Immigration Trends of Foreign Residents
Long-Term Resident
The term “Long-Term Resident” is a status of residence that allows foreign nationals to reside in Japan, as designated by the Minister of Justice on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian and other special reasons. Specifically, it is applied to the following people: (1) those of Japanese descent (second and third generation) and their spouses; (2) those whose biological parents are Japanese, permanent residents, long-term residents, or Japanese descent, minor unmarried children who are taken care of by spouses of Japanese nationals or spouses of permanent residents; (3) adopted children (excluding special adopted children) whose adoptive parents are Japanese nationals, permanent residents, or long-term residents and who are dependent and are under six years of age; (4) foreign nationals who have been granted refugee status (Myanmarese refugees who are often described as being under the protection of Malaysia or Indonesia); and (5) Japanese nationals who remain in China and their relatives. The “Long-Term Resident” status differs from the “Permanent Resident” status in that it has a fixed period of stay and must be renewed for continued residence.
As of 2006, the larger number of people who are entering and leaving Japan were Chinese, Brazilian, Peruvian, South Korean, and the Filipino nationals. After that, the percentage of Southeast Asian nationals, especially Thai and Vietnamese nationals, has been increasing year by year. On the other hand, the percentage of European and African nationals are decreasing.