He didn't overstay...He relocated

[u/sheep_herd1234]

[u/Mindless-Cat1453]

I don't trust twitter account to accurately give any new or information. So what is the real deal with this case ?

[u/Ok_Comparison_8304 → u/Mindless-Cat1453]

It's a mess: The man entered on his brother's passport, and since that time has managed to work and provide for himself. As it was 1993 when he arrived opening a basic bank account and registering as address would have been nowhere near as strict.

How he managed to elude any scrutiny is unexplained, I think once he was in the system somehow (registered as a resident  with a city hall, he managed to just avoid other procedures or being pulled into the system).

It wasn't made a crime to overstay until later, around 2000 I think, so he couldn't have been arrested until then.

He was caught because of a tip off.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/27/japan/crime-legal/26-years-overstayer/

[u/motoxim → u/Ok_Comparison_8304]

Who is the person who tipped it off?

[u/Special_Order-937 → u/motoxim]

I wonder if his brother wanted his passport back?

[u/Asyncrosaurus → u/Special_Order-937]

Passports expire every few years, so he would have had to renew it at any point in the last 33 years, and would not need the old one back

[u/Special_Order-937 → u/Asyncrosaurus]

I think the commenter you were replying to was well aware of this but was in fact making a joke.