Passport Act

The purpose of this Act is to provide for the issuance, validity, and other necessary matters concerning passports.

In this Act, the meanings of the terms stated in the following items are as prescribed respectively in those items:

①Pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a person who seeks to obtain an ordinary passport (referred to as "applicant" below in this Article) must apply for the issuance of an ordinary passport to the Minister for Foreign Affairs through a prefectural governor when in Japan, and to a consular officer when abroad (including the head of an embassy or a legation which performs the duties of a consular officer, or a person who performs the affairs on behalf of the head person; the same applies below), by submitting the following documents and a photograph; provided, however, that when filing an application in Japan, if it is urgent and a prefectural governor or the Minister for Foreign Affairs finds it necessary, the applicant may appear directly at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and submit the documents and the photograph to the Minister for Foreign Affairs:

②The document stated in item (ii) of the preceding paragraph is not required to be submitted for cases falling under any of the following items; provided, however, that this does not apply to cases falling under item (i) in which the prefectural governor (Minister for Foreign Affairs when submitting the documents directly to the Minister for Foreign Affairs; the same applies below in this Article) when in Japan or a consular officer when abroad, finds it particularly necessary in order to verify the facts concerning the social status of the applicant:

③In accepting an application for the issuance of an ordinary passport, a prefectural governor is to verify the identity of the applicant and verify that the applicant resides in the domicile or residence stated in the written application for the issuance of an ordinary passport, and may request the applicant to present or submit documents proving the identity and residence for verification purposes, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

④In receiving an application for the issuance of an ordinary passport, a consular officer is to verify the identity of the applicant, and may request the applicant to present or submit necessary documents for verification purposes.

⑤When an application for the issuance of an ordinary passport is filed under the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (1) or Article 11, a prefectural governor or a consular officer is to verify the ordinary passport which the applicant currently holds (referred to as "current passport" in Article 5, Article 8, and Article 14) pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

⑥The documents and a photograph related to the application for issuance of an ordinary passport stated in paragraph (1) may be submitted through any of the following persons, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

①The request for the issuance of an official passport is to be made by submitting the following documents and a photograph through the heads of each ministry or agency to the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the person seeking the issuance of an official passport (referred to as "requester" below in this Article) is in Japan, or through the heads of each ministry or agency to the Minister for Foreign Affairs or by the requester to a consular officer, when the requester is abroad:

②In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, when the requester wishes to make multiple round trips between Japan and a region other than one designated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the requester may request the issuance of a multiple journey official passport by stating that fact and the reason for it in a written request for issuance of an official passport.

A person who has been issued with a passport may not be issued with another passport for as long as that current passport is valid; provided, however, that this does not apply when the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer finds it particularly necessary to issue another passport for protecting the person or for the convenience of traveling abroad.

①Based on an application for issuance under the provisions of Article 3, the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer issues an ordinary passport, which states all regions other than the regions designated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (referred to as "designated regions" in paragraphs (3) and (4)) as the destination, with a validity period of 10 years for multiple journeys; provided, however, that if the person who applies for the issuance is under 18 years of age, the validity period is to be 5 years.

②When the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer, in the case falling under the provisions of the proviso to the preceding Article, issues an ordinary passport, issues an ordinary passport which is not recorded by electronic or magnetic means (meaning electronic means, magnetic means, or other means that cannot be perceived by human senses; the same applies below), or issues an ordinary passport to a person who falls under any of the items of Article 13, paragraph (1) (collectively referred to as "when there are grounds for limited issuance" in paragraph (5)), they may state the individually specified destinations in the ordinary passport referred to in the preceding paragraph, or may make the validity period less than ten years for that passport (when the person who applies for issuance of the ordinary passport is under 18 years of age, less than five years).

③Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, when a person who seeks to travel to a designated region files an application for issuance of an ordinary passport under the provisions of Article 3, the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer is to issue an ordinary passport which states the individually specified destinations with a validity period of ten years (when the person who applies for the issuance is under 18 years of age, five years) for a single journey; provided, however, that when the Minister for Foreign Affairs finds it appropriate, the Minister may issue an ordinary passport for multiple journeys with a validity period of ten years or less (when the person who applies for the issuance is under 18 years of age, five years or less), which states the individually specified destinations.

④Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding three paragraphs, when a person (excluding a person under 18 years of age) who applies for issuance of an ordinary passport under the provisions of Article 3 based on the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (1), or Article 11 (limited to the part related to item (ii)) states in the written application for issuance of an ordinary passport the fact that the person seeks to be issued an ordinary passport whose validity period is the same as the remaining validity period of the current passport (referred to as "passport with the same remaining validity period" in Article 14 and Article 20, paragraph (1), item (iii)), the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer is to issue an ordinary passport whose validity period and type that are the same as the remaining validity period and the type of the current passport, and which states the destination specified in the following items in accordance with the category of the current passport stated in each of those items:

⑤When there are grounds for limited issuance of passports, the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer may individually state the specified destination or shorten the validity period to less than the remaining validity period of the current passport concerning the ordinary passport to be issued pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph for the current passport stated in item (i) or (ii) of that paragraph, and shorten the validity period of the ordinary passport to be issued pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph for the current passport stated in item (iii) of that paragraph to less than the remaining validity period of the current passport.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer issues a single journey official passport with a validity period of five years based on a request for issuance of passports under the provisions of Article 4;provided, however, that when a request referred to in paragraph (2) of that Article has been made and the Minister finds it necessary to issue a multiple journey passport, the Minister may issue a multiple journey official passport with a validity period of five years or less.

①The following matters are to be entered in a passport:

②The scope of the regions when the destination referred to in item (iii) of the preceding paragraph is to be entered comprehensively by using the name of regions is as published in Official Gazette by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer may record in a passport a photograph of the holder of the passport and part of the matters stated in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article which are specified by Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by electronic or magnetic means.

①Pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an ordinary passport issued pursuant to the provisions of Article 5 is to be delivered to a person who has filed an application referred to in Article 3, paragraph (1) for the issuance of the ordinary passport (referred to as "applicant" below in this paragraph through paragraph (3)) by a prefectural governor when in Japan, or a consular officer when abroad, by requesting their appearance; provided, however, that if the person has filed an application directly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs pursuant to the provisions of the proviso to paragraph (1) of that Article, the Minister is to request the appearance of the applicant and deliver the passport to the applicant.

②When an application for the issuance of an ordinary passport referred to in the preceding paragraph has been filed pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 based on the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (1), or Article 11, the applicant must return their current passport at the time of delivery of the ordinary passport.

③In the case referred to in paragraph (1), when it is found that it would be difficult for the applicant to appear due to a disease, physical disability, difficult traffic situation, or other really unavoidable reasons, and, it is obvious that the applicant is the person concerned, a prefectural governor, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or a consular officer may deliver the ordinary passport by the method found to be most appropriate for the applicant to receive the passport for certain, without requesting the appearance of the applicant, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In such a case, when the applicant falls under the person who is required to return the current passport prescribed in the preceding paragraph, a prefectural governor, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or a consular officer is to accept the return of the current passport of the applicant pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

④An official passport issued pursuant to the provisions of Article 5-2 is delivered to a person who is to be issued the official passport by the Minister for Foreign Affairs through the heads of each ministry and agency when in Japan, and by a consular officer when abroad.

⑤When the official passport referred to in the preceding paragraph is a passport whose issuance has been requested pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 based on the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (2), or Article 11, the person who will be issued that official passport must return the official passport they currently possess at the time of the delivery of that official passport.

①If the holder of an ordinary passport in which the individually specified destinations are stated based on the provisions of Article 5, paragraphs (2) through (5) seeks to travel to a region other than the destination stated by using the ordinary passport, they must apply for addition of destinations by submitting the ordinary passport and the following documents to the Minister for Foreign Affairs through a prefectural governor by appearing at a prefectural office when in Japan, or submitting them to a consular officer by appearing at a consulate (including an embassy and a legation; the same applies below) when abroad, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

②A request for addition of destinations in an official passport is to be made by the head of each ministry or agency to the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the person seeking the addition of destinations (referred to as a "requester" below in this paragraph) is in Japan, or by the head of each ministry or agency to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or by the requester to a consular officer when the requester is abroad, by submitting a written request for addition of destinations in an official passport (for a request made by a requester abroad, including a document in support of the fact that a new reason for adding a destination has arisen, as specified by the Minister for Foreign Affairs) and by submitting the official passport after the delivery of an official passport.

③The provisions of the proviso to paragraph (1) of Article 3, paragraph (3), paragraph (4), and paragraph (6) of that Article apply mutatis mutandis to the case of application referred to in paragraph (1), and the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (4) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to the delivery of a passport related to the application or the request referred to in the preceding paragraph. In such a case, the term "deliver the passport to the applicant" in paragraph (1) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "deliver the passport to the applicant or deliver the passport by requesting the appearance of the person designated by the applicant".

