The Justice Ministry Immigration Bureau said Friday it will allow a 46-year-old Myanmarese asylum-seeker to continue to live with his family, with his provisional release from a detention facility for visaless foreigners having expired the same day.
The bureau released Khin Maung Latt immediately after he submitted himself Friday to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward.
Khin Maung Latt lives with his Filipino wife and two daughters, both born in Japan, at their home in Ota Ward. He voiced relief that he would not be returning to custody, although he stated that his period in limbo has imposed a huge psychological and financial burden on the family. Since his release in December, he has been banned from taking any jobs while on probation. His probation will again expire in mid-February.
In a top-down decision Dec. 19, Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa temporarily released Khin Maung Latt after keeping him in custody for 50 days, citing humanitarian concerns over his two daughters.
But the minister said the ministry will proceed with deportation procedures for the family, in keeping with earlier court rulings that rejected Khin Maung Latt's application for residency status.
The Myanmarese democracy activist has lived in Japan with his wife for more than a decade without a legitimate visa, and is seeking Supreme Court approval to stay.