Do they check overseas records?
Nobody knows exactly how thorough they are and the exact procedures that the Ministry of Justice uses to confirm the information regarding your finances, life history, criminal history, work history, and educational history. For obvious reasons, it's in their best interest to keep their methods non-public. There are some things one can induce — especially from the fact that some institutions are required to inform you (depending on the country you're from) if someone — be it government or non-government — looks into your record (for example, a United States credit check). It's reasonable to assume that the domestic (Japanese) checks would be quite thorough as officials would know what certifications are like and could easily communicate during work hours in a language using procedures and forms they're comfortable with. With foreign countries, it's not so easy. Most foreign countries, with the exception of things like the INTERPOL database and the Schenge...