{
  "id": 17019623,
  "title": "Company executives and Chinese national held over visa fraud",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/company-executives-and-chinese-national-held-over-visa-fraud",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-29T06:24:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/29/japan/crime-legal/residency-fraud-rich-chinese/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tokyo police have arrested three individuals in connection with a visa fraud scheme targeting highly skilled professionals. According to police, Hotei Aizawa, a 39-year-old company executive, is accused of fraudulently applying for visas for 30 to 40 Chinese nationals over several years. Each of these individuals was charged $600,000, with Aizawa keeping $450,000 for himself. The other two suspects, Emi Makino, a 45-year-old company executive, and Zhuang Yi, a 57-year-old Chinese national whose occupation is unknown, are also in police custody. The trio is believed to have conspired to have Zhuang enter Japan under a highly skilled professional visa in December 2025. They falsely indicated on Zhuang's visa application that he held a Master of Business Administration degree, and Makino claimed he would be working for her company. Aizawa allegedly assured Zhuang that he could help him obtain permanent residency in Japan, leading to the Chinese national paying Aizawa $600,000. While typically requiring a decade of residence in Japan, the path to permanent residency can be expedited for those with a highly skilled worker visa. Makino stated that Aizawa managed all of Zhuang's paperwork and processing. Police previously arrested Aizawa in June on suspicion of illegally bringing a babysitter into the country for rich Chinese nationals. This case came to light following further investigations.",
  "summary": "One of the executives is believed to have submitted fraudulent applications for visas for between 30 and 40 Chinese nationals beginning in 2020.",
  "key_points": [
    "Hotei Aizawa, 39, accused of visa fraud for 30-40 Chinese nationals",
    "Emi Makino, 45, and Zhuang Yi, 57, arrested in visa fraud scheme",
    "Zhuang Yi falsely claimed MBA degree to obtain Japanese visa"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The exploitation of expedited residency pathways through falsified professional credentials highlights how systemic vulnerabilities in the highly skilled visa process can be leveraged for large-scale financial gain.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}