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Provisional Release: "A prison without walls" Pro

Provisional Release: "A prison without walls"

Provisional release (仮放免 • Karihoumen) is a system for detainees in Japanese immigration custody facilities to be released for a period of time under specific, restrictive conditions. Detainees apply for release on the basis of medical treatment and preparation for repatriation.

However, those who receive provisional release have no legal residency.
They are not permitted to work, ineligible for welfare schemes, and confront severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, effectively making it impossible for them to survive without the aid of charitable organisations.

Call for #JusticeForAsylumSeekers

Linked Sources:
(1) Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Link: https://www.isa.go.jp/en/applications/guide/tetuduki_taikyo_syuuyou.html
(2) Source: Dean, M. “Japan: Refugees and Asylum Seekers,” Writenet report commissioned by UNHCR, February 2006, Link: https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/43f4a4b94.pdf
(3) Source: Nippon.com (The Jiji Press, Ltd. — original publication), May 2020, Link: https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2020050100810/
(4) Source: Nippon.com, May 2021, Link: https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d00705/

Japan’s Immigration Services Agency (ISA) is res

Japan’s Immigration Services Agency (ISA) is responsible for keeping the country’s refugee acceptance rate at less than 1%—the lowest of any G7 nation.
Operating as an independent branch of the Ministry of Justice, the ISA detains asylum seekers indefinitely across Japan.

Join the call for structural change to the Immigration Services Agency. Call for #JusticeForAsylumSeekers

Linked Sources:
(1) “Japan accepts far fewer refugees than any other G7 country,” on Nippon.com, May 14, 2019, URL: https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00449/japan-accepts-far-fewer-refugees-than-g7-peers.html

(2) “Ex-Japan immigration officer queries 'black box' hiding policy on foreigners' rights (Pt 1)” in The Mainichi, May 8, 2021, URL: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210508/p2a/00m/0na/027000c

(3) Immigration Services Agency, Immigration and Residence Management Agency Materials submitted by Commissioner Miyazaki on November 25, 2019, at the 3rd meeting of the Expert Committee on Detention and Repatriation, Link: http://www.moj.go.jp/isa/policies/policies/nyuukokukanri03_00001.html

(4) Murakami, T., and Takeuchi, A. “Japan government draft revision to immigration law criticized for undervaluing human rights,” in The Mainichi, March 16, 2021, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210316/p2a/00m/0na/008000c

Image Credit: Getty Images / Aaftab Sheikh
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Part 2 of 2: During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games,

Part 2 of 2: During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games, Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya made news after pleading with Japanese airport police and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to let her stay in Japan just before she was due to return to Belarus.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya and Ko Pyae Lyan Aung's exceptional stories highlight the importance of protecting asylum seekers. Sadly, they are set apart from the more than 99% who remain unrecognised and unprotected.

In 2016, leaders of G7 countries gathered in Ise-Shima, Japan, and declared: "Individuals fleeing persecution should be granted effective protection in the first safe country they enter."

Join the call for just, timely and transparent immigration policies and practices in Japan.

Call for #JusticeForAsylumSeekers

*Krystsina Tsimanouskaya’s name appears with alternative spelling in The New York Times, as: Kristina Timanovskaya.

Linked Sources:
(1) Hornyak, T., “A Belarusian Olympic Athlete Found Protection in Japan. Most Refugees Do Not” in Time, 5 August, 2021, Link: https://time.com/6087639/belarus-athlete-olympics-refugees-japan/

(2) Panja, T., Motoko, R., “Belarusian Sprinter Who Feared for Her Safety Is Offered Asylum in Poland” in The New York Times, 2 August, 2021, Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/02/world/asia/belarus-olympics-kristina-timanovskaya.html

(3) Group of Seven, “G7 Ise-Shima Leaders’ Declaration,” at G7 Ise-Shima Summit, May 26, 2016, Link: https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000160266.pdf

Image Credit: Charly Triballeau via Getty Images
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Part 1 of 2: Myanmar-national footballer, Ko Pyae

Part 1 of 2: Myanmar-national footballer, Ko Pyae Lyan Aung, travelled to Japan with his team in May 2021, as part of the FIFA qualifiers. At the first match, Aung raised a three-fingered salute; a gesture of resistance in his home country.

His salute was an unmistakable sign of protest against Myanmar’s military coup, violently cracking down on dissidents. Fearing persecution, Aung pleaded with passport control officials for asylum ahead of his return flight in June, gambling between Japan’s immigration system and Myanmar’s military junta.

Most asylum seekers to Japan are not afforded the publicity to help their voices be heard.

