Gov't to stick to deportation decision for Filipino family

Wednesday 04th March, 06:19 AM JST

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archiebald at 11:53 AM JST - 4th March

tkoind2, Oh please get off your soapbox.

They broke the law, they are taking their penalty.

End of story.
chinpira at 12:33 PM JST - 4th March

tkoind2, excellent commentary.

While the parents have broken the law and should be punished the 13 year old is 100% innocent and the priority. Punishing the parents now will ultimately destroy her life. The parents have been here 15 years, what's another 7 years? (5 if the law is changed), their daughter will then be an adult at least.
Athletes at 12:52 PM JST - 4th March

Tkoind2

Japan was ruined into ashes after second world war. For rebuilding that nation needed a lot of foreigners skills and talents. Most of the immigrants from postwar until 1970s are genuine contributors of the Japan economic development. They made today Japan.

It have no problem for law abiding migrants. However Japan is not a charity organization and not responible for the welfare of opportunistic people. If they want to get resident status, they have to apply lawfully. Otherwise they have to be deported according the law. Law can not favour the young and cute girl. Even the girl is allowed to stay, her parents should be sent back.

It is unwise for Japan open the door for flux of immigrants right now. Social problem like homeless, highest sucide rate and unemployment are mounting everyday. Japan has to import the 80% of food consumption from oversea. Fertile land is very limited. Urban area are alreay over crowded and public transport, hospitals can not cope with the high demand.

If Japan has to accept the immigrants like you said Honshu island will be sanked into the Ocean.

The course of that nation is not depending on other people opinion.
Spidey at 01:15 PM JST - 4th March

...but at the same time, the law is the law.

He's joking, right?

How many times, in the run of a day, do we see laws being broken due to the rampant complacency of those held responsible for enforcing them. A simple drive to the nearest intersection will prove this quite adequately.

The law is the law indeed.

S!
happyface at 01:22 PM JST - 4th March

i feel for the kid. its scary to think of the possibility of moving to a country she has no idea about. but she's just a kid. kids adapt faster to new environments. it may seem to be the end of the world for her...but alas...its not. and the best thing to do is really keep the family together, and she's gonna be fine. so...kid...welcome to the Philippines:)
samsarks at 01:26 PM JST - 4th March

Athletes-America is not broke becos it is cmpassionate abt illegal immigrants.it has rather improved its image around the world and enables you to stand up tall and say"i am american".i am not american tough.... well,every country has its own unique laws and that defines it.sorry for the girl but thats the way it is
tkoind2 at 01:38 PM JST - 4th March

Athletes give the xenophobia of Japan being overrun by illegals a rest. Just show me any evidence you have that suggests there are overwhelming numbers of illegals sinking any part of Japan into the sea? How can you arrive at this conclusion when all foreigners collectively add up to about 2% of the population?

As for: "The course of that nation is not depending on other people opinion." Do you live in the same Japan that I do? Because this Japan listens to my countries dictates as more than it listens to its own citizens. And that my friend is a tragic and very provable fact.

Further. Japan is rapidly slipping from her place as the key Asian nation. The future holds Japan sitting in second, third or worst place in Asian affairs. Part of this is incompetent leadership, part of this is Japan's inability to adapt in ways that encourage greater investment and business opportunities. The country is far too restrictive, limited and inefficent for most organizations to take seriously. Especially when efficiencies and better policies are available in several other Asian and Near Eastern locations.

But another part that harms Japan always is the ongoing inability to recognize and protect human rights. We've seen this with Japan's inability to support refugees. We've seen this with backward immigration policies that still keep many Korean's as 2nd class citizens. And we continue to see it applied to long term residency and naturalization. Not to mention the non-existent support systems for all the legal low income immigrants Japan has milked for their labor.

This 13year old girl deserves better consideration as a human being regardless of the actions of her parents. And the proposal I put out there makes far more sense than Japan's solution. Let the girl stay and choose Japanese naturalization at the age of majority. Let the parents stay until she reaches that age then ship them home. Why is that so dangerous? Afraid that .001% of illegals here might stay too?

