The Tokyo Immigration Bureau kept two foreign men in custody far beyond the detention term limit of 30 days because their cases were forgotten about, bureau officials said Friday.
The two, held on suspicion of immigration law violations, have now been released. However, the bureau will now deport them, the officials said.
One, a 20-year-old Turkish man, was detained March 12 and was freed Thursday only because the bureau forgot to take the necessary procedures to extend his term.
The other is a 34-year-old Vietnamese man who was detained in April. He also was released Thursday.
The bureau discovered the mismanagement of the Turkish man's case on Wednesday, and checked for similar cases. It found that the Vietnamese man had been forgotten as well.
The bureau will deport them rather than detain them again, the officials said.
"We regret very much that proper procedures were not taken," an official said. "We will investigate as many facts as possible about the misconduct."