Immigration Agency to Use Deportees' 'Regrets' to Persuade Overstayers to Leave, Considers Reviving Charter Flight Deportations
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The Immigration Services Agency has outlined a policy of using the regrets voiced by deported foreign nationals — comments such as "I wish I had gone home sooner" and "I wish they had pushed me harder to leave" — to encourage overstayers still in Japan to depart voluntarily. As part of a reinforced "Zero Illegal Overstayers Plan," the agency is also considering incentives for those who leave voluntarily, such as shortening the waiting period before they can re-enter Japan.
The agency is also weighing whether to resume group deportations via chartered aircraft. Charter-flight deportations have been used before as a cost-efficient method, and the move appears linked to the policy of doubling government-funded deportations accompanied by escort officers (related coverage).
As of January 2026, an estimated 68,000 people were living in Japan illegally, and the initiative is positioned as one of the concrete measures under the "Strong Promotion Package," which aims to halve that number by the end of 2030 (related coverage). The approach appears designed to encourage voluntary departures through a combination of psychological persuasion and physical deportation measures.