Police find missing Ugandan weightlifter in Mie Prefecture

Robert CikkiJuly 21  07:34 am JST

*"He carried his own ID and identified himself. It is not certain to whom we should send the man -- the team or the embassy."*

I can't believe the officer even said that.

Makes perfect sense. There was no arrest warrant out for him and he is still in Japan on a valid Visa. The only rule he broke are the Olympic comittee rules.

No GingerJuly 21  08:50 am JST

Why on earth would be want to stay in Japan?

You've obviously never been to Uganda.

Had you been following the story, you would know he is already married back in Uganda.

Polygamy is legal in Uganda. To him, taking a Japanese wife would be absolutely fine, especially if he gets to stay in Japan. Some women are highly attracted to "different", regardless of what that is. In Japan, I've experienced this directly with very shocking behavior by a few Japanese women.

Because @serendipitous1 7:04pm “it’s an issue”, even when it’s *not**.*

- “Privelege”

Agreed:

@7:04pm: “If any country were reported 'missing' and had left written evidence they planned to work in Japan, the police would try to find them regardless of their nationality or race.”

Numan

Why make that assumption? If Olympic athletes or officials from any country were reported 'missing' and had left written evidence they planned to work in Japan, the police would try to find them regardless of their nationality or race.

He is an illegal immigrant and he should NOT have escaped from the Olympic village and put other people's lives at risk. Reckless behaviour.

He must have stood out like a sore thumb.

Hilarious and tragic in equal measure

Deport him.

Have a safe trip back to Uganda...

The disappearance of Julius Ssekitoleko came at a time of high public concern over coronavirus risks as thousands of foreigners arrive for the Games

Thousands of foreigners who arrived with no virus and won't get anywhere near the public, but we all know how this works. How many cases were there in Tokyo outside of the Olympic Village this week?

It is not certain to whom we should send the man -- the team or the embassy."

Take some other choice, one that comes to your mind latest, the one with the largest postponement. Yes, that’s right, send him to Uganda.

If he hasn't broken any laws, there's not much the police can do.

My guess is he goes back to Uganda and probably will not be a part of any team in the near future.

@theFu

Had you been following the story, you would know he is already married back in Uganda.

He should be deported immediately and the people that were harboring him should be investigated.

On what charges?

In effect as the article states he didn't break any laws, nor has the family he was with.

He may have not followed the IOC bubble but, his visa Is different as it grants him X number of days in Japan, quarantine was long over.

Intent isn't a crime, so because he wanted to remain and work, he didn't do any of it yet so no actual crime by anyone.

Deported.

Since he wasn't competing, he was supposed to leave Japan under current Japanese COVID rules.

Was he going to get married to be able to stay? What skills does he have to earn a living in Japan? No skills = deported or Japan will be overflowing with economic immigrants overstaying vacation visas like the USA.

The Uganda Embassy has stated that he would be leaving Japan on July 21st.

He should be deported immediately and the people that were harboring him should be investigated.

How come? He never committed any crime.

Yesterday in Yoyogi, I saw foreigners who are members of one of the Olympic teams. They were all wearing the badges around their neck and the same shirts. The definitely looked like athletes or at least some were coaches.

Of course, they were of European descent, so police would not bother even if they were breaking the law or planning on leaving the team most of the time.

Yes, because police in Japan have never hassled European people lol.

Can you BLAME him ? All that training, all those years wasted due to a "Quota System" ?

I think we all know we would do exaclty what this guy did.

"When international eyes are on Japan they certainly treat foreigners differently. "

No it wont. They will treated same under Japanese law

"Anyone else Amy Amy other time he would be in the detention centre for months."

Because they refuse to go back to their own country and are trying to game the system.

I don't think they get hunted down like they did to this athlete though.

Yes, they do. You just don't hear about.

"Yesterday in Yoyogi, I saw foreigners who are members of one of the Olympic teams. They were all wearing the badges around their neck and the same shirts. The definitely looked like athletes or at least some were coaches."

You know Yoyogi park houses one of the  venues? Right?

"Presumably he still has a valid visa stamped into his passport for 90 days."

No, he does not. He is on a a designated activities visa which allow him to stay as long he a member of the team. If he not a member of the Team, he has to go back to Uganda.

"The decision by the Ugandans to cut him from the team and send him home doesn't instantly cancel his visa, does it?"

Yes it does. That is why is was supposed to go back.

He is guilty of breaking the immigration laws of Japan.

This generally happens when countries host worldwide events. I remembered the Aichi Expo in 2005, several from African, South American and Asian countries weren't on their flights back to their countries. Some were found and others rode off into the sunset.

