The vice chairman of the Asahi City Council and three others have been arrested on suspicion of violating immigration laws for illegally employing Thai Nationals whose residency period had expired in Chiba Prefecture.
Yasuaki Endo (74), the vice chairman of Asahi City Council, along with three others, is suspected of hiring six Thai Nationals as farmworkers in Asahi City and Sosa City, despite their visas having expired.
According to the police, all four suspects have admitted to the charges. Endo stated, “There was a labor shortage, and we had no choice but to hire the six Thais who had overstayed their visas.”
The six Thai Nationals had entered Japan on short-term visas valid for 15 days but were employed for up to five and a half years. They were reportedly paid a daily wage of approximately 7,000 yen.
