The Japanese government will use social media to crack down on foreign nationals overstaying their visas or working illegally, mobilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and private-sector analytical tools to systematically collect and analyze online information related to illegal job offers and forged residency qualifications.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on Thursday (local time), Japan's Immigration Services Agency plans to build a system to collect and analyze posts spreading on social media that recruit for illegal work and contain information related to forged residency qualifications.
Previously, deportation orders and forced removal procedures had been carried out based on in-person investigations of those involved or information provided by police. Going forward, the agency aims to broaden the scope of identifying illegal cases by actively utilizing online information.
The Japanese government is pushing ahead with the introduction of AI and private analytical tools, targeting full-scale operation starting next year.
The crackdown will not be limited to foreign nationals working illegally. It will also target individuals and businesses that broker jobs or employ such workers. The authorities plan to expand their surveillance network to include recruitment brokers and employers operating through social media. The newspaper also reported that, given the rise in resident consultations related to illegal residency and employment centered on local governments, an expansion of regional consultation windows is also under consideration.
A significant portion of illegal residents in Japan are understood to be working to cover living expenses. The Japanese government views illegal employment as potentially leading to compound social problems such as poor working conditions, tax delinquency, and conflicts with local residents, and has been strengthening its response.
In July last year, the government also established a control tower organization within the Cabinet Secretariat to address issues related to foreign residents in Japan. The Immigration Services Agency identified 1,837 illegal residents and workers last year, an increase of 459 from the previous year. However, the number of illegal residents in Japan as of January 1 this year stood at 68,488, down 6,375 from the same period a year earlier.
