We held the APFS General Assembly for 2020.

The 2020 General Meeting was held on June 7th at the Itabashi Ward Cultural Center. This year, due to the spread of the coronavirus, many people voted by proxy or in writing, and although the venue finally reopened on June 1st, there were capacity restrictions, so the atmosphere was completely different from previous years.

At the general meeting, the business report for fiscal year 2019 was presented, including a report on trends in new consultations and the status of ongoing consultations. New consultations were mostly related to residency, with a particularly high number of urgent inquiries regarding changes or renewals of residency status (including for asylum seekers). Regarding ongoing consultations, it was explained that obtaining special residency status remains difficult for undocumented immigrants. However, it was reported that in March of this year, the son of an undocumented immigrant family, whom APFS had supported for over 10 years, obtained special residency status. However, this was only possible after his parents voluntarily returned to their home countries, highlighting the continued strict judgment of immigration authorities.
Following the financial report for fiscal year 2019, the proposal for the business plan and budget for fiscal year 2020 included reports that events and other activities could not be scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that membership fee income had already decreased from April to June. Participants shared the understanding that ingenuity and resourcefulness would be necessary to maintain activities and finances in fiscal year 2020.