Crime & Courts

Japanese Man Living in Iraq Suspected of Illegally Entering U.S. Base Using Counterfeit ID

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:33 JST, February 19, 2026

Kanagawa prefectural police are building a case against a Japanese businessman based in Iraq on suspicion of entering a U.S. base using a counterfeit ID, it has been learned.

The man, who is in his 40s, lives in Iraq and works at a major trading house. As he is scheduled to return to Iraq on Thursday, police have requested the man be questioned on a voluntary basis, according to investigation sources.

The man is suspected of entering the U.S. Naval Base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in October last year using a fake ID, thus violating the special criminal law that prohibits unauthorized entry to areas used by U.S. forces in Japan.

The allegations emerged after the man rented a car on the base but was found to have committed a traffic violation while driving outside the area, according to the sources.