On June 6, just weeks before World Refugee Day, Japan’s Diet passed a bill to amend the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. The new law allows the Japanese government to deport asylum seekers who apply for refugee status more than twice. The amendments faced fierce opposition from lawmakers, international legal experts, and civil society organizations. For people seeking refuge in Japan, they will be another obstacle. Japanese policy is already strongly oriented against granting
Japan Immigration Law Creates New Obstacles for Asylum Seekers hrw.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hrw.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When a discriminatory remark is uttered during a public meeting hosted by a municipality, it is the city officials responsibility to demonstrate their categorical rejection of bigotry by admonishing the offender on the spot.
The 101-page report, “Japan’s ‘Hostage Justice’ System,” documents the abusive treatment of criminal suspects in pretrial detention. The authorities strip suspects of their right to remain silent, question them without a lawyer, coerce them to confess through repeated arrests and denial of bail, and detain them for prolonged periods under constant surveillance in police stations. The Japanese government should urgently undertake wide-ranging reforms, including amending the criminal procedure code, to ensure detainees their fair trial rights and make investigators and prosecutors more accountable.
Recognising foreign workers as full and legitimate members of society will enable Japan to become an immigration nation, writes Yasuo Takao (Curtin University).