Japan's National Police Agency is considering introducing undercover investigations from next year into "dark part-time work" such as thefts and fraud performed by people often recruited online, sources close to the matter said Friday.

Known as yami baito, the illicit work has become a social issue due to many cases across the country in which it has been linked to burglaries allegedly carried out by individuals recruited via social media enticed with promises of lucrative part-time work.

It would be the first time Japanese police have employed an undercover operation in their investigation of crimes other than drug trafficking, according to the sources.

On Thursday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's cybercrime committee proposed undercover investigations to tackle the issue while pointing out that preparing fake identifications to apply for the jobs may be illegal, and the government should establish guidelines to address such concerns.

The NPA believes that creating fake IDs for undercover operations would be justifiable and is consulting with relevant ministries to clear legal issues.

The LDP's committee also proposed that messaging apps require account owners to provide official identification, and companies that do not comply should be prohibited from operating.

For internet service providers, the committee proposed a system in which illegal or harmful online posts are mandatorily deleted. It says foreign companies must set up a local office to make smooth information sharing possible.

It also demanded job sites conduct stringent checks before posting ads to prevent cases in which people apply without realizing a role requires illegal work.