5,805 foreigners refused entry to Japan in 2016

March 25, 2017

Tokyo- The number of foreign visitors who were refused entry to Japan in 2016 rose 25.9 pct from the previous year to 5,805, the Justice Ministry said Friday. The figure surpassed 5,000 for the first time in eight years.

By nationality, 1,683 Indonesians were turned away, the largest group, up 86.8 pct after inflows of visitors from the country surged under a visa waiver program.

People from Indonesia who were refused entry to Japan soared some 40 times from 40 in 2014, when visa requirements were relaxed. “An increasing number of people tend to think they can easily enter Japan because of the visa waiver,” a ministry official said.

The Indonesia total was followed by the figure for Thailand, which came to 1,002, and Taiwan, at 579.

On reasons of refusal, 4,205 of those not allowed to enter the country, the largest number, were suspected of giving a false purpose of visit, such as sightseeing or short business trip, while they were planning to engage in work illegally in Japan.

The second most common reason was “denial of landing” under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, rejecting entry by people meeting certain conditions, including those deported from Japan in the past.

The ministry also released revised numbers of people who applied for refugee status in Japan in 2014, from Nepal, Myanmar and in the “elsewhere” category.

The number of applicants who came from Nepal were corrected from 1,293 to 1,291, Myanmar from 434 to 435, and elsewhere from 361 to 362. The revisions came after “a mistake was found in the calculation process,” a ministry official said. Jiji Press