Cabinet Approves 226 More Immigration Officers to Crack Down on Overstayers and Speed Up Residency Screening, Justice Minister Announces
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At a cabinet meeting on July 28, 2026, the government approved an amended cabinet order to urgently strengthen the Immigration Services Agency's staffing. The increase totals 226 positions—176 immigration inspectors and 50 immigration control officers—as announced by Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi at a press conference. The new staff are expected to be assigned mainly to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau, along with a total of eight regional bureaus and three branch offices nationwide.
Minister Hiraguchi said the new hires, expected to include former Self-Defense Forces personnel and former police officers, "can become immediately effective." The stated goals of the increase are to strengthen crackdowns on visa overstayers—who numbered approximately 70,000 as of January 2026—as well as to bolster on-the-ground investigations into illegal employment and other matters difficult to detect through documentary review alone, and to speed up residency screening.
Current status: Following approval of the amended cabinet order, specific staff assignments and operational details are expected to proceed. This article will be updated as further information becomes available on the effects of the increase and how it is implemented in the field.
This move formalizes, through the official cabinet approval process, the plan for "roughly 230 additional immigration staff" that had been outlined at a July 24 meeting of relevant cabinet ministers (related coverage), with the final figure set at 226. It fits within a broader series of measures to strengthen immigration policy, including the "Zero Illegal Overstayers Plan – Intensive Promotion Package" (related coverage) and enhanced efforts to persuade deportees to comply (related coverage).