Asahi Shimbun
February 3, 2000
Justice Minister Hideo Shirai approved a residency extension on Wednesday for a family of three from Iran who overstayed their visas. But a family from Myanmar seeking similar status was rejected.
The Iranian petition was approved apparently to allow the family's teenaged son to continue attending school here.
They were among 21 foreigners who have appealed to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau to stay in Japan, although they have overstayed their original visas. The others are expected to receive notice soon, and at least nine are expected to be allowed to stay in Japan.
The Iranian family lives in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. The 39-year-old father works at a bookbinding company. He has a 37-year-old wife and a 15-year-old son who is a first-year student at a prefectural high school.
The Myanmarese family whose petition was rejected lives in Tokyo's Koto Ward. The father, 43, also works at a bookbinding plant. He and his 34-year-old wife have a two-year-old daughter in nursery school.
The father was detained Wednesday just after the ruling. The mother and daughter were allowed to return home to pack for their deportation to Myanmar. They intend to appeal the ministry ruling.
In both cases, the families have been in Japan for nearly 10 years and have filed proper tax returns. While the Justice Ministry has not detailed its rulings, it is believed that the children were the decisive factor. The daughter of the family from Myanmar is regarded as young enough to adjust to living there, while the boy from Iran is not.
Katsuji Yamada, head of the Immigration Bureau's Adjudication Division, which considers visa status appeals, said several factors are weighed, including the reason for the application, family circumstances and the effect that their stay may have on illegal immigrants. ``There are also issues of privacy,'' Yamada said. ``We cannot comment on how we reach a decision,'' Yamada said.
As of July, 268,000 were living in Japan illegally, of whom 11,000 were minors.