Immigration authorities have denied entry permission to about 150 Chinese, suspecting their application papers may have been forged, sources said Wednesday.

The 150 were to enroll in April at four Japanese-language schools in Tokyo run by Katsunori Yoshida, 56, who is on trial for allegedly giving immigration authorities forged documents in an attempt to help a Chinese man living in Tokyo get a new visa.

Law-enforcement officers suspect the schools were used as a cover to help Chinese enter Japan to get jobs, while Yoshida was earning fees for issuing false certificates for attending school or working as skilled laborers in Japan.

Yoshida is suspected of having helped around 1,100 Chinese enter Japan illegally, according to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau and Saitama Prefectural Police, who arrested him in November.