A 34-year-old Chinese woman indicted on charges of violating the immigration law suffered a miscarriage at the detention facility, it was learned May 1.
The woman, who appeared May 1 before the Tokyo District Court for the first hearing in her trial for overstaying her visa, said she complained of a sharp abdominal pain while at the Tokyo Detention House but was not allowed to see a doctor. She plans to file a damages suit against the government, claiming mistreatment by the facility.
According to her testimony at the hearing, the woman, whose name was not provided, was arrested March 3 for allegedly overstaying her visa. She was detained in a facility at the Metropolitan Police Department, where it was discovered she was pregnant.
The woman was transferred to the detention house April 2. Soon afterward, she was given an intravenous drip because she was unable to eat, she said. She later needed further medical treatment that was not available until April 22, when she was told she had suffered a miscarriage.
"I complained at the detention house that I had severe abdominal pain, but a nurse only said, 'that's because you sleep too much.'" Shinichi Shoji at the Tokyo Detention House said the woman never made a complaint. The matter is being investigated. Further information regarding the case was not available.