Police have discovered the first known case of forgery involving the new residence cards that foreigners started to be issued in July, investigative sources said.
The fake residence cards were found on a Chinese man arrested by the Gifu Prefectural Police in October for allegedly being in the country illegally, the sources said Tuesday. He is likely to be charged with possession of forged identity cards, they said.
The new registration system for foreigners staying in the country more than 90 days replaced a 60-year-old system based on alien registration cards. The new card contains an IC chip that stores the individual's personal data.
The police have not revealed how the fake cards were made. According to the sources, the bogus cards were hard to distinguish from authentic ones.
After receiving a tip from Nagoya immigration authorities, the Gifu police arrested the suspect in Mizuho on suspicion of being in the country illegally and confiscated various items, including two forged residence cards bearing his name and a driver's license, the sources said.
Thai flood visas end
KyodoThe Justice Ministry said Wednesday it will stop accepting visa applications from Thais employed by Japanese manufacturers that were forced to suspend their operations in Thailand amid last year's massive floods.
The ministry's Immigration Bureau said a combined 5,342 Thai workers entered Japan by taking advantage of the special visa offer associated with the floods between November 2011 and September 2012.
Most of the Thais have returned home as operations at the Thai factories have returned to normal.