An immigration inspector may grant landing permission to crew members who are foreigners (including those who become crew members in Japan; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) who wish to land for a period not exceeding 15 days for the purpose of transferring to another vessel or aircraft (including the boarding of a vessel or aircraft), rest, shopping or other similar purposes upon application by the captain of the vessel or aircraft or the carrier who operates the vessel or aircraft (including the vessel or aircraft they are to board) in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order.
An immigration inspector may grant landing permission to crew members who fall under any of the following items, if it is found appropriate to do so:
in case a foreign crew member of a vessel in regular service between Japan and other countries or of other vessels that frequently enter Japanese ports of entry and departure wishes to land in Japan for rest, shopping or other similar purposes on multiple occasions for a period within 1 year from the date of permission, upon application by the captain of the vessel or the carrier who operates the vessel on which the foreign crew member is aboard, in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order; or
in case a foreign crew member of an aircraft in regular service between Japan and other countries wishes to land in Japan for a period not exceeding fifteen days from each arrival date for rest, shopping or other similar purposes and to depart from the same port of entry or departure as a crew member of an aircraft belonging to the same carrier on multiple occasions within 1 year from the date of permission, upon application by the carrier, in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order.
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 issue a crew member's landing permit to the crew member.
In granting the permission set forth in paragraph (1), the immigration inspector may impose restrictions on the crew member's period of landing, scope of activities (including the route to be taken in transit) and other conditions found necessary, pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
The provisions of the proviso to Article 14, paragraph (1), apply mutatis mutandis to the cases referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article.
If the crew member who has been granted the permission set forth in paragraph (2) of this Article seeks to land based on that permission, the immigration inspector may, if found necessary, require the crew member 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 crew member who has been granted the permission set forth in paragraph (2) intends to land based on that permission, and if the immigration inspector learns that the crew member 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, the 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.In this case, if the crew member is in Japan, the inspector is to designate a period necessary for the crew member to return to their ship or depart from Japan.