TOKYO — Japan’s immigration authorities plan to step up efforts to identify visa overstayers and undocumented foreign workers by monitoring social media and other online platforms, officials said, as the country admits more foreign labour to ease workforce shortages.
The Immigration Services Agency intends to deploy analytical tools as early as 2027 to scan for signs of illegal employment, including job solicitations in foreign languages, and to set up a dedicated cyber-patrol unit to follow leads gathered online. The move aims to strengthen enforcement against employers who hire foreign workers without valid visas and to locate individuals remaining in Japan beyond their permitted stays.
Agency data show about 68,000 illegal stayers in Japan as of January, roughly 6,000 fewer than a year earlier. Alongside the national initiative, Ibaraki prefecture has introduced a tipster reward scheme: people who report businesses employing undocumented workers will receive 10,000 yen (about S$80) if their information prompts enforcement action.
Authorities say the measures target networks that facilitate illegal employment and reflect broader efforts to balance tighter immigration enforcement with the need to bring in foreign labour to address chronic shortages.