Japan moves to expand immigration agency and tighten oversight
More officers will be hired to tackle unlawful stays and reduce screening delays, while experts review admissions policy and language and life-skills education.
- Japan's Immigration Services Agency will be expanded with approximately 200 new staff to strengthen supervision of foreign nationals.
- The government aims to increase action against illegal overstayers and accelerate the processing of residence-status screenings.
- An expert working group will be established to create a new basic policy on the future acceptance of foreign nationals by the end of fiscal 2026.
- This new policy will consider a range of measures, including possible controls on the number of foreign nationals allowed into the country.
Japan plans to reinforce the Immigration Services Agency by recruiting about 200 additional staff, including immigration control officers and immigration inspectors, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on Friday (July 24).
The expansion is intended to strengthen supervision of foreign nationals in the country.
Addressing a ministerial meeting on policies concerning foreign nationals, Kihara said Japan must step up action against illegal overstayers and process residence-status screenings more quickly.
The agency recorded 68,488 foreign nationals staying in Japan illegally as of January.
Kihara also announced that an expert working group would prepare a basic policy on the future acceptance of foreign nationals by the end of fiscal 2026.
The panel will consider a range of measures, including possible controls on the number of foreign nationals.
The proposal was put forward last year by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party.
A separate working group will examine education programmes covering the Japanese language and practical life skills for foreign nationals.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
