JAPAN POLICE ARRESTED 15 CHINESE FOR BOGUS FOREIGN RESIDENT CARDS WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE OBTAINED THE SAME ONLINE BY PAYING 30000-50000 YUAN AND THIS CARD IS ISSUED BY THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT TO THOSE WHO WANT TO STAY MORE THAN THREE MONTHS IN COUNTRY Police have arrested 15 Chinese men on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law by falsifying foreign resident cards, sources said Friday. Twelve of the cards were forgeries of the permanent resident type of card. The Metropolitan Police Department is on alert for such falsified cards, which could enable foreigners to pose as permanent residents with no restrictions on periods of stay or work in the country. Foreign resident cards are issued by the Immigration Bureau to foreign nationals who will stay in Japan for more than three months. The cards were introduced in July last year to replace alien registration cards. In the past, both immigration authorities and local governments supervised procedures concerning foreign residents. The immigration authorities oversaw the entry and departure of foreign nationals along with their duration of stay. Local governments issued alien registration cards and handled registration of foreigners’ residences. The system was revised to clarify the status of foreign residents and to facilitate administrative services for them. The revision was also intended to reduce the number of foreigners in the country illegally. Additional falsified foreign resident cards have been found in Aichi, Gifu and Osaka prefectures. The National Police Agency will look into the situation, fearing that similar cases are proliferating nationwide. According to the police sources, the 15 Chinese nationals arrested by the MPD were aged 22 to 36. Police said they found the falsified cards in their possession when officers questioned them in busy districts or when immigration authorities searched their residences or other facilities. The falsified cards are made of plastic and are the same size as genuine ones. Some were highly precise, featuring the same holograms imprinted on authentic cards to prevent falsification. Eight of the arrested men told police they obtained the cards via online chat sites in China and had paid about 30,000 yen to 50,000 yen. Ten of the 15 had overstayed their visas after entering Japan as tourists or for other purposes, but the other five had legitimate resident statuses such as foreign students or job trainees. Many of the arrested men told police they wanted permanent resident status to live indefinitely in Japan. Foreigners with permanent resident status can stay in the country as long as they like and have no controls on the kinds of jobs they can get or hours they can work, and are eligible to receive public services such as welfare benefits. A 26-year-old carpentry worker who was arrested in April reportedly told police, “When I showed the card to the person responsible for a work site, I could do my work unnoticed.” Another arrested man said, “I used the card as identification to rent an apartment.”Therefore, the number of foreign permanent residents has been on the rise. As of the end of 2012, the number was about 628,000.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 06:13:52 +0000
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