Call for #JusticeForAsylumSeekers

Linked Sources:
(1) Dooley, B., Ueno, H. "In Rare Move, Japan Grants Asylum to Soccer Player From Myanmar" in The New York Times, 20 August, 2021, Link: nytimes.com/2021/08/20/world/asia/japan-soccer-player-myanmar-asylum.html

(2) Japan Refugee Application, Recognition and Appeal Data, from 1982 to 2011, published by Japan Lawyers Network for Refugees, Link: http://www.jlnr.jp/stat/2011/stat_2011_01.pdf [Accessed: 11 April, 2021]

(3) “Japan accepts far fewer refugees than any other G7 country,” on Nippon.com, 14 May, 2019, Link: https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00449/japan-accepts-far-fewer-refugees-than-g7-peers.html

Image Credit: NHK World
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Part 2 of 2: It had been one year since Relindis M

Part 2 of 2: It had been one year since Relindis Mai Ekei had first told a visitor that she was “worried about a lump” in her breast that immigration officials released her from detention. Mai was later diagnosed with breast cancer.

Without legal residency, Mai could not work or access health insurance. As Mai underwent radiation therapy, her supporters stepped in to cover the expenses.

Help bring attention to Mai’s story by sharing this post & tagging organisations like
@humanrightswatch.

Linked Sources:
(1) Uzuka, K., "Was Cameroonian woman's death hours before she received Japan residency avoidable? (Pt. 1)" in The Mainichi, 24 April, 2021, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210423/p2a/00m/0na/036000c

(2) Uzuka, K., "Was Cameroonian woman's death hours before she received Japan residency avoidable? (Pt. 2)" in The Mainichi, 25 April, 2021, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210423/p2a/00m/0na/024000c

(3) Uzuka, K., "Was Cameroonian woman's death hours before she received Japan residency avoidable? (Pt. 3)" in The Mainichi, 26 April, 2021, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210424/p2a/00m/0na/013000c

Image Credit: Mai's supporters via The Mainichi
Image Notice: image edited and used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Part 1 of 2: Relindis Mai Ekei was 26 when she fle

Part 1 of 2: Relindis Mai Ekei was 26 when she fled Cameroon for Japan in 2004 to “escape her violent fiancé and female genital mutilation.”

After repeatedly applying for asylum, two long detention terms and a period of homelessness, Mai passed away from breast cancer on January 23, 2021.

Help bring attention to Mai’s story by sharing this post & tagging organisations like
@humanrightswatch.

Linked Sources:
(1) Uzuka, K., "Was Cameroonian woman's death hours before she received Japan residency avoidable? (Pt. 1)" in The Mainichi, 24 April, 2021, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210423/p2a/00m/0na/036000c

(2) Japan Refugee Application, Recognition and Appeal Data, from 1982 to 2011, published by Japan Lawyers Network for Refugees, 2011, Link: http://www.jlnr.jp/stat/2011/stat_2011_01.pdf

(3) Immigration Services Agency, Immigration and Residence Management Agency　
Materials submitted by Commissioner Miyazaki on November 25, 2019, at the 3rd meeting of the Expert Committee on Detention and Repatriation, Link: http://www.moj.go.jp/isa/policies/policies/nyuukokukanri03_00001.html

(4) Uzuka, K., "Was Cameroonian woman's death hours before she received Japan residency avoidable? (Pt. 2)" in The Mainichi, 25 April, 2021, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210423/p2a/00m/0na/024000c

(5) Uzuka, K., "Was Cameroonian woman's death hours before she received Japan residency avoidable? (Pt. 3)" in The Mainichi, 26 April, 2021, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210424/p2a/00m/0na/013000c

Image Credit: Mainichi/Mai's supporter
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

"The death of a 33-year-old Sri Lankan migrant, tr

"The death of a 33-year-old Sri Lankan migrant, trapped in the bowels of Japan’s immigration
system, triggered national calls to reform the bureaucracy that allowed her to waste away in a detention center without proper medical treatment.

A government report on Tuesday detailed the missteps that contributed to the tragedy, including insufficient medical resources, communication failures and a lack of proper oversight. But activists and politicians said the proposed changes didn’t go far enough to address the fundamental failures in an immigration system they describe as opaque and capricious." — NYT, Aug 2021

Linked Sources:
(1) Dooley, B. and Ueno, H., "Japan Is Shaken After a Detainee, Wasting Away, Dies Alone in Her Cell," in The New york Times, 18 May, 2021, Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/world/asia/japan-refugee-wishma-rathnayake.html

(2) Ueno, H. and Dooley, B., "Her Death Shook Japan. It May Not Shift Refugee Rules," in The New York Times, 10 Aug, 2021, Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/world/asia/japan-immigration-refugee-wishma-rathnayake.html

(3) "Japan immigration admits to mistreatment of Sri Lankan before death," in Kyodo News, 10 Aug, 2021, Link: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/df059d28a7fd-probe-finds-immigration-center-mistreated-sri-lankan-before-her-death.html

(4) Fonseka, P., "Japanese Officials Ignore a Dying Woman’s Cries for Help," in The Daily Mirror, 20 May, 2021, Link: https://www.dailymirror.lk/news-features/Japanese-Officials-Ignore-a-Dying-Womans-Cries-for-Help/131-212323

(5) "Detained Sri Lankan "treated like a dog," says kin after seeing video," in Kyodo News, 12 Aug, 2021, Link: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/aa489cb32c24-detained-sri-lankan-treated-like-a-dog-says-kin-after-seeing-video.html

Image Credit: Mainichi/Kota Yoshida
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Tokyo 2020 has brought welcome attention to refuge

Tokyo 2020 has brought welcome attention to refugees as athletes. But what about refugees trying to lead normal lives in Japan? This is what happens in Japan when the world is not watching the #Olympics.
What you can do now: tag the @refugeeolympicteam, human rights organisations—like @humanrightswatch, @refugees and others—to bring attention to this injustice.

