Visa overstayers facing deportation orders marched through Tokyo's Ginza district on Wednesday afternoon, pleading for permission to remain in a country that many have called home for decades.
Organized by nonprofit organization Asian People's Friendship Society (APFS), the parade featured about 70 of visa overstayers from countries such as the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran, as well as their families and supporters.
"We're deeply sorry that we broke Japan's rules," said one participant, a 45-year-old Filipino mother of two boys. "But for the sake of the future of our children, we beg the Japanese government to let us stay in Japan."