Immigration bureau sued for locking up 17 people in a room made for six
Four people allege that electricity was cut during their stay, that they were not given drinking water and that they were not let out when an earthquake struck.
Nagoya immigration center gets threat over Sri Lankan woman's death
The Justice Ministry has yet to determine the cause of 33-year-old Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali's death on March 6.
Japan left shaken after a detainee, wasting away, dies alone in her cell
Critics of Japan’s immigration system say that Wishma Ratnayake was the victim of an opaque, capricious bureaucracy that has nearly unchecked power over those who run afoul of it.
Japanese government drops bill to revise immigration law amid opposition
Opponents of the legislation had feared it could worsen conditions for asylum seekers, pointing to the March death of a detained Sri Lankan woman as evidence of problems with the system.
Family of Sri Lankan woman who died after Japan detention visits facility
Supporters of 33-year-old Wishma Sandamali say when they last met her there was foam around her mouth and her fingers were stiff, and that her eyes appeared hollow.
Sri Lankan's death in spotlight as Japan debates immigration bill
Many foreign nationals seeking refugee status in Japan have been closely monitoring the Diet debates as possible revisions of the immigration law could affect their lives.
Critics denounce Japan asylum reform as human rights violation
Human rights campaigners say the proposed reform was not the right way to solve the problem of lengthy detentions.
Japan's proposed immigration law revisions deal fresh blow to refugees
The country has been criticized by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for accepting only around 1% of applications it receives.
Japan parliament begins examining bill to release asylum seekers
The proposed amendment comes amid growing criticism that indefinite detention is a human rights violation.
Asylum-seekers in Japan oppose bill allowing deportation after three tries
The bill, which revises the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law, would allow authorities to send back asylum-seekers who have applied for refugee status three or more times.
Immigration reform fails to resolve asylum contradictions
The standards that immigration authorities use to decide refugee status are difficult to meet due to the burden of proof shouldered by asylum-seekers.
COVID-19 cluster discovered at immigration facility as new strain spreads in Japan
The new variant, which features the so-called E484K mutation that may undermine vaccine effectiveness, has been identified in 93 cases in the nation.
