Horrible hospitality : Detainees talk about reality of Japan immigration facility in film
July 2, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Foreigners on temporary release hold a press conference with Ian Thomas Ash (far right), director of the film Ushiku, in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on May 20, 2021. The two have experienced long-term detention at an immigration facility. (Mainichi/Yukinao Kin) TOKYO It is still fresh in our minds that in March this year, a Sri Lankan woman who was in detention at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau died without being able to receive the medical treatment she sought. What is going on in the closed rooms of Japan s immigration facilities? Ian Thomas Ash, a filmmaker from the United States, brought a small camera into a visiting room to make the documentary film Ushiku. What are the realities inside the immigration facility as told by the detainees?