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.

①Even before the Effective Date, the Minister of Justice may, when necessary for preparing the issuance of residence cards pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (6) of the preceding Article in relation to applications under paragraph (1) of that Article, have officials of the Ministry investigate the facts.

②An immigration inspector or immigration control officer may, when necessary for the investigation set forth in the preceding paragraph, request the persons concerned to appear, question them, or request them to present documents.

③The Minister of Justice, an immigration inspector or an immigration control officer may make inquiries to public offices or to public or private organizations and request reports on necessary matters with regard to the investigation set forth in paragraph (1).

①An alien registration certificate prescribed in the Former Alien Registration Act (hereinafter referred to as a "registration certificate") possessed by a mid- to long-term resident is deemed to be a residence card for the purpose of applying the provisions of Article 19-9, Article 19-11, paragraphs (1) and (2), Article 19-12, paragraph (1), Article 19-13, paragraphs (1) through (3) (excluding the second sentence of paragraph (1)), Article 19-14, Article 19-15, Article 23, Article 26-2, paragraph (1), Article 61-9-3, paragraph (1), item (i) (limited to the part pertaining to Article 19-9, paragraph (1) of the New Immigration Control Act and Article 19-7, paragraph (2) of the New Immigration Control Act as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (2) of Article 19-9; the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph), and Article 61-9-3, paragraphs (2) and (3) (in both cases, limited to the part pertaining to paragraph (1), item (i) of that Article, and including as these provisions are applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 19, paragraph (2) of the Supplementary Provisions) of the New Immigration Control Act, and of Article 17 (limited to the part pertaining to paragraph (1), items (i) and (ii)) and Article 19, paragraph (1) (limited to the part pertaining to Article 17, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions and Article 19-7, paragraph (2) of the New Immigration Control Act as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (2) of that Article) of the Supplementary Provisions (including the penal provisions pertaining to these provisions).

②The validity period of a registration certificate deemed to be a residence card pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph is, in accordance with the categories of mid- to long-term residents set forth in the following items, the period until the day specified in the respective items has passed:

③A mid- to long-term resident who possesses a registration certificate deemed to be a residence card pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) 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, before its validity period prescribed in the preceding paragraph expires.

④If an application under the preceding paragraph has been filed, the Minister of Justice is to have an immigration inspector issue a residence card to that mid- to long-term resident.

①A mid- to long-term resident who does not possess a registration certificate at the time this Act comes into effect must, except where the mid- to long-term resident has applied for the issuance of a residence card pursuant to the provisions of Article 13, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions, 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, within 14 days from the Effective Date (if the mid- to long-term resident has departed from Japan as of the Effective Date, the date on which the mid- to long-term resident first enters Japan on or after the Effective Date).

②Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, if a mid- to long-term resident prescribed in that paragraph has filed an application pursuant to the provisions of Article 3, paragraph (1) or Article 7, 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 and has not been issued the registration certificate pertaining to that application at the time this Act comes into effect, the mid- to long-term resident is deemed to have filed the application under the preceding paragraph on the Effective Date.

③If an application under paragraph (1) has been filed, the Minister of Justice is to have an immigration inspector issue a residence card to that mid- to long-term resident.

①A mid- to long-term resident who has received registration pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (1) of the Former Alien Registration Act and whose residential address registered in the original alien registration record provided for in the same paragraph (hereinafter referred to as the "original registration record") as of the day before the Effective Date does not constitute a place of residence must, according to the categories of cases set forth in the following items, within 14 days from the date specified in the relevant item, notify the Minister of Justice of their place of residence through the mayor of the municipality of the place of residence (including special wards, and wards or administratively consolidated wards in the designated cities prescribed in Article 252-19, paragraph (1) of the Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 67 of 1947); the same applies hereinafter) upon submitting their residence card to the mayor of the municipality of the place of residence, in accordance with the procedures provided for by Ministry of Justice Order.

②The provisions of Article 19-7, paragraph (2) of the New Immigration Control Act apply mutatis mutandis if a residence card has been submitted pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

③If the mid- to long-term resident provided for in paragraph (1) has filed a notification pursuant to the provisions of Article 30-46 of the Residential Basic Book Act (Act No. 81 of 1967) by submitting their residence card, the notification is deemed to be the notification pursuant to the provisions of the same paragraph.