A South Korean tourist grew so fond of Japan that he decided to stay far longer than his visa allowed, and turned that stay into an unofficial, decades-long life in the country.
The man, 72 years old at the time of his arrest, had been living in Japan for more than 26 years, according to Japan Today, reported Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
How It All Started
According to police, the man entered Japan using his brother’s passport in September 1993, on a 15-day tourist visa.
Shizuoka Prefectural Police announced on August 26 that the man had illegally entered Japan and had continuously resided in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, ever since. Police first received information about the man in June.
Three Decades of Living Under a False Identity
For more than three decades, the man managed to evade authorities by adopting a Japanese alias, Shoici Morita, and taking on odd jobs to get by.
Although he had actually been living in Japan for nearly 33 years, he was formally charged with a 26-year overstay. That’s because overstaying a visa wasn’t classified as a punishable criminal offense in Japan until a revised immigration law took effect in February 2000, police calculated his illegal stay starting from that revision date rather than his actual arrival.
Following his detention, the suspect reportedly fully admitted to the immigration violations he committed.
Overstay Numbers Have Dropped Sharply Since the ’90s
According to Japan’s Ministry of Justice, there were 68,488 people overstaying their visas in Japan as of January 2026, significantly lower than 1993, when visa overstays peaked at 298,646 people.
What Actually Happens If You Overstay a Visa in Japan
Based on official guidelines from Japan’s Immigration Services Agency, tourists who overstay their permitted stay face fairly strict consequences:
Detention and Deportation, Violators are typically held at an immigration facility before being formally deported back to their home country.
Re-entry Ban, Standard violators face a 5-year ban on re-entering Japan. If someone is formally deported through a court order (rather than voluntarily departing through the departure order system), that ban can extend to 10 years, or even become permanent in severe cases involving identity fraud.
Criminal Penalties, For serious cases or uncooperative offenders, Japan’s legal system can impose criminal fines of up to 3 million yen (approximately Rp 332 million) or prison sentences of up to 3 years.
What This Means for Travelers to Japan
This case is an extreme outlier, but it’s a useful reminder of just how seriously Japan treats visa overstays, regardless of how long ago the violation occurred or how well someone manages to blend into daily life. If you’re traveling to Japan on a tourist visa, keeping close track of your permitted stay duration isn’t just a formality, the consequences for overstaying, even briefly, can include re-entry bans, fines, and in serious cases, criminal prosecution.
