We held a petition in front of the Prime Minister's Office (Cabinet Office)

On Wednesday, March 27, 2013, from 15:00, APFS held a petition submission action in front of the Prime Minister's Office (Cabinet Office) with 36 people from 19 families and 3 individuals (from 9 countries: the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Peru, Mali, and Guinea) who are irregular migrants and their supporters. Although the weather was cold, unlike spring, the 36 people from 19 families and 3 individuals continued to speak out about their plight in front of the Prime Minister's Office (Cabinet Office) and asked for special permission to stay in Japan. Many people received pamphlets. At the end of the action, the petition was handed in inside the Cabinet Office, and the petition was accepted as an official petition.

APFS will continue to work with those involved and their supporters to seek special residence permission for undocumented immigrants. We appreciate your support and cooperation.

The following is the content of the request:
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March 27, 2013
Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe

APFS (Non-Profit Organization)

ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY

Representative Director Jotaro Kato
4 others

Request

We, 36 people consisting of 19 families and 3 individuals (from 9 countries: the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Peru, Mali, and Guinea), are undocumented residents and strongly request that we be granted special residence permission as soon as possible.

Deportation orders have already been issued to all 36 irregular residents, consisting of 19 families and 3 individuals. However, we are petitioning the Minister of Justice for a retrial, based on the changes in our circumstances since the issuance of the deportation orders and our desperate circumstances that mean we cannot live without remaining in Japan.

We have been requesting special permission to stay to the Minister of Justice for some time now, but the situation has not changed at all. Therefore, by directly sending our request to the Prime Minister, who is the head of the Japanese government, we hope that the Prime Minister will urge the Minister of Justice to move towards a retrial for us.

Some have been living in Japan for as long as seven years since their deportation orders were issued. Their unstable residency situation has left them living in extreme poverty. This is having a particularly serious impact on the healthy development of children. The children are uncertain as to whether they will be able to continue living in Japan, and are unable to envision their future. Furthermore, unable to enroll in health insurance or receive adequate medical care, some have progressed to the stage of hepatitis B, leading to the development of terminal hepatocellular carcinoma. There is a strong need for special permission to stay as soon as possible.

Each of them has experienced the experience of becoming an irregular immigrant and is fully regretful about it. However, I would like people to understand the circumstances that forced them to become irregular immigrants. In 1993, when the number of irregular immigrants was at its highest, there were over 300,000 irregular immigrants in Japan. However, following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, there was a vague sense of anxiety towards foreigners, and the long-term stagnation of the Japanese economy, the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice stepped up its crackdown on irregular immigrants and began forcibly deporting them.

Rather than just blaming the individual irregular migrants, I would like people to think about the background of why so many irregular migrants were in Japan. We stayed in Japan because our families needed to survive in our home countries, where industry was underdeveloped and there were no jobs, and because Japanese society needed the labor of irregular migrants.

Furthermore, I believe that the country is also responsible for neglecting to formulate policies regarding foreigners and immigrants. The absence of policies has also had a major impact on the creation of many irregular residents. In developed countries, amnesty (legalization) has been implemented for irregular residents. We too hope to live in Japan as "people who coexist with the people."

We will not only make requests, but also demonstrate through our actions that we can contribute to Japanese society. We will continue to carry out volunteer activities in the areas where we live and in disaster-stricken areas.

The number of undocumented immigrants has fallen to 67,065, and the issues they face have been largely ignored in Japanese society. Therefore, we will make various appeals to get Japanese society to think again about the issues undocumented immigrants face.

As we have lived in Japanese society for many years, there are people who support us. Several support groups have been established. In addition to the families who have established support groups, there are also families and individuals who are collecting many signatures. The existence of supporters and people who cooperate in collecting signatures is proof that we are firmly established in Japanese society.

Our wish is to continue living a simple but solid life here in Japan. We hope that you will grant our wish.
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