Japan deports visa violators in huge numbers, fresh data reveals

TOKYO - Japan witnessed a significant surge in deportations of immigration law violators, with numbers rising by more than 65% in 2023.

The deportations come as the country relaxed COVID-19 border restrictions but the data issued on Friday by the Immigration Services Agency was shocking.

The statistics reveal that deportations soared to 8,024 individuals in 2023 up from 4,795 recorded in 2022. Meanwhile, the total number of foreign nationals undergoing deportation procedures nearly doubled to 18,198 in 2023, up from 10,300 the previous year.

Deportation proceedings in Japan are triggered as a result of two forms of violations. In the first case,  overstayers and other violators of immigration laws typically face deportation and detention until their departure under specific conditions, barring them from reentering Japan for at least five years.

In the other case, individuals who voluntarily report to immigration authorities with the intention to leave Japan receive less severe departure orders, avoiding detention and becoming eligible to reenter after one year.

Out of the 18,198 individuals undergoing deportation procedures in 2023, 9,197 received these less strict departure orders from the authorities. The government also provisionally released 2,929 individuals by the end of 2023 based on humanitarian considerations.

The individuals subjected to deportation procedures hailed from 95 countries and regions, with Vietnamese nationals comprising the largest group at 38.2%, totaling 6,953 people. They were followed by nationals from Thailand (3,171) and China (2,059), Japan Times reported.

The majority of violations involved overstaying (16,949 individuals), while 340 individuals illegally entered Japan and 175 engaged in activities not permitted by their visa conditions.

In terms of violation, unlawful employment constituted the most prevalent violation, with 12,384 individuals identified, accounting for 68.1% of the total.

Region-wise, Kanto recorded the highest number of illegal workers at 8,983, representing 72.5% of the total, followed by Chubu with 1,662 individuals, primarily in Aichi Prefecture. Ibaraki Prefecture reported the highest number of illegal workers among prefectures at 2,748.

Although the country is strict in terms of punishing visa violators, it still needs a supply of foreign workers to keep its economy and businesses afloat.

Japan's foreign population hit a new high of over 3.4 million in 2023, while the number of Japanese citizens fell by 595,000 people from a year earlier to 124,352,000 as of Oct 1, declining for the 13th straight year.

Japan's birth crisis has skyrocketed in recent years, triggering the government to launch an official dating app to help people get married and start families. The decision was taken after the country witnessed record-low birth and marriage rates. The latest data released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare showed Japan only recorded 727,277 births last year.