With bills to revise the immigration law expected to clear the current Diet session, the Immigration Bureau aims to get a clearer picture of the facts surrounding foreigners who overstay their visas, a bureau official said.

"As the current laws stand, it is difficult to grasp the precise situations of foreign residents," Immigration Bureau General Affairs Division official Kazuyuki Motohari told The Japan Times.

The bills will let the justice minister, who oversees the bureau, consolidate personal information on foreign residents, including name, address and duration of visa. Such information is currently managed by municipalities that have no authority to crack down on overstayers.