Latest news with #ImmigrationServicesAgencyofJapan
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- General
Lagging in Language Skills: Foreign Children Being Left Behind in Education
According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, the number of foreign nationals living in the country as of the end of 2024 was 3,769,000. This represents an increase of 358,000 from the end of 2023 and is 1.8 times higher than a decade ago. A particularly fast-growing category is foreigners with the 'engineer/specialist in humanities/international services' visa, which includes a wide range of occupations such as technicians, interpreters, designers, language instructors, and more. Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare data shows that the number of foreign workers in this ESHIS category reached 411,000, a 3.9-fold increase in the 10 years leading up to 2024. ESHIS visa holders are permitted to bring their families to Japan, just like those with visas for work such as university teaching, legal services, and accounting. Naturally, this has led to a rise in the number of foreign children living in Japan. It's within the context of these structural changes that the urgent need for Japanese language education for foreign children has arisen. The number of foreign children enrolled in public elementary and junior high schools reached some 129,000 in fiscal 2024, a 9.0% increase from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). The problem is that many schools lack the staff needed to teach JFL, or Japanese as a foreign language, to these children. As a result, more and more children are growing up without sufficient Japanese language skills. Without a shared base in language, which is crucial for communication, their academic and career prospects will be adversely affected and they will tend to be isolated in their communities. 70,000 Children in Need of Japanese Instruction In MEXT's statistics for fiscal 2023, there were almost 70,000 students that require JFL instruction in public schools, double the number from a decade earlier. In Matsudo, a city in Chiba Prefecture adjacent to Tokyo, 23,000 of its approximately 500,000 residents as of the end of 2024 were foreign nationals. To address their needs, the city's Board of Education set a policy to establish JFL classrooms in elementary schools with at least 18 students requiring instruction in fiscal 2022. As of fiscal 2025, 15 out of the city's 45 public schools had established these classrooms. From fiscal 2024, a school readiness program was established, where foreign children receive 20 days of intensive instruction before entering school, covering Japanese language essentials for school life such as greetings and reporting health issues. The Board of Education has assigned 33 staff members for this language education and has also secured 37 paid volunteers. Matsudo's efforts are relatively comprehensive. In urban parts of Japan, such as the Tokyo metropolitan area and Aichi Prefecture, where there are many students requiring this instruction, it is easier for schools to provide adequate support. Growing Crisis at Regional Schools On the other hand, the situation is particularly serious in more rural areas, where foreign children are more thinly dispersed. In terms of the rate of increase of foreign children requiring JFL instruction from 2021 to 2023, Tottori Prefecture was the highest, seeing growth of 2.4 times, from 18 to 44 students. It was followed by Ōita (2.3 times, from 50 to 114), Kōchi (2.3 times, from 12 to 27), Kagoshima (1.9 times, from 28 to 53), and Saga (1.9 times, from 40 to 74). Because the number of foreign children in these areas is much smaller than in urban areas and securing teaching staff is more of a challenge, local governments tend not to have sufficient systems in place. In fiscal 2023, roughly 30% of public elementary and middle schools across Japan (9,241 schools) had students who needed JFL instruction. According to Wakabayashi Hideki, a visiting associate professor at Utsunomiya University's School of International Studies who has been involved with the education of foreign children, 70% of these schools had four or fewer foreign children, demonstrating the situation of foreign children being thinly dispersed. Looking at the breakdown of children requiring JFL instruction by their native tongue, the highest is Portuguese-speaking children, many of whom are of Japanese-Brazilian descent. The number of children native in Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese languages is also rising quickly, and some regions are seeing an increase in those with Nepali and Burmese backgrounds. 'The problem is more likely to go unrecognized when only a few students need support, and municipalities often can't secure budgets and staff,' says Wakabayashi. 'Homeroom teachers and other staff are often left to handle the situation alone. And when students come from multiple linguistic backgrounds, that can make the challenge even greater.' Many children are unable to keep up with classes taught in Japanese through school instruction alone. That's why, in urban areas, an increasing number of Japanese language classes are being offered outside of schools by public organizations, NPOs, and local governments to support their learning. By contrast, such programs are often lacking in certain regional areas. MEXT has issued a Guide for Accepting Foreign Children , and included Japanese instruction in the national curriculum guidelines starting in fiscal 2018. While the government sets staffing standards, it leaves decisions about actual staffing levels and local JFL programs to municipalities, offering mainly subsidies. The Limits of Keeping It Local There is also the more fundamental issue of children not attending school. In fiscal 2023, a record 970 foreign children of school age were not enrolled, a 24.6% increase from the previous year. Adding also children whose enrollment status could not be confirmed, MEXT puts the number of such children who may not be attending school at 8,601. The Constitution of Japan guarantees children the right to receive an education and stipulates that guardians must ensure their children are educated. Legally speaking, this applies only to children with Japanese citizenship, but based on the International Covenants on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, foreign children are guaranteed the opportunity, if desired, to receive the same education as Japanese children. Japan's foreign population is expected to hit 9.39 million in 2070, making up 10% of the nation's total, according to 2023 projections by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. However, the inflow of foreign nationals is already outpacing these projections, making it likely that the 10% mark will be reached as early as 2050. 'In Japan, there is little awareness of the need to build social infrastructure with the settlement of foreign residents in mind,' says Menju Toshihiro, visiting professor at Kansai University of International Studies. 'As a result, the education system for foreign children has largely been left to local governments and individual schools, leading to significant regional disparities. To ensure that foreign children, who will help support Japan's future, can acquire the same academic abilities as Japanese children, the national government must establish a clear policy and restructure the education system.' (Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)
Japan Today
29-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Can your company report you to immigration if you quit in Japan?
