Ibaraki to pay ¥10,000 for tips on illegal foreign workers
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Ibaraki Prefecture plans to pay informants approximately 10,000 yen (S$81) for tips leading to the arrest of businesses hiring illegal foreign workers, with the system set to launch in fiscal 2026.
- Governor Kazuhiko Oigawa defended the policy as "a fundamental responsibility" of local government, insisting it is "totally different from the exclusion of foreigners" and necessary for foreigners to be "active participants" in the community.
- Ibaraki Prefecture reported the highest number of illegal foreign workers among Japan's 47 prefectures for the fourth consecutive year, which the governor cited as justification for the reward approach.
- The Ibaraki Bar Association urged the prefectural government to scrap the plan in a March statement, warning it would "make citizens view foreign workers with suspicion," "reinforce unfair prejudices," and "cause discrimination and divisions."
- A civic group supporting foreigners at the Ushiku detention centre in southern Ibaraki and the pro-Seoul Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) have also called for the proposal to be retracted.
Why it matters: The reward scheme turns public reporting into a paid civic function, which the Ibaraki Bar Association warns will "reinforce unfair prejudices" against foreign workers. With Ibaraki topping Japan's prefectures for illegal foreign worker reports for four straight years, the fiscal 2026 launch makes it a national test case for monetized enforcement tips.
