We have made an urgent request to the Ministry of Justice.

In February 2015, the Tokyo Immigration Bureau informed an overstaying Filipino family (father, mother, eldest son (high school student), second son (elementary school student), all of whom were born in Japan) that "the eldest and second sons may be able to remain in Japan, but the father and mother will be asked to return to their home countries." It was discovered that there were other families besides this one that were being suggested to separate parents and children.

In response to the situation where parents and children are being separated by the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, APFS made an urgent request to the Ministry of Justice, requesting that "parents and children and spouses be treated as one entity and that families not be arbitrarily separated" (the contents of the request are listed at the end of this document). On behalf of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Hideharu Maruyama, Director of the Immigration Bureau's Adjudication Division, and others responded.

Nearly 40 people, including those involved and supporters, gathered in front of the Ministry of Justice, mainly families facing the risk of separation from their parents and children, and made an appeal over the microphone. Voices heard from those involved included, "Please don't separate parents and children," "It's a shame that only the children are left behind," and "I want people to think more about human rights." Supporters said, "We love Japan, but there are many people who are in trouble because of overstaying their visas. We trust that Japan's Ministry of Justice will do the right thing."

The Ministry of Justice said it was aware of the request but did not provide a specific response.
APFS stated that families should be treated as a single entity and be allowed to reside in Japan, and that this issue should be considered within the larger framework of immigration (foreigner) policy.

APFS will continue to appeal to society through the parade and set up support groups in the local area, and take other steps to raise awareness of this issue to as many people as possible.

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March 25, 2015

Minister of Justice
Ms. Yoko Kamikawa

Non-profit organization ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY (APFS)

Representative Director Jotaro Kato

Request

APFS strongly urges that parents and children and couples be treated as one entity and that families not be arbitrarily separated.

In February 2015, the Tokyo Immigration Bureau informed the overstaying Filipino family (father, mother, eldest son (high school student), and second son (elementary school student) that all children were born in Japan, and that "the eldest and second sons may be able to remain in Japan, but the father and mother will be required to return to their home country." The Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Bureau are now trying to separate the parents and children.

The issue of separating foreign parents and children has existed for some time. In April 2009, the Calderon-Noriko family, who were also overstaying their visas, had their parents sent back to their home countries, leaving Noriko to remain in Japan. Why is this same practice still in place six years later?

It can also be said that overstaying is a problem that arose from the economic structure. In Japan, there is still no status of residence for simple labor. Therefore, from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, when there was a labor shortage, many foreigners came to Japan with a "short-term visitor" status of residence and were forced to work while overstaying their visas. In addition to deportation, flexible application of the "special residence permit" should be considered.

Article 9-1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the Japanese government has ratified, states that "States Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will." Article 23-1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that "The family is the natural and fundamental unit of society and has the right to protection by society and the State." The "family," which is the "natural and fundamental unit of society," must be "protected" under all circumstances.

In the case of Filipino families, if the parents are deported, the family cannot be protected. It is necessary to ensure that children are not separated from their parents. In addition to this Filipino family, there are several other foreign families in the APFS who are being forced to make the same decision.

In addition, there are also irregular residents who are seeking to continue living in Japan as spouses of Japanese nationals (permanent residents). If the foreign spouse is deported, the couple will be forced to live in different countries. Some Japanese nationals (permanent residents) need to care for their parents, or have illnesses of their own.

It is not easy for Japanese people (permanent residents) and children born in Japan to start a new life in a foreign country. On the other hand, foreign spouses are accustomed to life in Japan. All of the couples supported by APFS are in sincere relationships and living a married life.

APFS strongly urges the Ministry of Justice not to separate parents and children or spouses, but to treat families as one unit and not to separate them arbitrarily.