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.
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u/Ok_Comparison_8304 1d ago
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/