The Foreign Ministry on Thursday reminded travel agencies and Japanese nationals traveling abroad to be mindful of their passports, citing the growing incidence of lost or stolen passports being used illegally.

Eighty-two cases of illegal use involving 169 Japanese passports have been tallied in the first half of this year, compared with 124 cases in all of last year, the ministry said.

The passports, often with their names or photos altered, are used by others for purposes such as entering the United States, the ministry said.