In June 2000, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman was deported from Japan for overstaying his visa. Shortly after he was forced back to his native Bangladesh, his Japanese girlfriend joined him and they married.
But their happy life together didn't last long. His wife, Yoshiko, fell ill and returned to Japan, where she was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer in April.
Because immigration law prohibits a deportee from returning to Japan for five years, Rahman had to remain in Bangladesh. He repeatedly begged the Japanese government for a visa so he could be with his wife, only to be told to wait four months for a decision.