanese language necessary to live in Japanese
society.
 As foreign nationals who have a certain Japanese proficiency can work in
more various types of industries, they need to be frequently provided with
opportunities to learn Japanese.
 Despite the Social Security Agreement between Japan and Brazil entered
into force in 2012, many Brazilians of Japanese descent employed through
a dispatching business operator are not entitled to either Japanese or
Brazilian pension benefits because they do not meet the premium payment
requirements due to their failure to enroll in the pension programs. As a
result, some of these people have no choice but to rely on public
assistance if they cannot work for sickness or other reasons.
 For those who do not use social media, the city office distributes
information magazines to local temporary staff agencies and places where
Brazilian living in Japan gather, but providing information through social
media is the quickest way of transmitting information.
 Many Japanese Brazilians do not know when they can be vaccinated
against COVID-19. They should be clearly informed of who can be
vaccinated and when they can be vaccinated.
 Some foreign nationals have no one to talk to when they face
discriminatory treatment. I think places where they can ask for help should
be available to them.
 Even if local governments advocate intercultural cohesion, genuine
intercultural cohesion cannot be achieved unless it is understood by the
general public and accepted of foreign nationals. It should be important for
local governments to gain public understanding and encourage Japanese
residents to have an open-minded attitude toward foreign nationals.(38) 14th Hearing (June 9, 2021)
Mr. Kazuhiro Sakuma and Mr. Yuki Kumano
National Federation of Small Business Associations
(Points of Opinions)
 Many internship hosts have had difficulties finding homes for their technical
intern trainees because property owners do not want to rent their property
to foreign nationals. The governments and local governments should
encourage property management companies to accept foreign nationals,
rent local vacant houses to technical intern trainees, find apartments
where technical intern trainees can live, or provide other support.
 The difficulty that technical intern trainees have in opening a bank account
on their own prompts some of them to illegally buy an account under the
name of someone else. It should be smoother for them to open a bank
account.
 Resident registration procedures at local government offices are a very
difficult, time-consuming process for foreign nationals. We hope
interpreters of various languages should always be available at local
government offices.
 Local governments show how to dispose of waste, but should provide it in
multiple languages by such means as leaflets so that foreign nationals can
understand it.
 Since information provided by the government and local governments is
often available to foreign workers through their companies, they should
provide information in a manner that makes it easy for companies to
provide the information to their foreign workers.
 The job-matching events organized by the Immigration Services Agency
to increase employment opportunities for foreign nationals are helpful, but
need to be known by more foreign nationals because they are not widely
known.
 Although some NPOs, business cooperatives, and enterprise cooperatives
are conducting activities to promote harmonious coexistence, they are not
networked and fail to convince foreign nationals and companies that they
are trustworthy. If the government or local governments create lists of such
organizations and such organizations form a nationwide or regional
association, they can manage these organizations and share their
information with foreign nationals and companies.(39) We hope that the Immigration Services Agency will continue dialogues with
licensed supervising organizations and registered support organizations.
 15th Hearing (June 29, 2021)
Mr. Akira Nidaira
Japan Trade Union Confederation
(Points of Opinions)
 Since information gathering tools used by foreign nationals differ from their
country to country, it is necessary to understand the use of social media in
their countries when discussing how to provide them with information.
Posts on social media are buried under newer posts, so the same
information needs to be repeatedly posted.
 Although it is a good thing that the website of the Immigration Services
Agency is translated into various foreign languages, updates are available
only in Japanese. The Agency should discuss how to provide updates and
important information in foreign languages.
 Since many foreign nationals who need support related to public services
or livelihoods do not know where to go for support, places that refer them
to suitable institutions or services, like the Foreign Residents Support
Center (FRESC), are important. Relevant ministries and agencies,
including their local branches, therefore need to work together.
 It is necessary to ensure that many foreign nationals know the business
hours and locations of support desks where those who cannot go on
weekdays can go for support. It may also be necessary to increase
supporters, for example, by asking international students to interpret for
foreign nationals coming for support.
 I think that a certain level of Japanese language is essential for foreign
nationals to live in Japan, so opportunities to learn basic Japanese need
to be available in their workplaces and communities.
 While some companies want their foreign workers to learn Japanese,
Japanese language classes offered by local governments and other
available opportunities to learn Japanese are not widely known. More
efforts are necessary to make such opportunities widely known and
increase them.
 We think it is necessary to provide Japanese language courses that foreign
workers can take on their days off or financial support for them to take
Japanese language courses.(40) Medical care systems should be more accessible to foreign nationals.
 Some foreign nationals cannot rent apartments because they have foreign
nationalities. The government and local governments may need to take
some action, such as conducting activities or workshops to encourage
local residents, including property owners, to accept foreign nationals.
 It may be necessary to establish places where foreign nationals can learn
basic Japanese social manners.
 Useful information on pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and school
enrollment procedures should be available to foreign nationals in their
native languages. They should be allowed to prepare and submit forms
and documents in their native languages.