①A holder of an ordinary passport is to file an application for the issuance of an ordinary passport pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 without delay, if there are any changes to the matters entered in the ordinary passport (limited to the name of the holder of the passport and other matters specified by Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

②If there are any changes to the matters entered in an official passport, the head of each ministry or agency or the holder of the official passport is to request the issuance of an official passport pursuant to the provisions of Article 4;provided, however, that this does not apply when the provisions of paragraph (2) of the preceding Article apply.

③When the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer has learned that there are changes to the matters entered in a passport, or that there are errors in the matters entered in a passport or matters recorded in a passport by electronic or magnetic means and finds it particularly necessary, the Minister or consular officer may issue a passport by making a request to the holder of the passport (for an official passport whose holder is in Japan, the heads of each ministry or agency) to return the passport without receiving an application or a request; provided, however, that when there is a change only to the destination among the matters entered in a passport, the Minister or a consular officer may request the submission of the passport and correct the destination, in lieu of issuing a passport.

④The provisions of Article 8, paragraph (1) apply mutatis mutandis to the delivery of an ordinary passport issued pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, and the provisions of paragraph (4) of that Article apply mutatis mutandis to the delivery of an official passport issued pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph. In such a case, the term "deliver it to the applicant" in paragraph (1) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "deliver it to the applicant or deliver it by requesting the appearance of a person designated by the applicant".

A holder of a passport (for an official passport, the head of each ministry or agency or a holder of the official passport) may apply for or request the issuance of a passport pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 or Article 4, even within the period of validity of the passport, if the case falls under any of the following items:

①The Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer may choose not to issue an ordinary passport or add destinations to an ordinary passport, if the person who seeks to be issued an ordinary passport or have destinations added falls under any of the following items:

②When making the acknowledgment referred to in item (vii) of the preceding paragraph, the Minister for Foreign Affairs must deliberate with the Minister of Justice in advance.

When the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer has decided not to issue an ordinary passport or not to add destinations to an ordinary passport based on the provisions of the preceding Article, or has decided to state individually specified destinations or to make the validity period shorter than ten years (shorter than five years when a person who applies for issuance of an ordinary passport is under 18 years of age, or shorter than the remaining validity period of the current passport when a person applies for issuance of a passport with the same remaining validity period) based on the provisions of Article 5, paragraph (2) or (5) (excluding the case when an ordinary passport is issued for a case falling under the provisions of the proviso to Article 4-2), the Minister or a consular officer must promptly notify the person who has applied for issuance of an ordinary passport or the addition of destinations of that fact using a document to which the reason is attached.

A person who seeks to be issued a passport (referred to as "applicant for issuance" below in this Article) must sign their name in the designated space on the passport or submit the signature of the applicant for issuance pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; provided, however, that if the applicant for issuance is a person who is specified by Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a person who has difficulty in signing their name, the name of the applicant for issuance written by a third party or their stamped name may substitute for the signature, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A holder of a passport who stays abroad for three months or more after having determined their domicile or residence must file a notification with the consular officer in that region, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

①If an ordinary passport has become lost or was destroyed by fire, the holder of an ordinary passport must notify the Minister for Foreign Affairs through a prefectural governor when in Japan, or a consular officer when abroad of that fact, without delay, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; provided, however, that when giving a notification in Japan, if it is urgent and a prefectural governor or the Minister for Foreign Affairs finds it necessary, the holder may appear directly at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and notify the Minister for Foreign Affairs of that fact.

②In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, if it is found to be difficult for the holder of an ordinary passport to personally give the notification due to a disease, physical disability, difficult traffic situation, or other really unavoidable reasons, the notification may be given by any of the following persons, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

③In accepting the notification of loss or destruction by fire of an ordinary passport referred to in paragraph (1), a prefectural governor (Minister for Foreign Affairs, when notifying the Minister for Foreign Affairs directly) is to verify the identity of the notifier, verify that the notifier resides in the domicile or residence stated in the written notification of the lost passport, and verify the fact that the ordinary passport has been lost or was destroyed by fire, and may request the notifier to present or submit documents in support of those facts pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the purpose of verification.

④In accepting the notification of loss or destruction by fire of an ordinary passport referred to in paragraph (1), a consular officer is to verify the identity of the notifier and the fact that the ordinary passport has been lost or was destroyed by fire, and may request the notifier to present or submit necessary documents for the purpose of verification.

⑤If an official passport has been lost or was destroyed by fire, the holder of an official passport must notify the Minister for Foreign Affairs through the head of each ministry and agency when in Japan, or the Minister for Foreign Affairs through the head of each ministry and agency, or a consular officer when abroad, without delay, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

⑥In accepting the notification of loss or destruction by fire of an official passport referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer is to verify the identity of the notifier and the fact that the official passport has been lost or was destroyed by fire, and may request the notifier to present or submit necessary documents for the purpose of verification.

