Chapter III Procedures for Landing (Articles 13 to 15)
The law as Act Partially Amending the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act and the Act on Special Provisions for Applications for Landing by Foreign Nationals Holding Passports Referred to in Article 2, Item (v), (b) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Act No. 32 of 2026) leaves it, with the words it changes marked.
The main text is read a page at a time: a chapter to a page, and a long chapter in runs of articles. The whole main text, and the supplementary provisions and appended tables this amendment changes. Those it leaves untouched are on the page for the text in force.
Section 3 Provisional Landing and Other Related Particulars第三節 仮上陸等
Article 13第十三条
Permission for Provisional Landing(仮上陸の許可)
Article 13, paragraph (1)
If a supervising immigration inspector finds it specifically necessary during the process of the procedures for landing prescribed in this Chapter, the inspector may grant permission for provisional landing to a foreign national until completion of the procedures.
If the supervising immigration inspector grants the permission set forth in the preceding paragraph, the inspector must issue a provisional landing permit to the foreign national.
前項の許可を与える場合には、主任審査官は、当該外国人に仮上陸許可書を交付しなければならない。
Article 13, paragraph (3)
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1), the supervising immigration inspector may impose restrictions on the foreign national's place of residence and scope of activities, impose obligation to appear upon receiving summons, and other conditions found necessary pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order, and have the foreign national pay a deposit for an amount provided for by Ministry of Justice Order not exceeding 2 million yen in Japanese currency or an equivalent amount in a foreign currency.
The deposit set forth in the preceding paragraph must be returned to the foreign national if the foreign national receives a seal of verification for landing pursuant to the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (8) or Article 11, paragraph (4), or if the foreign national is ordered to depart from Japan pursuant to the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (7) or (11) or Article 11, paragraph (6).
If the foreign national who has been granted the permission set forth in paragraph (1) has violated the conditions imposed pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (3), and if the foreign national has fled or failed to respond to a summons without legitimate grounds, the supervising immigration inspector is to confiscate the whole or a part of the deposit set forth in the same paragraph pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
If the supervising immigration inspector has reasonable grounds to suspect that a foreign national who has been granted the permission set forth in paragraph (1) is likely to flee, the inspector may issue a written detention order and have the foreign national detained by an immigration control officer.
The provisions of Articles 40, 41 and Article 42, paragraph (1) apply mutatis mutandis to the detention pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph. In this case, "the written detention order set forth in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article" in Article 40 is replaced with "the written detention order set forth in Article 13, paragraph (6)"; "the suspect" with "the foreign national granted permission for provisional landing"; and "the summary of the facts of the suspected offense" with "grounds for detention", respectively. In Article 41, paragraph (1), the passage, "is to be within 30 days; provided, however, if a supervising immigration inspector finds that there are compelling reasons, they may extend the period for an additional 30 days" is replaced with "for a period of time preceding the completion of procedures for landing provided for in Chapter III which the supervising immigration inspector finds to be necessary"; and in paragraph (3) of the same Article and Article 42, paragraph (1), "a suspect" is deemed to be replaced with "a foreign national granted permission for provisional landing."
Place of Stay for a Foreign National given an Exclusion Order(退去命令を受けた者がとどまることができる場所)
Article 13-2, paragraph (1)
In the event that a special inquiry officer or a supervising immigration inspector orders exclusion pursuant to the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (7) or (11) or Article 11, paragraph (6) respectively, if they find that the foreign national cannot immediately depart from Japan due to the operating schedule of the vessel or aircraft or for other reasons not attributable to the foreign national, the special inquiry officer or the supervising immigration inspector may permit the foreign national to stay in a designated facility (limited to a facility provided for by Ministry of Justice Order) in the vicinity of the port of entry or departure for a designated period, pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
The special inquiry officer or the supervising immigration inspector, when they designate the facility and the period set forth in the preceding paragraph, must inform the captain of the vessel or aircraft or the carrier who operates the vessel or aircraft by which the foreign national arrived to that effect.
Article 14, paragraph (1)(寄港地上陸の許可)(Permission for Landing at a Port of Call)Changed
An immigration inspector may grant a foreign national (except for crew members, and limited to those who have received the certification under Article 15-2) aboard a vessel or aircraft permission for landing at a port of call if the foreign national seeks to go to an area outside of Japan via Japan and wishes to land and stay for not more than 72 hours in an area in the vicinity of the port of entry or departure upon an application from the captain of the vessel or aircraft or the carrier who operates the vessel or aircraft; provided, however, that this does not apply to a foreign national who falls under any of the items of Article 5, paragraph (1) (this excludes the case in which the provisions of Article 5-2 apply to a foreign national who falls under any of the items of Article 5, paragraph (1) based on the specific grounds set forth in Article 5-2 and no other grounds; the same applies hereinafter).
If the immigration inspector finds it necessary for an examination pertaining to the permission set forth in the preceding paragraph, the inspector may require the foreign national to provide their personal identification information in an electronic or magnetic means pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1), the immigration inspector must affix a seal of verification for landing at the port of call in the passport possessed by the foreign national.