 In terms of social insurance, it is necessary to instruct companies to enroll
their eligible foreign workers. It is good that both employers and foreign
workers know the system of Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment for pension
benefits and allow foreign workers to claim such payment in their native
languages.
 The government should be praised for its whole-of-government approach
to formulating the Comprehensive Measures for Acceptance and
Coexistence of Foreign Nationals. The government needs to continue the
Comprehensive Measures while checking how far the Comprehensive
Measures have been taken and how recipients of services provided
through the Comprehensive Measures feel about the services.
 16th Hearing (July 15, 2021)
Lawyer Sosuke Seki and Lawyer Tomohiro Yoshida
Japan Federation of Bar Associations
(Points of Opinions: Lawyer Seki)
 The Japan Federation of Bar Associations declared and announced at its
recent general meetings and other opportunities its commitments to (1)
improving the legal access of foreign nationals, (2) training lawyers who
support foreign nationals and reinforcing its support infrastructure, and (3)
promoting cooperation with the Japan Legal Support Center, local
governments, international exchange associations, relevant ministries and
agencies, and one-stop support centers, making various efforts to fulfill the
commitments.
 In quite a few cases involving foreign nationals, they cannot pay attorney’s
fees or interpretation/translation fees, but are often ineligible for the legal(41)aid system of the Japan Legal Support Center because of its address and
status-of-residence requirements. Therefore, the Japan Federation of Bar
Associations financially supports such foreign nationals to fill the blank as
a provisional measure, and the government should legislate in the future.
 The COVID-19 has increased online and telephone consultations about
cases involving foreign nationals. Our challenges related to such
consultations include how to provide foreign nationals with information on
legal consultation services, how to make legal consultation services
accessible to them, and how to find interpreters of minor foreign languages.
We have recently started using social media to provide such information.
Increasing online consultation services have also helped improve the
accessibility. To find interpreters of minor foreign languages, we are
working to share information on the interpreters of each bar association.
 Foreign nationals can be saved if they have a status of residence. The
government should have an immigration control system that can protect
all foreign nationals. I hope that the government should also positively
consider "legalizing" a certain number of foreign nationals without a status
of residence by issuing them a special stay permit if they do not have any
other major problem because I see it as a reasonable decision given the
aging population combined with a declining birthrate.
(Points of Opinions: Lawyer Yoshida)
 Children with foreign roots are sometimes refused school admission and
should be guaranteed educational opportunities. If they are significantly
lacking in basic qualifications for a suitable grade because of their lack of
communication skills in Japanese or differences in school curriculums
between Japan and their country, they should be admitted into a lower
grade; if they are past school age without completing compulsory
education, they should be admitted to a public or night junior high school.
The government also needs to conduct continuous research on children
not enrolling in compulsory schooling.
 Although some local governments provide a quota or other special
measures for children with foreign roots in high school admission, they
need to improve the availability, which is still limited.
 Children with foreign roots are more likely to drop out of school than other
children because they cannot receive a higher level of education due to
financial problems, are not permitted to work due to their status of
residence, or have unclear future prospects for other reasons. Although it(42)is a significant improvement that the government has eased the
requirements for "dependent" children to change their status of residence
to "long-term resident" or "designated activities," it still needs to eliminate
the condition that their change to "designated activities" requires their
supporters (parents) to be their reference and to expand the eligibility for
"designated activities."
 The government should have statistics that link statues of residence with
career paths to accurately understand the situation of children with foreign
roots. The government should also have standardized statistics for the rate
of students who go on to high school and the rate of children not enrolling
in compulsory schooling.
 As measures to prevent high school students with foreign roots from
dropping out, they need to be provided with support, including support for
their home and community life. School social workers are effective in
linking their schools with their families and communities. Budgetary
measures need to be taken to secure school social workers and other
workers who support children with foreign roots, such as interpreters and
counselors who speak their native languages.
 Since we receive increasing consultation cases involving a status of
residence from child consultation centers, support workers for children with
foreign roots need to be provided with opportunities to learn about statuses
of residence and other related matters.
 Many problems concerning children with foreign roots are caused by the
dependence of their stay in Japan on the status of residence of their
parents. Those who become a victim of domestic violence or abuse cannot
escape from their parents because the escape would affect their own
status of residence. The residence status system needs to enable children
with foreign roots to escape from their parents in case of such an
emergency.
