YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A Philippine national who carried a fake Department of Defense identification card and remained in Japan for five years was arrested in May for overstaying his visa, Kanagawa Prefectural Police said Tuesday.

A man identified by police as Sipin Joseph Jr. Hanopol, 30, said he obtained the fake DOD identification card from his mother around 2006, when she was a Navy dependent, Japanese police said.

The mother was married to a first class petty officer, Japanese police said.

The police declined to name the mother or the sailor.

The sailor has since retired and both the mother and sailor have been in the United States since 2006, Japanese police said.

Hanopol is in jail pending a decision by prosecutors on whether to try him or recommend deportation.

Hanopol told police his mother sent him the fake identification card while she was visiting the Philippines.

He had entered Japan on a short-term visa and was denied a dependent identification card because he was too old, Japanese police said.

Children of identification card holders are not eligible for their own card past their 21st birthday, or their 23rd birthday if they are in college, a U.S. Naval Forces Japan spokesman said Tuesday.

U.S. Naval Forces Japan referred all other queries to the Japanese police.

Hanopol was questioned by police on an unrelated matter when he was arrested for overstaying his visa.

He said he had visited Yokosuka Naval Base, but it was unclear whether he used the fake identification card to gain entry, police said.

Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this story.