When the new Residence Management System in Japan went into effect last July, the Immigration bureau began issuing resident cards to foreigners but they didn’t require foreigners to immediately obtain them. The old alien card can be used as a valid substitute for a certain period of time. For most foreigners, that would be until their visa (period of stay) expires.
We are no longer considered aliens in Japan. Foreigners living in Japan are now also called residents. That is at least as far as registration card is concerned.
An exhibit of some sort caught my attention as I passed through the Shin-Maru Building on my way home from work the other day. I decided to look closer and found out that it was an exhibition of children’s enikki or illustrated diaries. What’s more interesting is that it featured works of children from Asian countries including the Philippines.