Japan will allow Myanmar residents to extend their right to stay here for an additional six months as an emergency measure due to the unrest following the February military coup in the Southeast Asian country, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Friday.

Those who wish to stay longer in Japan will be allowed to work as well, and the emergency measure can be extended again if the situation in Myanmar does not improve, immigration authorities said.

According to the Immigration Services Agency, 35,049 individuals from Myanmar resided in Japan as of the end of last year, and 13,963 of them, the largest group, were technical interns under a government-sponsored program.