Foreign detainees and migrants of Japan should be treated with equal respect inside and outside detentions ("Foreign detainees on hunger strike" May 13).
It is clear among these migrants that overstaying in Japan is unlawful, but the amount of torture that they suffer is simply inhumane. Foreign migrants have reportedly been detained for long lengths of time, some even more than two years, with or without proper trials and judgments.
Cases of illnesses and injuries happen among foreign detainees in detention, and these concerns are seemingly ignored by the government. Outside detention, they work and get jobs covertly because they are left with no other option. They do this to provide for their families and support their needs, and that should not be held against them.
These foreign migrants do not deserve to be detained, punished, tortured and prohibited from making a living just because they have overstayed in the country. Violations against these migrants' human rights are a very urgent concern, and should be addressed by the Japanese government at all costs.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.