Members of 12 Vietnamese families living in Japan were separated from other family members when the government deported them in February, according to Justice Ministry documents and information obtained by Kyodo News.
Among the affected Vietnamese is Hoang Van Hiep, a 52-year-old man recognized by the government as a refugee, who is now living alone with his Japanese-born 5-year-old son after his wife, 46-year-old Nguyen Thi Loan Phuong, was deported along with 46 other Vietnamese aboard a chartered plane.
According to the ministry, the deportation of the Vietnamese, aged between 8 and 49, took place on Feb. 8 on a flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport to Hanoi. They had stayed illegally in Japan for durations of up to 21 years and five months.