The new structural reform special district law offers an exception to the usual immigration regulations for foreign researchers. For example, if a company in Hiroshima and Hiroshima university tie up and research a certain topic together that is supported by Hiroshima prefecture, the visa requirements for the foreign researchers joining the project will be eased.

This is not applied nationwide however. The exemption has been limited to special areas to activate local industries by promoting the entry of foreign researchers. The visa status used to be "research," but is now defined to specific activities. This is also applied to their families. In addition, researchers are allowed to set up a company and start a business while engaging in research work, according to these regulation measures.

Their duration of stay is extended to 5 years. The period of stay of the researcher's family is decided on a case by case basis and may be between 1 and 5 years. Immigration procedures are given priority. It does not seem to take a very long time for a decision to be made after an application is submitted.