Seven Afghan men seeking asylum in Japan are again facing the possibility of detention after the Tokyo High Court earlier this month nullified a lower court decision to release them.
It would be the third detention for four of the men and the second for the rest. All are currently under provisional release, and it is unknown when a new detention might begin.
A re-detention would likely draw criticism both domestically and internationally. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and a number of human-rights watchdogs have expressed concern over the Japanese government's treatment of the detainees since last year.