 The residence status system makes it difficult for children with foreign roots
born in Japan to find a job, receive a scholarship, or otherwise start their
life again, closing many doors for their future. The system should provide
them with opportunities to start their life again.(43)Ensuring
appropriate
working
conditions,
employment
managementandoccupational
safetyandhealth
Ensuring
appropriate
working
conditions,
employment
managementandoccupational
safetyandhealth
Employment
support
Employment
support
Employmentandlabor
Current
StatusofSupportforEachLifeStageandLife
Cycle
(Comprehensive
Measures)Oldage(65years+)Infancy(0to5years)
Schoolage(6to15
years)
Adolescenceandadulthood(16to64years)
Childcare
support
Childcare
support
Promotionofschool
attendanceandmonitoringofschool
attendance
status
Promotionofschool
attendanceandmonitoringofschool
attendance
status
Ensuringandimprovingtheguidance
systematschools
Ensuringandimprovingtheguidance
systematschools
Improvingofthe
teaching
abilitiesofteachersandthe
support
environment
Improvingofthe
teaching
abilitiesofteachersandthe
support
environment
Supportforjuniorhighschoolandhigh
school
studentstopursue
higher
educationandcareer
development
Supportforjuniorhighschoolandhigh
school
studentstopursue
higher
educationandcareer
development
Supportforchildcareandeducation
Promotionofenrollmentinsocial
insurance
Developmentofan
environmentandsupportforsecuring
housing
Developmentofan
environmentforthe
provisionofmedical,
health,andwelfare
services
Responsetotraffic
safety
measures,
incidentsandaccidents,
consumer
troubles,
legal
troubles,
human
rights
issues,
financial
difficulty
Supportinthe
eventofa
disaster•Thereareno
comprehensive
measuresthatfocusonelderly
foreign
nationals.
Supportforthe
elderly
Foreign
nationalsarehavinglifetransitionfromonelifestagetoanotherinour
society
dependingontheirownchoices.Ex:Foreign
nationalswhocometoJapanasinternational
studentsandreturntotheirhomecountry
after
workingforseveral
years,orwhoareborninJapanandliveinJapan
untiltheyreacholdage
Document 14(44)(36)(36)Reference
CasesonPresentingRoleModels
Shizuoka
Prefecture:
Compilationoffeaturingrolemodelsofforeign
residents
activeinthe
corporate
worldMiePrefecture:
Creationofcareer
guide
bookletsandDVDsforforeign
national
children
Osaka
Prefecture:
HostingtheOSAKA
Multicultural
Forum•Juniorhighschool
studentsinneedofJapanese
language
instructionandjuniorhighschool
studentswithforeign
rootsfromall
municipalitiesinthe
prefecture
gathertomeet
juniorhighschool
studentsfromother
schoolswhospeakthesame
native
languageandto
learn
about
multicultural
activitiesatother
schools,withtheaimof
nurturing
their
identityandenhancing
their
self-esteem.•In
addition,bylisteningtothe
storiesofhigh
school
studentswhoserveasrole
modelsandinformation
abouthighschool
life,theparticipantsareabletogain
perspectiveontheir
career
paths.
https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/hodo/index.php?site=fumin&pageId=41826•Introducedrolemodelsofforeign
residentswhohavemadeuseoftheir
diverse
background,haveovercome
languageandcultural
differences,andcurrentlyworkas
full-time
employeesinthe
corporate
world.•In
additiontoJapanese
version,
Portuguese,
Filipino,andSpanish
versionsofthis
bookletwerecreatedtohelp
children
togetherwiththeir
parents
thinkandchoose
their
career
path.
http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/sangyou/sa-210/bookdata.html#roll•CreatedaDVDanda
multilingualjobintroduction
booklettoconveytheimportanceofhavingadreamforthe
futureandworking
towards
one’s
goalstochildrenandparentswithtiestoforeign
countries
throughthemessagesofsenior
citizenswhoare
activeinMie
Prefectureortheirhomecountries.DVD:Availableinplain
Japanese,
Portuguese,
English,
Spanish,
Filipino,andChinese.
Booklet:
AvailableinJapanese,
Portuguese,
Spanish,
English,
Chinese,andFilipino.
https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/TABUNKA/HP/73513032706.htm
https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/TABUNKA/HP/49135032696.htm
Document 15(16)(45)
Reference
CasesonPublicizingGoodPracticesforHiring
Foreign
Nationals
MinistryofEconomy,
TradeandIndustry:
Handbookforthe
EmploymentofInternational
StudentsandEmpowerment
after
Hiring•Providesachecklistof12
pointstobe
notedforcompaniesinemploying
international
studentsandempoweringthemafter
hiring,andprovides
corporate
examples.•Inthe"CollectionofBest
PracticesofLeading
Companiesasa
ReferenceforEmploymentandEmpowermentofInternational
Students,"
companiesthatare
making
distinctive
effortstoemployandempower
international
studentsarelisted.
https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2019/02/20200228007/20200228007-1.pdf
MinistryofHealth,
LabourandWelfare:
CollectionofGood
PracticesforUsing
Foreign
Nationals•A
compilationofthe
contentofgood
practices,
basedonthe
analysisoffindingsbyan
expert
panel
following
interviews
regarding
employment
managementwithapproximately50companies
employing
foreign
nationals.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000541696.pdf
MinistryofEconomy,
TradeandIndustry:
Diversity
Management
Selection100•Withtheaimof
expandingthebaseofcompaniesthatengageindiversity
management,
companiesthatutilizetheabilitiesofdiverse
human
resourcessuchas
womenandforeign
nationalstocreate
corporate
valueareawardedandtheir
initiativesarepublicized.
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/economy/jinzai/diversity/kigyo100sen/
Document 16
(46)