Charles Jenkins granted permanent residency
Earlier reports about Charles Robert Jenkins‘ application for permanent residency had assumed that his application would get the same treatment received by other foreign nationals applying for residency. It usually takes about 6 months for foreigners who apply to get a response from the government, but in Jenkins case it has taken mere weeks:
The Japanese government will grant U.S. citizen Charles Jenkins, the husband of a repatriated Japanese abductee to North Korea, permanent residency status, Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said Friday.
Jenkins, a former U.S. Army sergeant who deserted to North Korea, married Hitomi Soga there and lived in the country almost 40 years, came to Japan with the couple’s two North Korean-born daughters in July 2004 after being reunited with Soga in Jakarta.
The Justice Ministry made the decision only half a month after Jenkins applied for the status June 24. Usually, foreign nationals need about six months to obtain permanent residency status.
Hatoyama told a regular news conference that his ministry’s screening work went smoothly as no problems were found in the documents Jenkins submitted.
Jenkins, 68, has been living in his wife’s hometown on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan since completing a 30-day detention for desertion at a U.S. Army base in Japan.
He acquired temporary residency status as Soga’s spouse and is required to renew it every three years. With permanent residency status, Jenkins will not be required to go through further renewals.
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