Japan is not S. California and you don't have the mobs of illegals that Europe has either. So stop the Ishihara infused xenophobic non-sense and start treating human beings with greater compassion. The day is coming soon when armies of poor unemployed Japanese may be wishing for places to escape to and they had better pray for better empathy and compassion than they have historically given others.
Rodney_King at 03:03 PM JST - 4th March

Japan is not S. California

Thanks to controlled immigration and tough laws.

you don't have the mobs of illegals that Europe has either

They did not have in the past. Let them come and now London, Paris or Amsterdam are scary.

Let the girl stay

Ok, let's say "today let her stay". Tomorrow 3 others will come with the same scheme. Day after tomorrow 50 others. Next month 3000 others. Next year 60000 others. In just few years Philippines will say that Japan is just a rogue province of Philippines. We have seen what happened outside Japan.
martyman at 08:37 PM JST - 4th March

It is too funny too keep reading the points being brought up in this thread. Things I notice that have not been brought up are items like the daughter will be 15 years old next year and she will still be able to live in country as a Japanese citizen, no one has mention the fact that she can travel to the Philippines to visit her deported parents then return to Japan, and also the fact that she can stay with a family that they have been friends with. It is not a bad situation seeing they did break the law.

On another note, if the parents did not tell the daughter of their illegal entry, the daughter being a good Japanese citizen would probably want what is best for Japan and have them deported. Just my two yens worth of thought.
rick0909 at 10:44 PM JST - 4th March

What's the citizenship laws in Japan? I know in the US anyone born on US soil is automatically a citizen. Did the same thing happen to the girl?

I think its totally the parents fault and the girl is the one who has to pay the consequences.

Martyman, I agree she is probably old enough to live by herself with family friends to check up on her once in a while. A lot of rich high school kids go to school in Tokyo while their family lives in inaka.

I really don't see how all this talk about immigrants and Japan's need for more labor is relevant here.

I don't know the details of the case, but if both parents had come clean sooner, maybe Immigration would have been more lenient.
Athletes at 07:04 AM JST - 5th March

tkoind2

Your comment was out of touch with the reality. You did not read my comment carefully. I mentioned some foreigners contributed post war Japan rebuilding projects. They deserve some credits for their contribution. Japan is alreay over populated and no resources for your 99.99% of illegal guests. Compassion and humanity has to be balanced with harsh economic reality.

13year old girl deserves better consideration as a human being regardless of the actions of her parents. You did not read two preveious two article relating to that case. Immigration has offered the girl can be allowed to stay as humanitarian ground. Not her parents included. However her parents refused the offer because she is minor and it is their choice.

The day is coming soon when armies of poor unemployed Japanese may be wishing for places to escape to and they had better pray for better empathy and compassion than they have historically given others. That day has already passed in 1991 which local stock market crushed. It is true that Japan is becoming poor nation. So what? Humanitarian is beyond the concern of that poor nation. Young and skilled people migrated to bigger land which have better opportunities. Old and unskilled are suffering the hardship.

You may live in Japan however you do not understand about Japan economic hardship. It is struggling to handle the rising army of homeless and unemployment. Many social problems are uncontrollable. Not because Japan has no compassion. Japan is no longer afford to support the new arrivals. Even it is cutting down the foreign aids now. Besides that Japan is not a charity organizaion. It has no capacity for supporting economic refugee. Unlawful conduct should not be welcomed.

If that girl go to study in Phillipines, her command of english will be many times better than Japanese schools. She will learn Spanish too. Combing with her Japanese skills, she will be more competitive in the labour market. Studying in Phillipines is for the girl interest and future. If immigration follow your suggestion, there will be flood of illegal migrants will do the same thing.
Scrote at 09:49 AM JST - 5th March

Athletes: "Japan is no longer afford to support the new arrivals"

I don't get any support at all from the Japanese government and neither do the vast majority of non-Japanese workers in this country. For that matter, neither do the poor Japanese, who are left to fend for themselves in parks, under bridges etc.

