Japan to allow foreign residents to change or renew visa online
The Justice Ministry plans to reform the system to make it more efficient and convenient for foreign residents. Currently, in most cases foreign residents have to visit a regional immigration services bureau to change their residency status. Online applications for changing residency status are permitted only when companies and organizations make them on behalf of applicants who belong to them.
The ministry's move is also aimed at reducing waiting lines at bureaus' reception counters and preventing infections with the new coronavirus.
Under the new system starting in April, foreign nationals living in Japan will be able to apply for status changes using a computer or smartphone.
To confirm their identification, applicants will be required to enter their residence card number and take additional steps to prevent fraudulent applications, though details have yet to be determined.
The ministry also envisions a new system requiring applicants to provide electronic forms of documents showing that they meet the conditions of the residency status they apply for, such as employment contracts or official documents showing marital relationship with a Japanese citizen.
The ministry has earmarked 1.25 billion yen ($11.5 million) under the third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 to cover the costs of upgrading the computer system for more reliable ID confirmation.
Currently, applying for a status change can be a very cumbersome, time-consuming process, especially in spring, when many foreign students seek to switch from student to work visas. Applicants sometimes have to wait for hours.
The online application option is available only for companies and organizations that meet certain conditions to do the procedure on behalf of affiliated applicants. They need, for instance, to have an established record of properly employing foreign workers.
- Nikkei
Japan bets on $90bn fund as universities lose ground to West
Nikkein - Jul 30
As Japanese universities fall further in global rankings, the government is launching a new 10 trillion yen ($91 billion) endowment fund designed to help them better compete with top institutions around the world.
'Kotodama': the belief in the magic power of words
Japan Today - Jul 30
Kotodama (言霊) refers to the belief that words have mystical powers. It combines the word for "speech" (言 koto) and the word for "soul"(霊 tama).
What's It Like to Be on a Japanese TV Show?
Yellow Productions - Jul 28
Sharing my experience of being in three different Japanese television shows.
Cooking With Seasonal Japanese Foods - Summer Edition | Shiso
Tokyo Creative - Jul 26
Nothing is more fun than discovering new seasonal ingredients and finding different ways to incorporate them into our daily cooking.
Summer at Home! Watermelon! Shaved ice!
Kimono Mom - Jul 25
We have to stay at home again this summer due to the pandemic, so we have been spending most of our time playing in the water on the terrace.
Animal Sounds In English vs Japanese with Ryan and Daddy
Ryan's World - Jul 25
Learn the sounds of animals that kids learn in different languages growing up!
Google’s largest-ever doodle game is a lovely homage to Japanese culture and the embattled Olympics
fastcompany.com - Jul 24
This year’s sakura-shaped Olympic torch has finally completed its long journey from Athens to Tokyo. The cauldron has been lit, and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad have officially begun.
In Japan, a hunger strike to denounce the problem of shared custody for binational couples
FRANCE 24 English - Jul 23
French president Macron is expected in #Tokyo on Friday for a 36-hour visit during which he will attend the opening of the Summer Olympics and meet Japanese leaders.
Children stateless in Japan due to gaps in knowledge about process, survey finds
Japan Times - Jul 21
A lack of parental knowledge about necessary paperwork is the main reason why children of foreign residents in Japan become stateless, a government survey showed Tuesday, amid an increase in such children without nationality.
As athletes arrive for the Tokyo Olympics, foreign students at Japan’s universities are left stranded
South China Morning Post - Jul 20
Since September last year, Argentina-based human rights lawyer Daniela Bertone has spent many nights breastfeeding her year-old toddler while working on her master’s degree in peace studies at Japan’s International Christian University.
Internet hoaxes fan COVID vaccine hesitancy among Japanese youths
Kyodo - Jul 17
False claims and misinformation about vaccines on social media are undermining young people's trust in COVID-19 vaccines in Japan, imperiling the government's efforts to finish large-scale inoculations by November as it pursues herd immunity.
Summer Begins | Life in Japan
Life in Japan - Jul 17
Summer is here, and with it comes camps and retreats, school work for the kids and vacations that can be threatened by thunderstorms.
Know the right words to use when speaking to the police in Japanese
Japan Times - Jul 17
OSAKA – Imagine it’s late at night and you just got off the train, ready to head home. You go to the bike rack, pull out your bicycle, hop on and start pedaling. The night breeze is refreshing, and you know you’ll be home in no time.
How online dating technologies are changing the game for Japanese millennials
newsonjapan.com - Jul 17
To say online dating has exploded in popularity since the first sites were launched in the 1990s is no exaggeration.
Workplace Violence in Healthcare Explained
newsonjapan.com - Jul 14
Are you a frontline healthcare worker who has been a victim of violence at your workplace?
