Immigration authorities on Friday gave the wife of a Myanmar refugee living in Nagoya permission to enter the country, reversing a previous decision, support group members said.
The Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau effectively admitted it made an error in its rejection of the application in April, when it questioned the man's marital status, and said it reversed the decision based on new documentation.
The local immigration bureau issued necessary papers to the 40-year-old refugee so that his his 29-year-old wife can come into the country from Thailand. He plans to go there and bring her back.
He expressed satisfaction with the decision, saying, "I want to go to Thailand to meet my wife soon."
The man arrived in Japan in 1993 and filed for refugee status on the grounds he could be tortured by the military regime in Myanmar as he took part in a democratization movement there.
He was recognized as a refugee in July 2001. Later, he married a Myanmar woman in Thailand and applied for necessary documentation to allow her entry into Japan, but was rejected.
The man asked the immigration bureau to review the decision, saying his wife is expecting a baby in November and would soon not be able to travel.
The Justice Ministry allows family members of refugees entry into Japan.