A man running a Japanese language school in Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture, was arrested Saturday for allegedly letting several foreign students work longer than the maximum hours allowed by law, police sources said.

The police arrested the man in his 50s and are investigating the involvement of two other officials from the Japan International Education Institute.

It is rare that police pursue criminal charges against a language school official in relation to foreign students' illegally long work hours, the sources said.

Foreign students with a work permit from the Immigration Bureau can work up to 28 hours a week, but the police believe the suspect found two or more part-time jobs for each of those students so their total work hours exceeded those allowed by law.

The man is suspected of trying to cover up the students' illegal work by keeping their weekly work hours at each workplace at 28 hours or shorter, the sources said.