[blimp]

i agree with nyororin. three or five years, it doesn't matter that much. just got another three years. now getting jyuminhyo "status" would indeed mean a lot. also getting rid of the hated and annoying re-entry permit would also be nice.

i read somewhere that there are some thinking within the cabinet of in the future including foreigner in the resident registry. not sure about the time frame for that one though.

on the proposal, note that it is just the period, the visa procedure won't change, not that i would say japan is in any way stricter than any other country in that respect. continuing on the other parts in the proposal, there are still many unclear things, as having the immigration office doing the alien registration too. one good thing about having the local municipals taking care of the card is that it is in most cases much closer than to have to go to the immigration office.