By Masayoshi Sakamoto For many foreign workers and English teachers in Japan, the fear of upsetting your company or being reported to immigration can be enough to keep you from quitting, even in a bad situation. Particularly, so-called 'black companies' (ブラック企業, burakku kigyo) may try to exploit this fear by threatening to cancel your visa or report you to immigration. But can your company report you to immigration if you quit in Japan? While companies do have legal reporting obligations, they cannot cancel your visa themselves. Only the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁, Shutsunyikoku Zairyu Kanricho) has that authority, and strict rules govern when and how your status of residence can be revoked. This article explains what your employer can and can't do, what the law actually says and how you can protect yourself. And if you're ready to start the next chapter today, browse verified, foreigner-friendly listings on GaijinPot Jobs. Employers Must Report—But It's Not Always Bad Reporting Doesn't Mean You'll Be Deported What If You Don't Find a Job Within 3 Months? Breaking the Rules is When It Gets Risky Threats May Violate Several Labor and Civil Laws Resources and Help Employers Must Report — But It's Not Always Bad If you're employed in Japan under a work visa (excluding Diplomatic or Official visas), your employer is required to report your hiring or resignation to Hello Work (Japan's public employment office). This includes your name, visa type, and period of stay. This obligation comes from the [Act on Comprehensively Advancing Labor Measures]( 'If an employer newly hires a foreign national or if a foreign national employed by an employer separates from employment, the employer must… confirm the foreign national's name, status of residence… and notify the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare thereof.' This law applies regardless of the reason for quitting—whether it's friendly or due to conflict. Employers are required to report, even if they don't feel like it or even if they're upset. It's not about revenge. It's the law. Reporting Doesn't Mean You'll Be Deported Even if your former employer notifies Hello Work or immigration, that alone doesn't mean your visa will be canceled or you'll be deported. According to Article 19 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, you must report to immigration within 14 days of leaving your job or starting a new one. Article 22 says your visa may be canceled if you're not working (or actively job hunting) for three months or more without a good reason: 'A person residing with a work visa who has not engaged in permitted activities for three months or more… may have their status revoked.' So, you generally have: 14 days to notify immigration of any job changes Three months to find new work (or show you're trying) before any visa risk What If You Don't Find a Job Within 3 Months? If you don't find a new job within three months, immigration will not cancel your visa right away. Before any cancellation, they'll send a written notice asking you to come in. If you show up, you'll be able to explain your situation and provide proof (like job applications or interviews). If you ignore the notice without a valid reason, your visa may be revoked without further discussion. In serious cases, deportation can follow. In milder cases, you may be given up to 30 days to prepare to leave Japan. However, if you get hired again under the conditions of your original visa, even within those three months, your visa remains valid. Even if you haven't found work yet, immigration may allow you to stay longer if you're actively looking and can prove it. Breaking the Rules is When It Gets Risky Here are the main things to avoid: Click here to read more. External Link © GaijinPot
The Mainichi
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Driven by war, persecution, asylum seekers in Japan still far from securing freedom
TOKYO -- While refugee applicants in Japan who have been ordered deported can apply for "provisional release" from detention, they are not allowed to travel across prefectural borders nor can they join the national health insurance system or work in the country. According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, there were 12,373 people who applied for refugee status in this country in 2024, of which only 190 were granted it. This reporter followed people on provisional release while they waited for, with a glimmer of hope, recognition as refugees. Ruby (a pseudonym), an asylum seeker from Sri Lanka, is on temporary release after arriving in Japan in 2002. He served as a bodyguard for a key figure of a political party he supported in his country, but was attacked by an adversary force while traveling by bus to work as a guard in 1996, and underwent surgery on his right arm for gunshot wounds. Sensing his life was in danger, he sought refuge in Japan. He is hoping to continue staying here, saying the force that assaulted him is still in operation in his country. Under the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act that came into effect in June 2024, foreign nationals can apply for refugee status no more than twice in principle. Deportation is suspended during refugee recognition procedures. As Ruby's third refugee application was not granted, he could be deported anytime. He has moved from Arrupe Refugee Center, a shelter in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, where he lived for five years, to a welfare facility in the Tokyo suburban city of Machida. Once every month, he turns up at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau in the capital's Minato Ward to go thorough procedures for renewing his provisional release status, but due to fears of possible deportation at the time, he is losing sleep night after night. Odanibe Ovie Lucky, a 49-year-old Nigerian man applying for refugee status for a third time, is also living in fear of deportation. After participating in an antigovernment rally in Nigeria, he left the country in 2000. He currently lives in Japan with his 47-year-old Japanese wife. The couple met in 2016, when Lucky spoke to her at a park in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo. As his wife had never been abroad, her first impression of him was "scary." But after talking with him, she was attracted by his kind and cheerful nature, and found herself going out with him. In March 2017, Lucky was detained at an immigration