TOKYO(The COW News Digital) Japanese police have arrested a 72-year-old South Korean national who managed to evade immigration authorities and live undetected in the country for nearly 33 years after overstaying a 15-day tourist visa.
Immigration and law enforcement officers apprehended the suspect, identified as Moon Jong-gi, on August 26, 2026, in Yaizu City, located within the Shizuoka Prefecture. The arrest followed a discreet investigation launched by local police in June 2026 after authorities received an anonymous tip-off regarding an undocumented foreign resident living in the region.
According to investigative reports, Moon arrived in Japan in September 1993 using his younger brother’s passport to seek employment and higher earnings. Granted an initial short-term stay of just 15 days, he chose not to return home to South Korea upon the visa’s expiration, choosing instead to blend into the local community using unverified identities.
Moon reportedly confessed to all charges during initial police questioning. Authorities disclosed that he sustained himself over three decades by working daily-wage construction and temporary manual labor jobs, avoiding formal banking systems and registered employment contracts to dodge law enforcement detection.
While Japanese immigration authorities continue to investigate how Moon maintained undetected shelter and sustenance for over three decades, prosecutors are currently framing criminal charges focused on his illegal residency status spanning the past 26 years.
