Crime Saitama launches foreign volunteer cyber patrol

Saitama Prefecture has taken an innovative step to address the growing foreign population by establishing Japan's first online volunteer group. The group comprises foreigners tasked with combating visa overstays, foreign-related crimes, and other issues. The new cyber patrol is a direct response to the increasing number of foreign residents supporting the nation's workforce. As the group embarks on its mission, questions arise about this pioneering online force's specific roles and responsibilities.

The Foreign Residents Cyber Volunteer (在留外国人によるサイバーボランティア, or フォーシブ, short for FRCV) group consists of Saitama-based language students of mainly Vietnamese nationality. There are plans to expand membership and offer outreach in more languages. The group patrols Facebook and other social media, looking for and reporting sales and purchases of bank cards and accounts, among other things.

Over a test period from July 2023 to June 2024 leading up to the group's creation, reportedly some 80% of the 97 posts to which warnings were sent were removed, and new posts containing illegal information fell. A division representative commented, "There are usages and meanings of words that can be understood because they (the team members) are native Vietnamese speakers. It's reassuring to know they can help us." At a July 19 ceremony to mark the group's inauguration at the department's headquarters, criminal affairs division head Hirotake Sugatani remarked, "We pray that through our efforts, a society of coexistence will be established in which foreign residents can live safely and securely."

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