Kobe City demands National Government clarify new Immigration Bureau guideline
Kobe (Oct. 7) - The City Assembly of Kobe, Japan has sent an official communiqué to the National Government seeking clarification about the country's new Immigration guidelines. The guidelines, set to go into effect in April 2010, mandate that all foreign residents who must be enrolled in Japan's social health insurance program show proof of such enrollment as a prerequisite for approval of their visa renewal applications.
The 30-story Kobe City Hall
The new legislation has sparked no small stir among non-Japanese living in Japan, and debate over the issue continues to grow daily. It has even spawned the formation of the Free Choice Foundation, a grassroots movement whose aim is to lobby the Japanese government for foreigners’ right to choose the type of health care they participate in - whether that be a public or private plan.
The City Assembly sent the communiqué to Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the President of the House of Councilors, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. The communication strongly urges that Tokyo explain and clarify the new guidelines as well as the criteria that will be used by Immigration officials in determining whether to renew foreigners' visas.
Kobe questions the ambiguity of the guidelines should a non-Japanese seeking visa renewal not be enrolled in the social health insurance system. It also seeks clarity on situations in which a foreign applicant owns private health insurance in lieu of the required social insurance. The communiqué points out that many non-Japanese residents prefer to carry private insurance because of the additional benefits it provides - benefits that non-Japanese typically find very important and necessary, such as payment for emergency family reunion expenses in the event of serious illness or injury and repatriation of remains to the home country in the event of death. Social health insurance provides no coverage for these and other medical expenses that non-Japanese residents typically face.
Kobe City has strong international heritage.
The public insurance plans were designed with the Japanese in mind and non-Japanese often find it does not fit their expatriate needs as well as private or international insurance plans.
Kobe has a long and distinguished history in foreign relations. With the opening of its port to the rest of the world a century-and-a-half ago, it has a well-known reputation as an 'international' city. The foreign community is an integral and important part of the city's cultural and economic makeup. Boasting foreign settlements and architecture dating from the 19th century, the city is proud of its heritage of openness to foreigners. Today, Kobe's Port Island is home to a large biotechnology zone, and the city actively seeks foreign researchers to work there.
The city has many nationalities and people with various social, cultual and religious backgrounds. The city is home to a Jewish Synagogue, a Mosque, a number of Churches and has many other religious congregations. There are a number of international schools and various long-standing community groups such as the India Club.
Many non-Japanese residents in Japan are concerned that the new guidelines will have an adverse effect on their finances, their health care and their resident status. The Kobe City Assembly is sympathetic to the foreign community and concerned about their human rights while living in Japan.
This is not the first time for Kobe to be at odds over immigration policy. The city had previously asked the National Government to provide 5-year visas for researchers instead of the typical 1-year visas.