A controversial bill to overhaul immigration rules and curb the long-term detention of asylum-seekers passed a key Upper House committee on Thursday — despite a boisterous opposition that nearly descended into chaos — paving the way for its approval during the plenary session on Friday.
Lawmakers of the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party voted in favor of the bill, as well as two opposition parties, the Democratic Party for the People and Nippon Ishin no Kai.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) opposed the bill, on the grounds that it fails to protect the rights of asylum-seekers and doesn't improve the current treatment of detainees in immigration facilities.
The bill has drawn considerable attention in the political hub of Nagatacho as left-wing opposition forces launched an extensive campaign to block the approval of the bill during the ongoing session of parliament.
The atmosphere appeared unusually tense even before the debate started Thursday, as Lower House lawmakers from the CDP and other opposition parties gathered in the hallway to attend the debates and assert their strong opposition to the bill.
After initial deliberations among leading members of the committee, a handful of opposition lawmakers began heckling and accusing the ruling parties of steamrolling the passage of the bill.
”Steamrolling this bill is unacceptable. ... That’s why we demand that it be withdrawn and that thorough deliberations be conducted,” JCP lawmaker Sohei Nihi said during the debate.
At the end of the initial question-and-answer session, opposition lawmakers gathered around Hisatake Sugi, the chairman of the committee, in an effort to physically impede the approval of the law.
Among a throng of lawmakers, Diet guards and reporters, Reiwa Shinsengumi lawmaker Taro Yamamoto jumped onto the crowd attempting to reach the discussion table.
The mayhem went on for several minutes amid loud heckling from both opposition and majority lawmakers, until the voting officially certified the approval of the bill.
The ruling party had originally submitted a similar version of the law in 2021, but was forced to shelve it in the aftermath of the death of Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali, a 33-year-old Sri Lankan national, who died while detained at a Nagoya immigration center.
In April, lawyers representing Wishma’s relatives in their litigation efforts against the government over her death, released segments of hourslong footage showing the woman bedridden asking for help and medical attention.
The bill seeks to alter current regulations on matters of asylum requests and deportation, detainment conditions and legal protection of refugees escaping conflicts.
The bill looks to avoid overcrowding in detention facilities and break the current impasse that forces authorities to stall deportation by setting a limit of two on the number of asylum-requests — unless a reasonable cause for a third one can be provided. The bill also allows deportation when an application for asylum is pending.
In addition, the bill aims to improve conditions in immigration facilities by strengthening the role of medical staff and reinforcing training for personnel to develop their understanding of international regulations on human rights and knowledge of international affairs. It also aims to establish a temporary-release system that allows detainees to leave facilities for a period under the custody of a supervisor. It also sets up a plan to offer assistance to asylum-seekers escaping conflict.
The CDP and the JCP have lambasted the bill for its ineffectiveness in improving detention conditions and offering tangible help to asylum-seekers, especially children of refugees subject to deportation.
Additionally, bias in the assignment process of advisers — independent experts tasked with assessing refugee applications rejected once — and the case of a doctor at the Immigration Bureau's Osaka branch who was removed from duty over suspicions of examining inmates while drunk, raised doubts over the legislative rationale of the bill, opposition parties say.
“Citizens shouldn’t forgive this, our democracy is collapsing,” CDP lawmaker Hiroe Makiyama told reporters after the committee formally approved the bill via a majority vote.
Earlier in the week the CDP had submitted a censure motion against Justice Minister Ken Saito, which was rejected on Wednesday, that didn't deter the ruling party from seeking to pass the bill as soon as possible.
“The committee has already made its decision, so we will make sure to solemnly put it to a vote tomorrow during the plenary session,” LDP lawmaker Takamaro Fukuoka told reporters.
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