KUALA LUMPUR - Aichi Prefectural Police arrested a 36 year old Chinese national living in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act by forging residence cards on February 24.

Investigators believe the suspect forged approximately 200 documents since May last year, including residence cards for Chinese and Vietnamese nationals as well as Japanese driver’s licenses.

According to police, the man allegedly used his home computer and printer on February 3 to produce a fake residence card. 

Authorities seized large quantities of plastic cards believed to have been used in the operation. 

Forged data for driver’s licenses and My Number cards was also found on his smartphone.

The suspect came to light during an investigation into an online site where another man, who was convicted in 2024 of using a forged driver’s license during a traffic violation, had purchased fake identification.

Police believe the suspect received source image data from an unidentified director and printed the counterfeit cards onto plastic blanks at home, selling them for about 3,000 yen to 5,000 yen each. 

Most shipments were reportedly sent to destinations in the Kanto region, including Tokyo.

As Japan moves to expand the acceptance of foreign workers, maintaining the credibility of its residency management system is becoming increasingly important, underscoring the need for stronger countermeasures against document forgery and enhanced monitoring.