Japan's immigration authorities plan to monitor social media and other platforms for leads on visa overstayers and illegal work. The Immigration Services Agency aims to launch the cyber patrol unit as early as next year.
According to agency data, Japan had around 68,000 illegal stayers as of January, down around 6,000 from a year ago. The number of foreign people working legally rose 11.7 percent from a year earlier to a record 2.57 million as of October.
In a related move, the Ibaraki prefectural government recently launched a program to reward individuals who report businesses that hire undocumented foreign workers. Tipsters will receive 10,000 yen if their information leads to enforcement action.
The Immigration Services Agency plans to use analytical tools to identify online information related to illegal work, including solicitations in foreign languages. It will establish a unit dedicated to cyber patrols as early as next year.