Linked Sources:
(1) "Amnesty International Calls on Japan to Set Detention Limits for Foreigners," in The Japan Times, 10 December 2020, Link: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/12/10/national/amnesty-japan-detention-limits-foreigners/

Image Credit: Getty Images via News24
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Asylum seekers are treated as prisoners and depriv

Asylum seekers are treated as prisoners and deprived of their human rights.
What you can do now: tag human rights organisations—@humanrightswatch and others—to bring attention to this injustice.

Sources:
(1) UN Committee against Torture, “Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Japan, adopted by the Committee at its fiftieth session (6-31 May 2013),” on docstore.ohchr.org, 28 June 2013

Image Credit: Mainichi/Jun Ida
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Physical abuse and denying access to medical care

Physical abuse and denying access to medical care are common in Japanese immigration detention centres.
What you can do now: tag human rights organisations—@humanrightswatch and others—to bring attention to this injustice.

Linked Sources:
(1) Ida, J., “Japan’s hidden darkness: Deaths, inhumane treatment rife at immigration centers,” in The Mainichi, 9 July 2019, Link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190709/p2a/00m/0fe/012000c

(2) Kishitsu, R., “Sri Lankan woman dies in detention, wrote about her hunger,” in The Asahi Shimbun, 15 March, 2021, Link: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14270044

Image Credit: Reuters via Nikkei Asia
Image Notice: image used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended.

Non-refoulement (forbidding the forcible deportati

Non-refoulement (forbidding the forcible deportation of someone to a country in which they are subject to persecution) is a fundamental principle of international law, and enshrined in Article 33 of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Yet, many asylum seekers in Japan are faced with the threat of refoulement every year. Such deportation attempts are, in some cases, violent and reckless—leaving asylum seekers requiring medical attention.

Speak up against these human rights abuses and help put an end to the injustice confronting asylum seekers in Japan.

Being #StrongerTogether means standing in solidari

Being #StrongerTogether means standing in solidarity with those facing injustice and prejudice—using your platform to uplift the voices that are often marginalised and silenced.

We call upon athletes who compete in the @Olympics and @Paralympics to speak out against Japan's unjust immigration system.

While we celebrate the milestones of refugee visib

While we celebrate the milestones of refugee visibility at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we must implore the IOC @refugeeolympicteam and the IPC Refugee Paralympic Team to speak out against the #injustice that thousands of asylum seekers face in Japan.

Spread #hope and stand in solidarity with asylum seekers in Japan to make our voices #StrongerTogether.

“This is a fight between me and immigration. No

“This is a fight between me and immigration. No one knows who’ll win.”

「今ファイト私と入管のファイト誰が勝つか分かんないよ。」

“Well, I still thank God for my life today becau

“Well, I still thank God for my life today because some of my friends are no more.”

「でも多くの友達は政情のせいで死んだので…」

“We're just like cockroaches.”

「僕らはゴキブリ同然。」

“I’m still new, just two years in here.”

「でも僕はまだ新米入ってから 2年しか経ってない。」

Between 2010 and 2020, Japan accepted just 0.4% of

Between 2010 and 2020, Japan accepted just 0.4% of refugee applicants—far fewer than any other G7 country. In contrast to the 44 refugees that Japan recognised in 2019, Germany recognised 53,973 (with a 25.9% recognition rate), the US recognised 44,614 (29.6%), France recognised 30,051 (18.5%), and Canada recognised 27,168 (55.7%).

Most asylum seekers in Japan face indefinite, long-term detention; the threat of refoulement; or a ban on work, public health insurance and freedom of movement on provisional release.

Join the mission to spread awareness of the injustices against asylum seekers in Japan. Call for #JusticeForAsylumSeekers

Source: https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00991/

“Now I'm feeling the pains inside my body, what

“Now I'm feeling the pains inside my body, what they did to me.”

「押さえつけられたからからだ中が痛くて。」

“We put our heads together, like this. And she s

“We put our heads together, like this. And she says, ‘Deniz, come home soon.’”

「奥さん近寄って2人で頭くっつけて一緒に『ああデニズ早く帰ってきて。』」

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牛久市にある東日本入国管理センターに収容された難民申請者が、隠しカメラに向けてその実態を語る。

Seeking asylum in Japan, detainees at the infamous Ushiku immigration centre speak out in secretly recorded interviews.

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