The Immigration Services Agency announced that it has published the results of a series of stakeholder hearings on residency management administration conducted during fiscal 2026 (Reiwa 8) ^[1]. The hearings brought together local government bodies, academics, and foreign community organizations to discuss issues related to the administration of foreign residents' status in Japan ^[1].

According to the agency, the sessions were held on seven dates between April and October 2026 ^[1]. The first hearing took place on April 21 with the Chiba City International Exchange Association, followed by a May 11 session with Associate Professor Jun'ichiro Furuchi of Ryukoku University's Faculty of International Studies ^[1]. On June 25, the agency met with the Vietnamese Community VNK, represented by its chairman, Tran Van Tong ^[1]. Further hearings were held on August 10 with the Tokyo Kita Ward office's division in charge of international exchange and multicultural coexistence, and on August 27 with the group Namaste Edogawa ^[1]. A September 24 session involved the Fukuyama City Citizens' Bureau division promoting a diverse society, and on October 9 the agency met with a professor from Meiji University's School of Global Japanese Studies ^[1].

For each session, the agency has posted materials and summary documents in PDF format on its website, including presentation materials used by some of the participating organizations ^[1]. The agency noted that the summary for the October 9 hearing with the Meiji University professor is still being prepared and had not yet been posted at the time of the announcement ^[1].

The published materials do not include any statement from the agency about specific policy changes resulting from the hearings, nor do the sources indicate what, if any, follow-up actions are planned ^[1]. For foreign residents and the organizations that support them, the released summaries offer a window into the range of concerns being raised with immigration authorities by community groups, local governments, and academics across different regions of Japan, including in Chiba, Tokyo's Kita and Edogawa wards, and Fukuyama in Hiroshima Prefecture ^[1]. Readers interested in the specific content discussed at each session should consult the materials and summaries linked on the Immigration Services Agency's website, as the sources provided do not detail the substance of the discussions beyond the list of participants and dates ^[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.