①A passport expires in cases falling under any of the following items:

②If a passport has expired due to falling under item (vii) or (viii) of the preceding paragraph, the Minister for Foreign Affairs must publish that fact in an Official Gazette without delay.

①In the following cases, when the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer finds it necessary to have a passport returned, they may order the holder of the passport to return the passport by setting a deadline:

②The provisions of Article 13, paragraph (2) apply mutatis mutandis to the case referred to in item (i) or (ii) of the preceding paragraph in which the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer seeks to determine whether the holder of an ordinary passport falls under Article 13, paragraph (1), item (vii).

③The provisions of Chapter III of the Administrative Procedure Act (Act No. 88 of 1993) do not apply to the order to return an ordinary passport issued based on the provisions of paragraph (1) in the case referred to in item (i) or (ii) of that paragraph (excluding an order issued to a person that falls under Article 13, paragraph (1), item (i) or (vi)).

④When the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer has decided to order the return of an ordinary passport based on the provisions of paragraph (1), the Minister or the consular officer must promptly notify the holder of the ordinary passport of that fact using a document to which the reason is attached.

⑤When a passport currently possessed by the holder has expired due to falling under any of the cases referred to in paragraph (1), item (i), items (iii) through (v), or item (vii) of the preceding Article, and in the case of an official passport, when the official duties of the national government related to the issuance of that passport has ceased to exist or has finished, when in Japan for an ordinary passport, the holder must return the passport to the prefectural governor or the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and for an official passport, the head of each ministry or agency must return the passport to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Japan, and when abroad, the holder of the passport must return the passport to a consular officer, without delay.

⑥When the holder of a passport required to be returned (excluding a passport ordered to be returned based on the provisions of paragraph (1)) wishes to possess the passport, a prefectural governor, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or a consular officer who has received the return of the passport may put a void mark on the passport and give it back to the holder of the passport, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

①If the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer issues a notice ordering the return of an ordinary passport pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4) of the preceding Article ( referred to as "notice" below in this Article), and the whereabouts of the holder of the ordinary passport is unknown or the document that should be sent cannot be sent for other unavoidable circumstances, the Minister for Foreign Affairs may publish the content of the notice in Official Gazette in lieu of issuing the notice.

②In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, the notice is deemed to have reached the holder of the ordinary passport on the day on which twenty days have passed commencing from the day on which the Minister for Foreign Affairs published the content of the notice in an Official Gazette.

③In the case referred to in paragraph (1), the Minister for Foreign Affairs is to notify the consular officer in the region where the Minister finds it necessary of the fact that the content of the notice has been published in an Official Gazette without delay, and the consular officer who has been notified is to post the content of the notification in an appropriate place of the consulate to which they belong.

①The Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer may issue a travel document in lieu of a passport to a Japanese national in a foreign country who falls under any of the following items and wishes to return to Japan, based on their application when the Minister or the consular officer finds this to be necessary:

②A person who seeks to be issued a travel document is to apply for the issuance of a travel document by submitting a written application for issuance of a travel document, other documents specified by Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a photograph to a consular officer. In such a case, if a consulate has not been established in the region where the person currently resides or if the person cannot file the application due to unavoidable circumstances, the person's relative or other persons concerned specified by Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to file the application with the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer.

③The travel document issued based on the application referred to in the preceding paragraph is to be delivered by the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer to the person who applied for the issuance of the travel document by requesting the person's appearance.

④Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding three paragraphs, when the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer finds it particularly necessary for the person who falls under any of the items of paragraph (1) to return to Japan, the Minister or the consular officer may issue a travel document not based on an application, or deliver a travel document by the most appropriate method found for the person to surely receive the travel document without requesting their appearance.

⑤when issuing a travel document based on the provisions of paragraph (1) or the preceding paragraph, the Minister for Foreign Affairs or a consular officer may designate the validity period of the travel document and the transit point for returning to Japan.

①A person who files an application for the following dispositions in Japan must pay the national government, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, fees in the amount specified by Cabinet Order for each disposition in consideration of the actual costs required for each disposition and the nature of each disposition, so that the total amount of the costs required for those dispositions by the national government can be covered by the total amount of the fees for those dispositions paid to the national government:

②If a person who has filed an application for the issuance of an ordinary passport that has expired pursuant to the provisions of Article 18, paragraph (1) (limited to the part related to item (ii)) files an application for dispositions stated in items (i) through (iii) of the preceding paragraph for the first time within five years commencing from the date on which the ordinary passport expired, notwithstanding the provisions of that paragraph, the person must pay the national government the amount of fees obtained by multiplying the amount specified by Cabinet Order referred to in that paragraph by two, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

③Pursuant to the provisions of Prefectural Ordinance, a prefecture may collect fees from a person who files an application for the disposition stated in paragraph (1), items (i) through (iv) in Japan. In such a case, the prefecture must determine the amount of the fees on the basis of the amount specified by Cabinet Order in consideration of the actual costs required for conducting the affairs in the prefecture.

