The 6th Counselor Training Course "Story from the Person in Charge" was held

On January 28th, we held the 6th Counselor Training Course, "Stories from the Parties."

The guest speakers were the father of a Bangladeshi family currently seeking special permission to stay in Japan (Zaitoku), and a young man of Filipino nationality who has already received permission to stay in Japan.

The father, who is a Bangladeshi national, explained how he came to Japan, why he overstayed his visa, and why he cannot return to his home country. He said that the main reason he cannot return to his home country is that his children, who were born and raised in Japan and attend public schools, will not be able to study if they return to their home country because they do not understand the language. He said that he cannot bear the idea of his family being torn apart, and that he will continue to ask for the government to allow his family to remain in Japan together, even though their lives are difficult under provisional release.

The other guest speaker, a young man of Filipino nationality, was born and raised in Japan, but because his parents did not have resident status, he himself lived in an irregular migrant status. He shared his painful experiences, including how his parents were arrested at home when he was in elementary school, and his father was detained twice. The young man's parents decided to return to his home country, and he and his younger brother were granted resident status. The young man said that he still doesn't know if this decision, which tore his family apart, was a good one. His talk brought home the problems with the current treatment of irregular migrants, which forces children to endure hardship.

Participants commented, "I got a real understanding of the problems the people involved are facing," and "I want to help foreign residents without residence status to be able to live in Japan with peace of mind."

*This course is supported by the Pal System Tokyo Civic Activities Grant Fund.