International students attend a job fair held by multinational companies operating in Japan, participating in seminars on employment opportunities. [Getty Images]
International students attend a job fair held by multinational companies operating in Japan, participating in seminars on employment opportunities. [Getty Images]

Japan has decided to significantly expand the staff of its Immigration Services Agency to tighten oversight of foreign nationals residing in the country.

The Japanese government plans to add more than 200 staff to the Immigration Services Agency this year as part of efforts to strengthen enforcement against undocumented foreigners, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Monday.

About 50 of the new hires will be enforcement officers tasked with detecting undocumented foreigners. They will be concentrated in Ibaraki Prefecture, which is believed to have the highest number of illegal workers, to intensify crackdowns on undocumented residents. Around 180 additional visa-status examiners will also be brought on to conduct more detailed investigations into the employment conditions of foreign nationals.

Japan has seen the number of undocumented foreigners jump in recent years. The figure stood at 83,000 in 2020 but has grown to about 68,000 this year.

The Yomiuri also reported that the Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai, which together form the ruling coalition, plan to hold an expert panel on foreign resident policy this month to discuss issues including what level to set for the ratio of foreign residents. The panel is also expected to discuss measures requiring foreign residents to learn rules related to Japanese culture and lifestyle.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet has taken a restrictive stance toward foreign residents. During last year's LDP leadership primary, Takaichi said that "some foreigners are kicking and hitting the deer in Nara, which Japanese people hold dear, and taking pleasure in it" — remarks she used to argue for tighter regulation of foreigners. The claim later drew criticism as a xenophobic framing after it emerged that those who had actually kicked deer in Nara were Japanese men.

Since then, the Japanese government has continued rolling out tighter management policies, including introducing a quota system for foreign resident visas, tightening screening for intracompany transferee status, and raising the minimum capital requirement for business visas sixfold.


kate01@heraldcorp.com