①A foreign national residing in Japan with a status of residence who has been registered pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (1) of the Former Alien Registration Act and whose period of stay (including the period during which the foreign national may stay in Japan pursuant to the provisions of Article 20, paragraph (5) of the New Immigration Control Act (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 21, paragraph (4) of the New Immigration Control Act); hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph and in Article 15, paragraph (2) of the Supplementary Provisions) expires on or after the Effective Date, other than the persons set forth below (hereinafter referred to as a "prospective mid- to long-term resident"), may apply to the Minister of Justice for the issuance of a residence card, in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order, during the period from the date specified in Article 1, item (iv) of the Supplementary Provisions to the day before the Effective Date:

②The application under the preceding paragraph must be filed by the prospective mid- to long-term resident appearing in person at a regional immigration bureau.

③If a prospective mid- to long-term resident is under 16 years of age or is unable to file the application under paragraph (1) personally due to illness or any other reason, the application must be filed on behalf of the prospective mid- to long-term resident by a person set forth in any of the following items (excluding a person under 16 years of age) who lives with the prospective mid- to long-term resident, in the order of the items:

④With regard to the application under paragraph (1), in addition to the cases prescribed in the preceding paragraph, where a person set forth in any of the items of that paragraph (excluding a person under 16 years of age) who lives with the prospective mid- to long-term resident files the application on behalf of the prospective mid- to long-term resident at the request of the prospective mid- to long-term resident, or in any other case specified by Ministry of Justice Order, the prospective mid- to long-term resident is not required to appear in person to file it, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (2).

⑤If a prospective mid- to long-term resident has filed an application pursuant to the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (1), Article 6-2, paragraph (1) or (2) or Article 11, paragraph (1) of the Former Alien Registration Act during the period from one month before the Effective Date to the day before the Effective Date, the prospective mid- to long-term resident is deemed to have filed the application under paragraph (1) at that time.

⑥If, on or after the Effective Date, a prospective mid- to long-term resident who has filed the application under paragraph (1) resides in Japan as a mid- to long-term resident, the Minister of Justice is to have an immigration inspector promptly issue a residence card to that person.