Kyodo: Proposal for registering NJ on Juuminhyou by 2012

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Hi Blog.  Coming atcha with some very good news.

NJ residents, after decades of being treated as nonresidents in registry procedures, will by 2012, so the proposal runs, be registered the same as Japanese.  Meaning get their own juuminhyou.  So say two Kyodo articles below.

Good, good, and good.  Here’s a link to information on why the old (meaning current) system is so problematic:

https://www.debito.org/activistspage.html#juuminhyou

Arudou Debito in Sapporo

======================================

Foreigners may be logged in resident registry
Kyodo News/The Japan Times: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Courtesy of Sendaiben, Adam, and Joe Jones at Mutantfrog.

The government is considering putting non-Japanese living here for more than three months in the resident registry system, officials said.

The measure could come into force as early as 2012. The Cabinet is expected to endorse the plan next month.

With the government looking to abolish the current alien registration system, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry had considered setting up a separate new registry system for foreign residents. But it eventually decided it would be more efficient to amend the national registry system to include foreign nationals, the officials said.

Korean residents with special permanent status will be included, they said.

The ministry hopes the change will help municipalities get a better picture of foreign nationals living in their area and provide welfare and education services equivalent to those of Japanese nationals, according to the sources.

If non-Japanese make a request, municipal governments will issue optional residency certificates and Juki Net registration cards.

The certificate would include such information as name, address, sex, date of birth, nationality, resident status and length of stay.

About 2.15 million foreign nationals were registered as of the end of 2007, about 1.5 times that of 10 years earlier.

ENDS
==================================

外国人の住民票作成へ 在留期間3カ月超が対象

共同通信 2009年2月25日 12時19分

http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/s/article/2009022501000290.html

Courtesy of Sendai Ben and Joe Jones at Mutantfrog.

 総務省が今国会に提出する「住民基本台帳法改正案」が25日、明らかになった。現行の外国人登録制度の廃止に伴い、在留期間が3カ月を超す外国人も日本人と同様、住民基本台帳制度の登録対象とし、自治体が住民票を作成するのが柱。政府は3月に閣議決定し、早ければ2012年の施行を目指す。

 中・長期在留の外国人や在日韓国・朝鮮人などの特別永住者も住基台帳制度の対象とすることで、住民票の交付や住基カードの発行が可能になる。自治体が外国人住民の正確な居住実態を把握し、福祉や教育などで日本人と同様の行政サービスを提供できる効果も期待される。

 同省は当初、日本人の住基台帳とは別に外国人台帳の創設も検討していたが、「制度を分けるよりも効率的」として、住基台帳の対象に外国人を追加することにした。

 改正案で住基台帳制度の対象に加える外国人は、在留期間が3カ月超で、外国人登録証明書の代わりに国が新たに発行する「在留カード」の交付対象者や特別永住者ら。

 市区町村が作成、管理する外国人の住民票には、氏名、住所、性別、生年月日の4情報に加え、「国籍」、在留カードに記された「在留資格」「在留期間」を記載する。

 日本に住む外国人は07年末で215万人。10年間で1・5倍に増加している。

(共同)
ENDS

7 comments on “Kyodo: Proposal for registering NJ on Juuminhyou by 2012

  • Good news indeed. Maybe by 2012 it will not seem so ironic paying 住民税. If all goes right, hopefully we’ll be able to have one issued in place of the (mouthful known as) 外国人登録原票記載事項証明書.

    Also, I hope this, perhaps in conjunction with the forthcoming 在留カードs, will rectify various issues with proper listing of NJ on 戸籍謄本.

    > 市区町村が作成、管理する外国人の住民票には、氏名、住所、性別、生年月日の4情報に加え、「国籍」、在留カードに記された「在留資格」「在留期間」を記載する。

    The first four items seem appropriate, but I’m not sure why the latter are needed. It duplicates the info on the current and forthcoming alien cards where it rightly belongs. I hope synchronizing the updates will be painless…

    > The measure could come into force as early as 2012. The Cabinet is expected to endorse the plan next month.

    As “early” as 2012!? Not my idea of early. Sounds like a mistranslation.

    > 政府は3月に閣議決定し、早ければ2012年の施行を目指す。

    Ah, much better phrasing.

    — I guess the translator is old and jaded.🙂

    Reply
  • Andrew Smallacombe says:

    That is indeed really good news. Most of the proposals up to now were at best cosmetic (“You still have to carry this card, but at least it’s easier for employers to read”) or questionable (being registered with the MOJ – almost like having a list of suspects drawn up before any crime has been committed).
    At least I can see this proposal helping NJs get access to community services.
    I’ve hated having to tell people that the form I’ve given them is what my local council gives me in lieu of a juminhyo. They’ve requested a juminhyo, and can’t relate to this form which is not a juminhyo.
    The proposal also benefits the Japanese nationals in international families. My wife will have a real husband and my children will have a real father, not some “remark” in a separate collumn.

    Reply
  • OK, color me confused… Is this instead of the previously mentioned Alien Residence Card, or in addition to it? I somehow can’t belive carrying some kind of card would become entirely optional, can you?

    — No no no, please read the information on Juuminhyou from the link provided. This is nothing to do with the Gaijin Card. This is how you register your domicile with the local government (every Japanese in Japan must do this), and the juuminhyou is the Residency Certificate you get as proof of residence when you want to open bank accounts etc. Its not a card, its a piece of paper. It’s just that NJ couldn’t register themselves with their J families (or at all) as residents. They get something different, and separate. Read the link and you’ll see.

    Reply
  • i am a permanent resident and i don`t want my own registry. i want to be on (for real – not just a footnote) on my family`s (japanese husband and child) regsitry. i wonder, is that going to happen? or will i just get my own which really doesn`t mean much for the “family” situation.

    Reply
  • “…The ministry hopes the change will help municipalities get a better picture of foreign nationals living in their area and provide welfare and education services equivalent to those of Japanese nationals, according to the sources…”

    Well, being “allowed” to use my own natural born name, as it is, would help. Rather than having to have a name in Kanji. As noted on one of the previous threads, as soon as a name is written in Romanji/Latin characters, a mental flag is raised in the mind of the official. “Danger Will Robinson….”

    With a country that has 3 official written languages, why force everyone to use just one for their name?

    The proposed changes above helps, but could do more….

    Reply
  • >…provide welfare and education services equivalent to those of Japanese nationals

    Nice excuse over the word: “let us better to control them and get taxes out their pockets”
    Hope to be gone forever by 2012 but still drop by for re-entry, unless this will be abolished too, but I doubt. Think how much money it is 2,150,000 foreigners x average 7000yen per re-entry. How many zeros???
    Anyway idea of being family on the paper is good, but at airports they still separate us legal residents. When this is going to change?

    >If non-Japanese make a request, municipal governments will issue optional residency certificates and Juki Net registration cards.

    JUKI-NET? hahaha…well, it is OK with us what they couldn`t manage with Japanese. Anyway in my country with have ID cards and I don`t mind to have here as many oppose it. Let make happy GoJ and Police. I only wonder why do we need to have everything so visible such nationality, passport numbers, when issued, when we arrived here etc. I always use my Driver`s License when some ID is needed (bank, post office etc) Wouldn`t be enough to have only names, address, status, length of stay? Simple and easy.

    — Not enough control.

    Reply

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