Japan will add 226 employees to its immigration agency in an emergency staffing increase aimed at speeding up residency reviews and cracking down against individuals who overstay their visas, it was revealed Tuesday.

The Cabinet approved a revision to an ordinance governing staffing levels at government agencies, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi told a news conference.

The increase will take effect this Friday, with recruitment carried out during the current fiscal year.

The Immigration Services Agency will add 176 immigration inspectors, who review applications for residency status, and 50 immigration control officers responsible for investigating, apprehending and deporting people without legal residency status and visa overstayers.

The agency employed 6,499 people in fiscal 2025, including 3,988 immigration inspectors and 1,687 immigration control officers.

Many of the new employees are expected to be assigned to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau. Their duties will also include investigating illegal employment.

Japan has sought to reinforce the capabilities of immigration authorities as Japan’s foreign population rises and the government boosts measures against unlawful residency. Japan had 68,488 people known to be overstaying their visas as of January following two consecutive years of decline, according to agency data.

Hiraguchi said the government was considering candidates from a broad range of professional backgrounds, including former public servants and private-sector employees. Retired Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel could also be recruited.

“Former Self-Defense Forces personnel and others with experience in public service can be valuable assets to the Immigration Services Agency,” Hiraguchi said, noting that many SDF personnel retire at a younger age than other civil servants.

The staffing increase follows instructions issued Friday by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara for the agency to urgently strengthen its capacity as part of the government’s efforts to manage foreign residency and promote what it calls “harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.”