KUALA LUMPUR - Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has instructed municipalities nationwide to identify the nationality and residence status of foreign nationals when they newly move into public housing, officials said by February 15.

The measure is intended to enable authorities to explain community rules in residents’ native languages and to facilitate evacuation calls during disasters. 

It follows the government’s new comprehensive policy framework on foreign residents, adopted on January 23.

Under the notification, municipalities are expected to confirm nationality and residence status by requiring applicants to submit a copy of their residence certificate indicating such information. 

The ministry also noted that emergency contact persons should ideally be individuals who can communicate smoothly in Japanese.

Local governments were further asked to introduce housing support organizations to foreign residents who are unable to secure accommodation on their own.

The government’s new policy framework states that, in some areas, a concentration of foreign residents in public housing and Urban Renaissance rental units has led to a rapid increase in the number of foreign children in nearby schools, placing, it says, an excessive burden on school administrations.

The ministry also pointed to disparities among municipalities in tracking foreign residents and said that in emergency situations, a lack of information about nationality can make swift responses difficult.

Implementation timing will vary by municipality, as changes to local ordinances or regulations may be required to formalize the collection of such information.

In 2012, the ministry urged local governments to allow foreign nationals to enter public housing whenever possible and not to exclude applicants solely on the basis of nationality, reflecting the social climate and the growing internationalization at the time.

The latest move marks a shift from earlier guidance that emphasized non-discrimination in access to public housing, highlighting how policy priorities are evolving as foreign residents become more visible in local communities.