Last updated: December 2007
Japan Detention Profile
As of 2005, the government of Japan maintained 19 immigration detention facilities with a total capacity of 3,410 (Immigration Bureau 2006). On average, the country held some 2,000 immigration detainees, irregular immigrants and asylum seekers alike, in detention daily (Dean 2006, Amnesty International 2002; CAT Network Japan 2007). Detention sites include “immigration centers” in Ibaraki, Osaka, and Nagasaki prefectures; “detention houses” at the regional immigration offices and their district branches; and “landing prevention facilities” in Narita International Airport and Kansai International Airport (Ministry of Justice, Immigration Bureau 2006, Amnesty International 2002). Additionally, private hotels located near international airports have been used for immigration detention purposes (Japan Federation of Bar Associations 2007). All facilities operate under the authority of the Immigration Bureau of Japan, an agency of the Ministry of Justice, for the purpose of holding foreign nationals who are either subject to deportation or awaiting decisions on their asylum claims (Immigration Bureau 2006; Dean 2006).
According to the Immigration Bureau, in 2005 it apprehended more than 57,000 foreign nationals who were deemed in violation of the Japanese Immigration Control Act and deported 33,192 (Immigration Bureau 2006). The Immigration Bureau estimates that there were 193,745 irregular immigrants—so-called overstayers—living in the country as of January 2006, a slight decrease from 2005. The largest number of overstayers was from South Korea , while China accounted for 30 percent of all deported immigrants. Other countries with large populations of irregular migrants in Japan were the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. Detention for the purpose of deportation is not subject to time limitation, and a person can be detained indefinitely under a deportation order. Reports have shown that the average length of detention for immigrants at the Japan Immigration Center is 13 months (Dean 2006). One lawyers group has reported that some individuals have remained in detention for several years under deportation orders (Japan Federation of Bar Associations 2007).
IntroductionList of Detention Sites
Legal FrameworkDetention History and PoliticsDetention Infrastructure and PracticesDetention ConditionsMigration Phenomenon
