Filipino girl starts new school year before parents' departure

Wednesday 08th April, 03:13 PM JST

SAITAMA —

A Filipino girl whose parents are under a deportation order became a second-year student at a local junior high school Wednesday prior to her parents’ departure from Japan to the Philippines next Monday. Noriko Calderon, 13, was granted by the government in March special permission to stay for a year. Her parents chose to leave her behind in Japan and return to the Philippines rather than leave as a family.

‘‘I would like to make efforts in both study and club activities,’’ said Noriko, who has joined a music club at the Warabi city government-run school in the hope of eventually becoming a dance instructor. In the morning, she left her home in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, for school, seen off at her home by her parents. Her father, Arlan, 36, said it was good that his daughter would be able to continue to study in Japan.

The couple has decided to entrust Noriko to the care of her mother Sarah’s younger sister who lives in Tokyo, according to their lawyer. The special permission will allow the teenager, who speaks only Japanese, to continue going to junior high school in Japan. The girl was born and raised in Japan and attends a local junior high school in Saitama Prefecture, the officials said.

Arlan Calderon came to Japan in May 1993, a year after his wife. Both entered the country using other people’s passports and stayed undetected in Japan for years. Noriko was born in 1995.

But after Sarah was arrested for staying illegally in Japan, the family received a deportation order in November 2006.

They filed a lawsuit seeking nullification of the deportation order, but the Supreme Court rejected their petition in September 2008.

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Latest 15 of 20 Total Comments Show All

butakun at 05:35 PM JST - 8th April

One more reason kids born here should be granted automatic citizenship as they are in other modern countries.

Many EU member states are not modern in that sense. We live in Belgium, but our kids will not be granted Belgian citizenship.
Rodney_King at 05:55 PM JST - 8th April

@butakun

Please don't expect truth or logic from some JT members. Many modern countries have jus sanguinis policy, list is on Wikipedia.
buggerlugs at 05:57 PM JST - 8th April

japan is far behind in regard to human rights, and Immergration laws. even 3rd generation Korean Japanese are not accepted as citizens. I also do not believe she speaks only Japanese. sad to see the family split like this.
Rodney_King at 06:12 PM JST - 8th April

even 3rd generation Korean Japanese are not accepted as citizens

Some gaijins like Debito Arudo choose to become japanese and others are so pride to be korean prefer to remain korean. You can not force citizenship, you are not korean, and you are not representing korean in Japan. Ironic thing here is that Philippines are actually changing their own immigrations laws to make them tougher.

sad to see the family split like this

family broke the law, if you don't deport and punish lawbreakers you can expect Japan to become like French suburbs.
smithinjapan at 06:40 PM JST - 8th April

I'm very pleased the government at least let the girl stay, and I hope the parents can come back in some capacity in the future. Not likely for a while, since they overstayed visas and were here illegally, I reckon, but here's hoping.

I'm happy as well that they could see (assuming they could attend) their daughter start school.

Sad situation, but they broke the laws and in this case I think the J-government is right in deporting them.
smithinjapan at 06:43 PM JST - 8th April

Rodney_King: "Some gaijins like Debito Arudo choose to become japanese and others are so pride to be korean prefer to remain korean."

Read the first part of your sentence, my friend... "SOME GAIJINS LIKE DEBITO ARUDO CHOOSE TO BECOME JAPANESE..."

He's not a 'gaijin' if he's Japanese, but you illustrate part of the problem with your point very well; even if you naturalize you are going to face discrimination. If I threw away my citizenship and became Japanese, when to an Onsen, and told people I was Japanese, they would laugh, plain and simple.

I think people who choose to naturalize and don't necessarily need to (ie. aren't refugees) are extremely honourable people and worthy of respect. But I also fully understand those who do not wish to naturalize for the reasons I mentioned, as well as for pride, etc. I hope in the future some kind of dual citizenship system is recognized, because Japan is otherwise losing a lot of potential talent in the long run.
USNinJapan2 at 08:37 PM JST - 8th April

smith

since they overstayed visas and were here illegally

They didn't overstay any visas because they never had any to begin with remember? That's how illegal they were. They entered Japan on other people's passports, not simply overstaying legally granted visas. The parents deserve NO sympathy whatsoever. The poor daughter is another story, but as they say, you reap what you sow.
timeon at 09:40 PM JST - 8th April

who wanna bet that this girl will become a geinojin, talento or the sort in a while? she already makes the news more often than most of the idols anyways Seriously now, you can get Japanese citizenship being or being not born here, it's not they never ever grant to anybody. Actually I know a Chinese guy who has been here for 20 some years and is a professor, and he got the citizenship without any problems
ThonTaddeo at 09:56 PM JST - 8th April

I have no problem believing that Noriko speaks Japanese much better than Tagalog. For many generations in the US, for example, incoming immigrants have lamented the fact that their kids spoke only English and didn't become fluent in the language of the old country.
Badge213 at 10:37 PM JST - 8th April

I think it is bull that the daughter only speaks Japanese. Kids learn their Mother's tongue first, and I am sure the parents conversed in Tagalog at home all the time. After this year, she should apply for a home stay.

My parents immigrated to the US, I grew up in a household where my parents did speak another language, but guess what? I never picked it up, yes I can understand a little, but I can't speak jack other then English when I grew up because thats what my parents wanted in the "assimilation" process. So I don't think it's too far fetched based on my own experiences that she speaks Japanese only and not Filipino.
USNinJapan2 at 11:44 PM JST - 8th April

timeon

who wanna bet that this girl will become a geinojin, talento or the sort in a while?

I'll take that bet that she won't, not in a million years. No offense to the girl, but have you seen her? She just isn't attractive enough.
federale at 03:18 AM JST - 9th April

She doesn't speak English or Tagalog? I don't believe that for a minute. Every Philippino in the US who's parents are immgrants all speak some Tagalog and English as well. I bet also that there is a baptismal certificate somewhere with a Christian first name for her.
TheVripper at 05:06 AM JST - 9th April

"She doesn't speak English or Tagalog? I don't believe that for a minute. Every Philippino in the US who's parents are immgrants all speak some Tagalog and English as well."

As a linguist, I write with authority that without an ongoing language community, language retention is minimal at best. Basically, she probably doesn't speak English or Tagalog. I think the key words in this statement are "some Tagalog and English". Using this rubric, then "all young Japanese speak English", since it's taught in school. But since English is not in the language community, the best most Japanese can muster are "Hi" and "Bye bye".

My conjecture is that her English or Tagalog is as fluent as the average Japanese high school student's English, which is rudimentary at best.
tigerguy at 06:00 AM JST - 9th April

I don't know why the government is bending over and doing back flips for this family. In any and every language in the world - THEY BROKE THE LAW AND ARE ILLEGAL.
bushlover at 08:00 AM JST - 9th April

I think the gov't did right in kicking out the parents and allowing the girl to stay. She didn't break any laws. As long as they can arrange for her to be taken care of she should be able to stay. Glad it worked out for her.