KUALA LUMPUR - Police in Osaka have arrested a Japanese administrative scrivener over allegations that he filed false visa applications to help Vietnamese nationals fraudulently obtain residence status in Japan.

Osaka Prefectural Police announced the arrest of a man in his 50s from Miyagi Prefecture, last Thursday.

The suspect, an administrative scrivener, was arrested last Wednesday on suspicion of forging and using private documents bearing official seals to obtain residence status under false pretences.

According to police, the suspect handled the visa application process at the broker's request and listed the name of an existing company where the applicants were not scheduled to work. He reportedly received about 100,000 yen per applicant.

More than 50 Vietnamese nationals entered Japan through similar applications allegedly filed by the suspect.

The International Investigation Division said the alleged offences took place in May and June 2024, when the suspect submitted online residence applications for four Vietnamese men in their 20s. 

The applications falsely named a metal-processing company in Osaka Prefecture as the employer and were transmitted to the Immigration Services Agency.

Police believe the suspect used the name of a company with a proven record of accepting foreign workers to increase the chances of approval. 

The metal-pressing company had previously employed several Vietnamese nationals under the (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services) visa category.

After entering Japan, the Vietnamese nationals reportedly worked for a different company in automotive parts development.

The case came to light after the metal-processing company named in the applications was contacted by local intermediaries in Vietnam about the employment of the four men, raising suspicions and prompting the company to consult the Immigration Services Agency. 

The four men later had their residence status revoked and voluntarily returned to Vietnam, police said.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, similar cases involving the engineer visa category have been reported, including instances in which visa holders engaged in unskilled labor prohibited under their residence status.

In one such case, Kyoto Prefectural Police arrested an executive of a construction company in January 2023 on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. 

The executive was accused of allowing Vietnamese nationals holding the (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services) visa to work in construction, which is prohibited under the visa conditions.

Experts say these cases are a growing tendency among labor-strapped domestic companies to seek foreign workers for unskilled labor. 

While such work is allowed under the Specified Skilled Worker or Technical Intern Training programmes, the former requires passing Japanese-language examinations, while the latter obliges employers to prepare individual training plans and undergo supervision by third-party organisations.

 According to multiple experts, the (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services) visa does not require a Japanese-language test or special employer supervision, making it highly sought after, and vulnerable to abuse.