A 72-year-old South Korean man has been arrested in Japan for allegedly overstaying his tourist visa for more than 26 years, police said.
Shizuoka Prefectural Police announced on Aug. 26 that the man had entered Japan illegally and continued to live in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Police said they received a tip about the man in June and subsequently arrested him.
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People are seen on a street in Tokyo, April 2024. Photo by Pexels |
He originally entered Japan in September 1993 on a 15-day tourist visa, using his brother’s passport because he hoped to find better-paid work in the country, as reported by ANNnewsCH.
The man is believed to have remained in Japan since his arrival 26 years ago.
Because visa overstaying was not a criminal offense in Japan until February 2000, when a revised immigration law took effect, police arrested him on suspicion of overstaying from that point onward, according to the Japan Times.
The suspect has admitted to the allegation, telling investigators that he supported himself by working various day jobs.
Data from Japan’s Justice Ministry showed that 68,488 people were overstaying their visas as of January 2026, substantially lower than the peak of 298,646 recorded in 1993.