Japan’s immigration authorities plan to crack down on visa overstayers and illegal foreign workers by monitoring social media and other platforms for information or leads.
The initiative is part of the country’s efforts to reduce the number of overstayers at a time when Japan is taking in more foreign workers due to labor shortages.
As early as next year, the Immigration Services Agency plans to use analytical tools to identify online information related to illegal work, including solicitations in foreign languages, establishing a unit dedicated to cyber patrols.
According to agency data, Japan had around 68,000 illegal stayers as of January, down around 6,000 from a year ago.
As part of a program targeting overstayers, the agency aims to crack down on individuals who employ foreign workers without valid visas.
In a related move, the Ibaraki prefectural government, located northeast of Tokyo, recently launched a program to reward individuals who report businesses that hire undocumented foreign workers. Tipsters will receive 10,000 yen if their information leads to enforcement action.
The number of foreign people working legally in Japan rose 11.7 percent from a year earlier to a record 2.57 million as of October, according to government data.
© KYODO
