Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The Immigration Services Agency of Japan has announced that the number of illegal foreigners staying in Japan stands at 71,229, down 3,634 from six months earlier, with Vietnam and Thailand at the top of the list.

By nationality and region, the highest number of illegal overstayers was from Vietnam, at approximately 13,000, followed by Thailand and South Korea.

By residence status, the highest number of overstayers were in the “Temporary Visitor” category, which is normally reserved for tourists, with approximately 43,000 people. This was followed by “Technical Intern Training,” “Designated Activities” and “Student.”

The Agency said the number of illegal overstayers in all the top 10 countries and regions decreased compared to six months ago.

The number of illegal overstayers peaked at approximately 298,000 in 1993 but declined to 59,000 in 2014. In recent years, the number has remained at around 70,000.

The Agency revealed that the current figures for illegal overstayers include: 1) Vietnam 13,070 (-1,226), (2) Thailand 10,924 (-413), (3) South Korea 10,286 (-314), (4) China 6,252 (-313), (5) Philippines, 4,575 (-109), (6) Indonesia 4,344 (-287), (7) Taiwan 2,738 (-245), (8) Sri Lanka 2,005 (-38), (9) Turkey 1,292 (-80), (10) Cambodia 1,161 (-219).

The Agency said it won’t disclose a breakdown of Middle East and Arab visa overstayers in the country as they are grouped together in the category of “others,” which represents 20.5 percent of foreigners staying illegally in Japan.

While the Agency has details of other nationalities overstaying their visas, a spokesperson told Arab News Japan that there is no such breakdown in the “others” category.

However, the Immigration Agency did reveal that compared to six months ago, Turkey has replaced Cambodia as the ninth-place country.