Immigration Agency Publishes Summaries of FY2026 Stakeholder Hearings on Residency Policy
The Immigration Services Agency has posted outlines of its fiscal year 2026 hearings with local governments and community groups supporting foreign residents, part of its ongoing effort to gather input on residency administration.
Key Points
- • Immigration Services Agency published outline results of FY2026 stakeholder hearings on residency administration
- • Hearings held with Chiba City International Exchange Association, a Ryukoku University researcher, Vietnamese group VNK, Tokyo's Kita Ward office, and Namaste Edogawa
- • Further hearings held with Fukuyama City and a Meiji University professor, with results outlines still being prepared
- • Materials and results outlines for completed hearings are posted on the agency's website for review
The Immigration Services Agency announced that it has published outline results of stakeholder hearings on immigration and residency management administration conducted during fiscal year 2026 [1]. The hearings brought together the agency with a range of organizations that work directly with foreign residents, including local government offices, a university research unit, and community support groups [1].
According to the agency's notice, the first hearing was held on April 21 with the Chiba City International Exchange Association, with materials and a results outline posted online [1]. A second session took place on May 11 with Associate Professor Junichiro Kochi of Ryukoku University's Faculty of International Studies, for which a results outline has also been made available [1]. On June 25, the agency met with Tran Van Thong, chairman of the Vietnamese community group VNK, and posted both materials and a results outline [1].
The agency also held a hearing on August 10 with the Tokyo Kita Ward Department of Community Promotion's division in charge of international exchange and multicultural coexistence, again with materials and a results outline published [1]. On August 27, a hearing took place with the group Namaste Edogawa, with materials and a results outline posted as well [1].
Two further hearings are noted as having been held more recently: one on September 24 with the Hiroshima Prefecture Fukuyama City Citizens' Bureau's division promoting a diverse society, and another on October 9 with Professor Kenji Suzuki of Meiji University's School of Global Japanese Studies [1]. For both of these most recent sessions, the agency states that the results outlines are still being prepared [1].
The published notice does not explain what specific policy proposals, if any, resulted from these hearings, nor does it state whether any changes to residency administration are planned as a direct result [1]. It is also not stated how the content of these hearings will feed into future rulemaking or guidance [1]. Foreign residents and organizations supporting them who wish to understand what was discussed, including views raised by community groups and local governments on issues affecting foreign residents, should consult the materials and results outlines linked in the agency's notice, since the source does not itself summarize the substantive content of the discussions [1].
Source credit 出典：「令和８年度に実施した出入国在留管理行政に係る関係者ヒアリングの結果概要を掲載しました。」（出入国在留管理庁）（https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/support/04_00003.html）、PDL1.0（https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/open_data/public_data_license_v1.0）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the Immigration Services Agency did not write or review it.
Sources
This article was written by AI from these Japanese-language reports. Check them before acting on anything here.
- [1] Immigration Services Agency of Japan — original report (Japanese)
AI-written summary of Japanese reports; not human-reviewed; check the linked sources. How we write articles