
The [JPN] Supreme Court ruled Thursday that it was illegal for the state and local authorities to bar all foreigners without valid residency status from the national health insurance program.... According to the ruling, Li, whose ancestors originated from Taiwan, came to Japan in 1971. But the visas for his family of four had expired by 1984. He registered with the Yokohama city office as a foreigner in March 1997 and applied to join the national health insurance a year later. The city rejected his application...