2 Consular Service and Assistance for Japanese Living Overseas

(1) Improving Consular Service and Promoting Digitalization

A Improving Consular Service

With the aim of providing quality consular services to Japanese nationals overseas, MOFA conducts every year a questionnaire survey on services such as consular staff's attitudes in over-the-counter and telephone responses as well as work implementation status at diplomatic missions overseas. The survey conducted in January 2023 covered 142 diplomatic missions overseas and received valid responses from 16,857 people. The survey results suggested that respondents were for the most part satisfied with the level of consular services provided by diplomatic missions overseas. Nevertheless, some respondents also submitted views that consular staff showed insufficient concern and understanding for users' situations, including that staff seem to adopt matter-of-fact attitudes and terms of speech. MOFA takes such user feedback seriously, and will continue its efforts to enhance services and make improvements so as to provide better consular services that are oriented to the perspective of its users.

B Promoting Digitalization

Furthermore, based on the Priority Policy Program for Realizing Digital Society (Cabinet decision of June 2022), MOFA will further digitalize consular procedures, such as online application for passports, visas and certificates, as well as cashless payment for fees in order to increase user convenience. Specific actions have included revising the Passport Act in April 2022 and starting the online application system on March 27, 2023. On the same day, some diplomatic missions overseas also began accepting online application for certificates as well as online application for and issuance of one type of visas in electronic form, as well as online credit card payments for these consular and visa fees. In addition, on April 1, 2023, the Consular Digital Transformation Division was established within the Consular Affairs Bureau.

(2) Passports: Maintaining trust, enhancing convenience and making administrative tasks more efficient

The number of Japanese passports issued declined from February 2020, due to the global decline in overseas travel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but is showing signs of recovery as of the end of 2022. The number of passports issued in 2022 was 1.37 million, an increase of approximately 2.2 times compared to 2021. There were approximately 21.75 million valid passports in circulation as of the end of December 2022, falling by approximately 11% compared to 2021.

The online application system for passports, which began on March 27, 2023, is available in principle when applying to renew passports in Japan. Application can be done via the Individual Number Portal website (a government-run online administrative service), therefore it will no longer be necessary for applicants to appear at a service counter in person. Applicants are able to take a photo of their face and signature and submit them via smartphone or other digital devices. Moreover, referring to electronic family register certificates will be possible from FY2024 through linkage with the Ministry of Justice's Family Register Information Linkage System. This will enable online application for new passports that currently require submission of a copy of a family register at the counter in person.

Measures taken in 2020 such as upgrading the functions to prevent unauthorized reading of personal information contained in passport IC chips as well as adding the designs of the “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” by Katsushika Hokusai to the visa pages have made unauthorized usage of passports such as forgery and alteration more difficult. However, unauthorized obtaining of passports by impersonating others continues to occur². Looking ahead, MOFA will consider ways to further increase the trust of Japanese passports - such as introducing next-generation passports with laser printing on thermoplastic material - based on the criteria considered at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

In the passport index (number of travel destination countries not requiring visas) that was announced by a private-sector UK company in January 2023, Japanese passports ranked first out of 109 countries and areas. MOFA will continue to engage in maintaining the trust of Japanese passports while enhancing convenience for applicants and making passport administration more efficient.

• 2 Known cases of unauthorized obtaining of passports were as follows: 35 cases in 2018, 42 in 2019, 15 in 2020, 12 in 2021, and 34 in 2022.

(3) Overseas Voting

The overseas voting system allows Japanese voters living overseas to vote in national elections. In order to vote through the overseas voting system, it is necessary to be registered in advance on the overseas voter directory managed by the election board of the city or town government and to obtain overseas voter identification. Starting in June 2018, in addition to the conventional method of applying through a diplomatic mission overseas after moving there, Japanese nationals can now apply at their municipal service counter at the same time as filing their notice of moving overseas. As a result, there is no longer a need to appear in person at a diplomatic mission overseas after moving outside Japan, which simplifies procedures. Voters can vote by choosing one of the three methods of voting, a) voting at diplomatic missions overseas, b) voting by mail, or c) voting in Japan.

The diplomatic missions overseas have been making efforts to spread the overseas voting system and to increase the number of registered voters by publicizing the overseas voting system to the territories under their jurisdiction and carrying out a visiting service for the registration of Japanese nationals living in remote areas. In 2022, for the 26th regular election of the House of Councillors, voting at diplomatic missions overseas was conducted for the 16th time involving 234 diplomatic missions and offices. In 2023, MOFA will continue its PR and other activities to increase the number of registered voters and promote voting at diplomatic missions overseas.

