Sitting in a dimly lit room at a training school for juvenile delinquents in Tokyo, an 18-year-old Brazilian-Japanese boy reflects on his misdeeds.
Though he ended up at the reformatory about a year ago for groping a woman, the deeper story of his detention can be traced to problems in childhood adjusting to Japanese society.
Brought to Japan at the age of 5 by his divorced mother, who was seeking work, his inability to speak the language well, he recalls, made him the target of bullying at school. Not surprisingly, he gravitated toward fellow Brazilians in situations similar to his own.