South Korean Man Arrested in Japan for 26-Year Visa Overstay

A 72-year-old South Korean national was arrested in Japan after allegedly living in the country illegally for over 26 years. The man, residing in Yaizu city, Shizuoka Prefecture, was taken into custody on Wednesday following a police tip received in June 2026.

He arrived in Japan in September 1993 using his brother's passport under a 15-day tourist visa, motivated by the prospect of better employment opportunities than those available in South Korea. Since then, he had been working casually in Japan.

Due to a change in immigration legislation in February 2000, which made overstaying a visa a criminal offense, he was charged only for the period after that date. The suspect has admitted to the charges against him.

Data from Japan's Justice Ministry indicates a significant decline in the number of visa overstayers since the early 1990s, with 68,488 recorded overstayers as of January 2026, down from a peak of 298,646 in 1993.