④If a person filing an application for the disposition stated in paragraph (1), items (i) through (iv) files the application directly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs pursuant to the provisions of the proviso to Article 3, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 9, paragraph (3)), notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2), the person must pay the national government the amount of fees obtained by adding the amount specified by Cabinet Order referred to in the preceding paragraph to the amount specified by Cabinet Order referred to in paragraph (1) (if the provisions of paragraph (2) apply, the amount specified in that paragraph), pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

⑤Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, if the cause for requiring the issuance of an ordinary passport has occurred due to the negligence of a relevant government agency, the person is not required to pay the fee.

⑥If the Minister for Foreign Affairs finds it particularly necessary for reducing the economic burden on applicants at the time of a large-scale disaster, the fees to be paid to the national government under the provisions of paragraph (1), paragraph (2), and paragraph (4) may be reduced or exempted, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

①Pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, a person filing an application for the disposition stated in the items of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article outside of Japan must pay the national government the amount of fees specified by Cabinet Order as being equivalent to the amount obtained by adding, to the amount specified by Cabinet Order referred to in that paragraph, the amount specified by Cabinet Order referred to in paragraph (3) of that Article.

②The provisions of paragraph (2) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to a person who files an application for the disposition stated in paragraph (1), items (i) through (iii) of the preceding Article outside of Japan. In such a case, the term "the provisions of that paragraph" in paragraph (2) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "the provisions of paragraph (1) of the following Article", the term "Cabinet Order referred to in that paragraph" with "Cabinet Order referred to in the preceding paragraph", and the term "obtained by multiplying" with "specified by Cabinet Order as being equivalent to the amount obtained by adding the amount specified by Cabinet Order referred to in the following paragraph to the amount obtained by multiplying".

③The provisions of paragraphs (5) and (6) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to a person who files an application for the disposition stated in the items of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article outside of Japan. In such a case, the term "the preceding paragraphs" in paragraph (5) of that Article and the term "paragraph (1), paragraph (2), and paragraph (4)" in paragraph (6) of that Article are deemed to be replaced with "paragraphs (1) and (2) of the following Article".

The Minister for Foreign Affairs may delegate the affairs related to the delivery of documents concerning the notice under the provisions of Article 19, paragraph (4) to an immigration inspector.

A part of the affairs of the Minister for Foreign Affairs concerning ordinary passports prescribed in this Act may be handled by the prefectural governor pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

The affairs to be handled by prefectures pursuant to the provisions of Article 3, paragraphs (1) through (3), paragraph (5) and paragraph (6), Article 8, paragraph (1) and paragraph (3), Article 9, paragraph (1) and paragraph (3), Article 10, paragraph (4), Article 17, paragraphs (1) through (3), and Article 19, paragraph (5) and paragraph (6) is to be item (i) statutory entrusted functions as defined in Article 2, paragraph (9), item (i) of the Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 67 of 1947).

When the Minister for Foreign Affairs finds it necessary due to abrupt changes in the state of affairs in Japan or abroad, humanitarian grounds, or other grounds, the Minister may give necessary instructions to the prefectural governor concerning the affairs to be conducted by the prefectural governor pursuant to the provisions of this Act or Cabinet Order based on this Act.

The procedures for implementing this Act and other necessary matters for its enforcement are specified by Order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

①A person who falls under any of the following items is punished by imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of not more than three million yen, or both:

②A person who commits an offense referred to in item (i), item (iv), or item (v) of the preceding paragraph for profit is punished by imprisonment for not more than seven years, a fine of not more than five million yen, or both.

③An attempt to commit the offense referred to in paragraph (1) (excluding the part related to possession referred to in item (iv) and item (v), and excluding item (vi)) and the preceding paragraph (excluding the part related to possession referred to in paragraph (1), item (iv) and item (v)) is punished.

④A person who falls under any of the following items is punished by a fine of not more than 300 thousand yen:

The provisions of the preceding Article also apply to a person who commits the offense stated in that Article outside of Japan.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs may confiscate the passport or travel document of a person who has committed an offense referred to in Article 23 (excluding an attempted offense referred to in paragraph (1), item (i)), or a document that has been forged as a passport or travel document.