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1), the immigration inspector may impose restrictions on the foreign national's period of landing, scope of activities and other conditions found necessary pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
Article 14-2, paragraph (1)(船舶観光上陸の許可)(Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists)Changed
An immigration inspector may grant a foreign national (except for crew members, and limited to those who have received the certification under Article 15-2) aboard a designated passenger ship (a passenger ship in service on a route between Japan and an area outside of Japan which is designated by the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency taking into account the fact that measures of verifying the identity of the passengers are appropriately taken and other circumstances; the same applies hereinafter) landing permission for cruise ship tourists upon an application by the captain of the designated passenger ship or the carrier who operates the designated passenger ship, in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order, if the foreign national wishes to land and stay for no more than 30 days (7 days for foreign nationals aboard a designated passenger ship in service on a route in which the number of ports of call within Japan is one) until the time of departure from Japan, for the purpose of sightseeing while the designated passenger ship is in Japan, on the condition that the foreign national returns to the ship by the time the designated passenger ship is to depart from the port of entry or departure for each occasion they disembark from the ship at a Japanese port of entry or departure at which the designated passenger ship makes a port of call.
Article 14-2, paragraph (2)(船舶観光上陸の許可)(Landing Permission for Cruise Ship Tourists)Changed
An immigration inspector may, on finding it to be appropriate, grant a foreign national (except for crew members, and limited to those who have received the certification under Article 15-2) aboard a designated passenger ship, landing permission for cruise ship tourists upon an application by the captain of the designated passenger ship or the carrier who operates the designated passenger ship, in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order, if the foreign national wishes to land on multiple occasions and stay within 30 days for the purpose of sightseeing while the designated passenger ship is in Japan, on the condition that the foreign national returns to the ship by the time the designated passenger ship is to depart from the port of entry or departure for each occasion they disembark from the ship at a Japanese port of entry or departure at which the designated passenger ship makes a port of call.
If an immigration inspector finds it necessary for an examination pertaining to the permission set forth in the preceding two paragraphs, the inspector may require the foreign national to provide their personal identification information in an electronic or magnetic means, pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1) or (2), the immigration inspector must issue a landing permit for cruise ship tourists to the foreign national.
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1) or (2), the immigration inspector may impose restrictions on the foreign national's period of landing, scope of activities and other conditions found necessary pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
The provisions of the proviso to paragraph (1) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to the cases referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2).
前条第一項ただし書の規定は、第一項及び第二項の場合に準用する。
Article 14-2, paragraph (7)(船舶観光上陸の許可)
If the foreign national who has been granted the permission set forth in paragraph (2) seeks to land based on this permission, when the immigration inspector finds it necessary, the inspector may require the foreign national to provide their personal identification information in an electronic or magnetic means, pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
In the case the foreign national who has been granted the permission set forth in paragraph (2) intends to land based on the permission, if the immigration inspector learns that the foreign national falls under any of the items of Article 5, paragraph (1), the inspector is to immediately cancel the permission.
Except as provided for in the preceding paragraph, an immigration inspector may cancel the permission, in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order, if the inspector finds it inappropriate to continue to grant the permission to the foreign national who has been granted the permission set forth in paragraph (2). In this case, if the foreign national is in Japan, the officer is to designate a period necessary for the foreign national to depart from Japan.
Article 15, paragraph (1)(通過上陸の許可)(Permission for Landing in Transit)Changed
An immigration inspector may grant a foreign national (except for crew members, and limited to those who have received the certification under the following Article) aboard a vessel permission for landing in transit upon application by the captain of the vessel or the carrier who operates the vessel, if the foreign national wishes to land temporarily for the purpose of sightseeing while the vessel is in Japan, within a period not exceeding the period specified by Ministry of Justice Order, and to return to the vessel at another port of entry or departure at which the vessel is scheduled to call.
Article 15, paragraph (2)(通過上陸の許可)(Permission for Landing in Transit)Changed
An immigration inspector, upon application by the captain of the vessel or aircraft or the carrier who operates the vessel or aircraft, may grant a foreign national (except for crew members, and limited to those who have received the certification under the following Article) aboard the vessel or aircraft permission for landing in transit if the foreign national wishes to go to an area outside of Japan via Japan and to depart from Japan within 3 days of their entry into Japan from another port of entry or departure in the vicinity of the port at which the foreign national entered Japan on board a vessel or aircraft other than the one on which the foreign national arrived in Japan.
If the immigration inspector finds it necessary for an examination pertaining to the permission set forth in the preceding two paragraphs, the inspector may require the foreign national to provide their personal identification information in an electronic or magnetic means, pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1) or (2), the immigration inspector must affix a seal of verification for landing in transit to the passport possessed by the foreign national.
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1) or (2), the immigration inspector may impose restrictions on the foreign national's period of landing, transit route and other conditions found necessary pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
The provisions of the proviso to paragraph (1) of Article 14 apply mutatis mutandis to the cases referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article.