facility. "I want to support him steadily," she thought, and filed a marriage report on her own that May. Although her husband was released in December, she developed depression due to fears that he could be detained again, leaving them separated. While the wife is on welfare, it is difficult to cover the living expenses for the two of them. "We've been married for eight years. She's been with me no matter how hard a time I was going through. I want to make her feel at ease, even if only a little. I've got no other choice but to keep appealing (for my asylum) without giving up," Lucky told the Mainichi Shimbun. A Yugoslavian asylum seeker, Florim, 55, is living in Arrupe Refugee Center while on provisional release and waiting for his second refugee application, which he filed in 2019, to be accepted. Florim had his parents killed in front of him during the civil war in Yugoslavia. As if driven away, he moved from one country to another, including Hungary, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. Desiring to live outside Europe to avoid coming across former Yugoslavia citizens, he decided to settle in Japan in 2000 when he was 29. Amid the chaos, Florim wasn't carrying a passport with him and was detained at Narita Airport for allegedly using a fake passport upon entry. He was kept in detention at an immigration facility until 2009, and developed post-traumatic stress disorder there. Later at a house in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, that was arranged for him by a refugee support group, Florim got into a panic at night and attempted to take his own life. With no certificate of his origin, and not knowing which country he belongs to following the breakup of former Yugoslavia, he remains stateless. He continues to undergo treatment for PTSD in Japan. As he was an Albanian resident, he is terrified that he may not be able to receive proper treatment if he returns home. After spending many years in Japan, he has a trusted partner but cannot marry due to his own statelessness. "I have no country to go back to, and the evil effects of the civil war still linger on. I hope Japan will be my last country to live in, and want to experience a free life here," he told the Mainichi, as he wishes for his refugee application to be granted. Mimi (a pseudonym), a Myanmarese woman who came to Japan over a decade ago, lived in Arrupe Refugee Center around the same time as Ruby. She was subsequently given a residency status for specified activities in June 2022 after spending some time on provisional release. She currently works as a full-time caregiver at a welfare facility in Kamakura. Affectionately called "Mimi-chan" by colleagues and users at the facility, she is known as a mood maker and for lively expressions on her face. She recalls that the best moment was when an employee told her, "You're one of our staff members." She questioned, "I don't understand why the (government) response is different when Ruby is a fellow refugee. I want them to at least abolish provisional release and create a system allowing asylum seekers to work. If they can live independently, they can also pay taxes." (Japanese original by Yuki Miyatake, Photo and Video Department)
The Sun
20-05-2025
- The Sun
Japan to launch prescreening for visa-free visitors in 2028
JAPAN will implement a prescreening system in 2028 for visa-free travellers before their arrival, as part of efforts to boost tourism. The prescreening system will be modelled on the United States' Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), according to Japan's Ministry of Justice, Kyodo News reported. The ESTA system was introduced in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Other countries, such as Canada, have also adopted similar systems modelled after ESTA. Travellers from countries with visa exemptions for short-term stays in Japan will be required to submit personal and travel information — including their name, purpose of stay, and destinations — at least several days before arrival. With this system, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan will be able to assess the data provided in advance. Visa-exempt travellers may be denied boarding for flights to Japan if they are found to have criminal records or have stayed in Japan illegally. The agency is also considering measures to improve the efficiency of the prescreening process, with a focus on digital technology and the elimination of 'in-person procedures', as quoted. Japan's Foreign Ministry states that citizens of 71 countries, including the United States and South Korea, are currently exempt from obtaining visas for short-term stays in Japan. In 2024, Japan recorded 36.87 million foreign tourists, marking a 47.1% increase compared to the previous year. The Japanese government is targeting 60 million foreign visitors by 2030.
The Sun
20-05-2025
- The Sun
Japan to implement prescreening for visa-exempted travellers in 2028
JAPAN will implement a prescreening system in 2028 for visa-free travellers before their arrival, as part of efforts to boost tourism. The prescreening system will be modelled on the United States' Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), according to Japan's Ministry of Justice, Kyodo News reported. The ESTA system was introduced in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Other countries, such as Canada, have also adopted similar systems modelled after ESTA. Travellers from countries with visa exemptions for short-term stays in Japan will be required to submit personal and travel information — including their name, purpose of stay, and destinations — at least several days before arrival. With this system, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan will be able to assess the data provided in advance. Visa-exempt travellers may be denied boarding for flights to Japan if they are found to have criminal records or have stayed in Japan illegally. The agency is also considering measures to improve the efficiency of the prescreening process, with a focus on digital technology and the elimination of 'in-person procedures', as quoted. Japan's Foreign Ministry states that citizens of 71 countries, including the United States and South Korea, are currently exempt from obtaining visas for short-term stays in Japan. In 2024, Japan recorded 36.87 million foreign tourists, marking a 47.1% increase compared to the previous year. The Japanese government is targeting 60 million foreign visitors by 2030.
