Tokyo, July 9 (CNA) The Japanese government’s new residency management system launched Monday has given Taiwanese living in Japan a chance at a new identity because they will now have their nationality listed as “Taiwan” rather than “China.”
From Monday, foreigners granted residency in Japan will be issued a resident card, replacing the previous alien registration cards, under an amendment to Japan’s immigration law passed in July 2009.
Among the several changes under the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law, the one unique to Taiwanese residents of Japan is that “Taiwan” will replace “China” as their nationality on the new resident card.
“(I’m) really happy to receive this card, which gives me back my identity as a Taiwanese,” said Lien Ken-ten, who went to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau to apply for the new resident card on the day the system was introduced.
The 76-year-old, who has permanent residency in Japan and has lived there for 50 years, said the change was the result of years of effort by former Taiwanese representatives to Japan, including John Feng, Lo Fu-chen and Koh Se-kai, and by several Taiwanese groups in Japan.
Meanwhile, Hiroshi Kimizuka, an official at the regional bureau, said the Japanese government’s official stance on Taiwan has not changed even with the change in designation of Taiwanese residents.
Japan has not recognized Taiwan as a sovereign state since 1972, when Tokyo established diplomatic ties with Beijing, leading to Taipei’s decision to sever official relations with Tokyo.
Though the main goal of the revision was reduce the number of illegal immigrants in Japan, the bureau said the new system was also created to provide more convenience to foreign residents because it will consolidate the work previously handled by various government agencies.
The new resident card gives foreign nationals a maximum stay of five years, instead of three years allowed under the old system, reducing the number of visits people have to make to renew the document.
It also allows cardholders to re-enter Japan within one year without applying for a re-entry permit upon departure, as was previously required.
An estimated 1.5 million foreigners in Japan, such as spouses of Japanese nationals and students studying in the country, who are granted a stay of over three months, are covered under the new system, the bureau said.
The revised law, which was not enforced for three years to allow foreigners in Japan to understand the changes, is not without its critics who worry about the impact it will have on illegal immigrants who may not be able to leave Japan, according to an Asahi Shimbum report.
They worry that it will essentially eliminate the existence of those living in Japan illegally, even if they had been recognized under the old system, and deny them essential services, according to the report.
(By Yang Ming-chu and Kay Liu)
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