What Japan gets from me is: taxes, which are squandered by the government; medical insurance premiums, most of which subsidise treatment of elderly Japanese; pension contributions, which are immediately paid to elderly Japanese - the money isn't saved in a personal account and I'm unlikely to see it again.
huddersboy at 09:51 AM JST - 5th March

First of all what would the right wing facistr morons on this thread be saying if the family did decide to leave their 13 year old daughter alone in this country? Of course the family has to stick together. Secondly the law is the law is the law arguments are just bullshit laws change on a regular basis as new problems arise otherwise western countries would be still living under the 10 commandments. Common sense and compassion are two corner stone honourable qualities displayed by a democratic society. Any person in their right mind can see the family should stay. If the girl is left alone will immigration allow her parents to visit her in this country as in theory they will be deported for visa violations? If not how is a 13 year old girl going to afford to visit the philipines? I suppose her parents (Working in a 3rd world country,) could financially support their daughter living in a first world country. Honestly reading these threads is like catching soundbites from the nuremburg rallies you facists should be ashamed.
martyman at 09:13 PM JST - 5th March

It seems like some of the readers have issues with independence, legal issues and probably home life. The thought of the girl having to pay her own ticket is quite comical, the parents would probably dish our the 70,000 yen for the round trip to the Philippines and would probably pay for her other personal needs. Some of the Philipino families I know how sent their children to live with other family members in Japan and the US for extended periods for education, better living conditions, etc. This situation here with the illegal immigrants being sent back to their home country and the option for the 13 (14) year old daughter to remain in Japan should be quite appealing to the parents. If it is not, then they should go back to the Phillipines and use their job skills they acquired here in Japan to restart their life with the rest of their family in the Phillipines. It has not been mentioned that they do have family in the Phillipines they can return to.
Athletes at 09:12 AM JST - 6th March

Scrote

Japan is no longer afford to support the new arrivals" The meaning of sentence is not only the government handout. Japan means land space, food consumption,water, communities and infrastructure included. Most arrivals live in the Tokyo, Osaka which have more employment opportunities. Public trasport, hospitals, commuinity service are struggling to cope wtih the rising huge demand. In 2008, Japan has the sucide rate of 32000. You live in Japan so you are contributing the demand for food, medicine, infrastructure,raw materials and waste management. Do you know how big is Honshu island? Cities are densely populated and crowed. Eight five percent of food consumption needed to be imported.

It is true what you said I don't get any support at all from the Japanese government and neither do the vast majority of non-Japanese workers in this country. For that matter, neither do the poor Japanese, who are left to fend for themselves in parks, under bridges etc. Social security service is very limited because of the corrupt officials, poor management and regulation and lack of finance. Japan was big donor to developing nations before. It is time to look after own people now inclucing you. I mentioned before homeless, highest sucide rate and unemployment are the biggest headache for incompetent administration.

What Japan gets from me is: taxes, which are squandered by the government; medical insurance premiums, most of which subsidise treatment of elderly Japanese; pension contributions, which are immediately paid to elderly Japanese - the money isn't saved in a personal account and I'm unlikely to see it again. Every countries need to pay tax. Japan tax is higher because cost of living is high too. If you do not wish to pay tax you can work and live in Tax heaven islands. However their infrastructure and employment opportuniites are limited. When you old and frail, you may get the support from Japan social security. So you will see your money when you are old and frail. If you are not Japan resident, you have to apply sooner or later. Otherwise you are not entitled for social assistance. Government is supporting foreigners who are laid off however they have to be legal residents of Japan. I agree Japan is not treating foreigners fairly like China and South Korea. Another option is you move and work there which have better regulations. Japan is becoming poor now it is unwise for you to still live and work which lack the essencial social services.