Kilic Metin came to Japan in 1997 after fleeing Turkey, where the 48-year-old Kurd felt his life was in danger after he was suspected of having ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, labeled by his government as a terrorist organization. But authorities in Japan have rejected his request for asylum five times.
As Japan beefs up security ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, more people who are staying in the country illegally have been put back in detention centers after being conditionally released, government data has shown.
Over a recent five-year period, the number of overstayers jumped fourfold, partly because some released individuals violated a prohibition on working. But their supporters call the treatment inhumane given that many of them are asylum seekers who cannot live without a job.