Moreover, a May 2022 judgment of the Grand Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that Japanese nationals overseas not being permitted to vote in national review of judges of the Supreme Court is unconstitutional. Based on this ruling, the Act on National Review of Judges of the Supreme Court was partially revised (taking effect on February 17, 2023) and an Overseas Nationals Review System established, enabling Japanese nationals residing overseas to exercise their right to review in the national review.

(4) Assistance for Japanese Nationals Living and Engaging in Activities Overseas

A Japanese Schools and Supplementary Education Schools

Education for children is one of the major concerns for Japanese nationals living abroad. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), MOFA provides assistance to Japanese Schools (partial assistance for school building rental fees, remuneration for locally hired teachers, and safety measures expenses) so that the overseas school children at the age of compulsory education in Japan can receive a level of education equivalent to that in Japan. MOFA also provides the same level of assistance for Japanese Schools to Supplementary Education Schools (educational institutions established to maintain children's academic ability, such as Japanese language proficiency) mainly in areas where overseas Japanese educational facilities are not located.

The Act Concerning the Promotion of Education at Overseas Japanese Educational Facilities was approved and promulgated in June 2022, stipulating the basic principles for promoting education at overseas Japanese educational facilities and clarifying the responsibilities of the Government of Japan in this respect. Furthermore, MOFA is working together with MEXT to develop a basic policy for advancing measures related to overseas Japanese educational facilities based on the above Act.

B Medical/Health Measures

MOFA gathers information on outbreaks of infectious diseases overseas and provides information to a broad audience through the overseas safety website, websites of diplomatic missions overseas, emails and other means. Furthermore, in order to provide health advice through consultations to Japanese nationals residing in countries where the medical situation is poor, MOFA dispatches medical teams with the cooperation of domestic medical institutions. MOFA also organizes health and safety lectures by medical specialists for regions where infectious diseases or air pollution are becoming serious issues.

C Support for Japanese Nationals Living Overseas and Japanese Descendants (Nikkei)

From August 2021, the Government of Japan operated a COVID-19 vaccination initiative at Haneda and Narita Airports for Japanese nationals living overseas who do not have a resident registry in Japan and others, vaccinating 51,000 people to date (as of January 2023).

Between March and December 2021, in order to support Japanese nationals living overseas and Japanese descendants (Nikkei) whose lives are being disrupted by the spread of COVID-19, MOFA carried out the Program to Strengthen Livelihood and Business Foundations for Japanese Nationals Overseas and People of Japanese Descent (Nikkei), which supported projects implemented by Japan societies, Japanese chambers of commerce and industry, and Nikkei groups overseas. The projects included PCR testing, distribution of masks and disinfectants, and other awareness raising in order to halt the spread of infections, as well as legal and tax consultation services to nurture business environments. Until March 2022, MOFA carried out a program that provided medical and psychological counseling to Japanese nationals living overseas.

D Responses to Other Needs

In order to eliminate the complexity of various procedures for Japanese nationals living overseas (such as converting Japanese driver's licenses, obtaining residence/work permits) and to make living abroad more comfortable, MOFA continues to engage with the authorities in the respective countries where Japanese nationals reside.

For example, when converting driver's licenses issued in foreign countries to Japanese driver's licenses, all persons with driver's licenses issued in a foreign country are exempted from taking certain sections of the Japanese driver's license examination (theory/practical), when it has been confirmed that they have no problems with driving vehicles. On the other hand, as it is mandatory for Japanese nationals to take driving tests when converting Japanese driver's licenses to local licenses in some countries and states, MOFA is calling for those countries to simplify the procedures for license conversion to the same degree as in Japan.

MOFA also supports victims of atomic bombings living overseas in applying for the authorization of Atomic Bomb Diseases and for the issuance of Health Check Certificates, via diplomatic and consular missions.

Furthermore, MOFA is working to address issues of loneliness and social isolation among Japanese nationals residing overseas. MOFA liaises with NPOs in Japan to provide detailed assistance for individual cases overseas, and works to increase international understanding related to this issue such as by co-hosting with the Cabinet Office meetings related to loneliness and social isolation for overseas ambassadors to Japan.