Gursewak’s parents, who are Sikhs, fled to Japan from India in the 1990s. For several years, they lived without visas under the radar of the authorities until they were put on a status known as “provisional release” in 2001. It means they can stay in Japan as long as their asylum application is under review.
Asylum seekers are building Japan’s roads and sewers
But it also means they can’t work, they don’t have health insurance and they need permission to travel outside the prefecture where they live. They are also subject to unannounced inspections by immigration officers at their home and they face detention at any time. There are currently some 4,700 people with this status living in Japan.Gursewak, who has never left Japan, has inherited his parents’ provisional release status and all the restrictions that go with it. That fate has exposed him and more than 500 other children who share his predicament to lives of perpetual uncertainty. They can go to government-run schools, where tuition is largely free, but university is out of reach for most because they and their parents aren’t allowed to work and so can’t afford the fees. These children, many of whom are asylum seekers, will soon face a stark choice between forced unemployment and working illegally.
“Since I was born I’ve only ever interacted with Japanese people,” said Gursewak, who is now 17, speaks the language with native fluency and considers himself Japanese. “I don’t get why Japan won’t accept me.”
While there were almost 14,000 asylum cases under review at the end of 2015, Japan accepted only 27 refugees last year. The year before that, the number was 11.
Friendly reminder that Japanese human rights violations are way under-reported. The country is a fortress, hardly any immigrants or refugees are allowed in, and the few that are are exploited for cheap labor. The criminal justice system is notoriously corrupt, including numerous accusations of prosecutors and police straight up framing clients. The death penalty in Japan is also extra inhumane because inmates on death row are not told the date of their execution and essentially live in fear that every day could be their last.
Japan forces a harsh choice on children of migrant families
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Mooncustafer 