In fact, my uncle was on the Hungarian team for track & field during the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. My uncle wanted no part in returning to Hungary that had just been invaded by the Soviet Union. He stayed in Australia before eventually moving to the U.S.

Why on earth would be want to stay in Japan?

So he wants to change his location on planet Earth. Not a big deal.

Well done to the police on tracking the Ugandan down. They often get criticized here, but this was exceptional policing.

Perhaps the penny will drop for the Ugandan gov't to stop selecting this athlete who regularly goes "missing" when overseas in competition.

I think he is originally scheduled to return to his country today, 7/21. They should send him directly to the airport with his waiting team since there is no crime committed. Lets just say he did a little sight seeing.

Regarding to work here illegally, some people on trainee visa or even tourist visas do this. They over extend their visas and doesn't return to their home country. They continue to work moving around with people they know, I don't think they get hunted down like they did to this athlete though.

Yesterday in Yoyogi, I saw foreigners who are members of one of the Olympic teams. They were all wearing the badges around their neck and the same shirts. The definitely looked like athletes or at least some were coaches.

Of course, they were of European descent, so police would not bother even if they were breaking the law or planning on leaving the team most of the time.

"Privilege"

Athletes and other Olympic participants are subject to strict rules

evidently not!

No laws have been broken unless you can arrest someone for intent on breaking a law without actually doing it.

Technically, they could hold him with their well-known 23 kidnapping procedure and continue to extend it until the visa expires then deport him.

I dont see any big problem here.

Yes, I mean he should follow the quarantine rule and stay in the Olympic bubble, because people coming for the Olympics are supposed to stay in the Olympic village.

But on other side, what was he thinking?

Just go out and get hired easily by someone?

Just with a short time Visa?

And anyway with his visa he is not allowed to work in Japan, right? (I am not sure about the rules these days)

Let him go back to his team so he can at least watch the games, then he will go back to his home nation, he will not escape again now that he knows it's not going to work.

He thought this country would be his way out of the tough life back home. I hope the goverment would give this man a chance. Let him IN.

Perhaps he was planning on hooking his wife up with the African underground after he got settled.

If he got sponsored and changed his visa no issue, then could get a guarantor for his wife to follow with the kids. Lots of people do that.

So where is he being kept? In a cell in close contact in a closed space with others? Has he been retested for coronavirus?

"Today, the man was found in Mie Prefecture with no injuries and no involvement in any crime,"

He did not offer resistance.

"He carried his own ID and identified himself. It is not certain to whom we should send the man -- the team or the embassy."

Well, since he still has a valid visa, they can't deport him, he was compliant and cooperative with the authorities and he comitted no crimes! Therefore, he is to be returned to his team, given new guidelines as to what he must and must not do while in Japan and not placed in the japanese concentretion camp.....uh...I mean detention center.

Yeah, his poor wife is going to whoop his ass. Good.

Things must be pretty bad back in his home country to have to take this risk. Maybe we all need to understand this man and why he resorted to this option.

This was an act of desperation. I'm white, came to Japan over a decade ago after studying the language/culture for many years, was independent from day 1, still the life had been very difficult, at least until I become self-employed, breaking free from all the tiresome interactions with the japanese.

Now imagine you being black, no japanese language skills, no visa...... the guy should have waited until the Paris Olympics, but again, this was an act of desperation.... poor guy didnt have a clue this is not one of those pathologically altruistic white societies, the guy got literally hunted down like an animal

He’s purported by unverified sources to have been training for a similar, upcoming marathon event slated for Paris 2024.

When international eyes are on Japan they certainly treat foreigners differently. Anyone else Amy Amy other time he would be in the detention centre for months.

EXACTLY!

I'm happy to deport anyone who's broken the law but what's the crime or deportable offence here? Presumably he still has a valid visa stamped into his passport for 90 days. The decision by the Ugandans to cut him from the team and send him home doesn't instantly cancel his visa, does it?

That is an EXCELLENT point.

BLACK LIFE MATTER.....

Where our activists???

Lets team up to start the campaign ..

Whom we need to impeach next for this...

Seems like you're trying to make a point, but what is it exactly?

Technically he has not broken any laws, so the police can do nothing. Only advise him to return to Tokyo with the team.

. . . And also clear Japan’s current government agencies have no clue what to do in most situations:

“It is not certain to whom we should send the man -- the team or the embassy."

Under world scrutiny (Not just Olympics but also for alleged, continuing detainee violations), Japan is making it abundantly clear about their humane treatment of this individual: . . .

“Today, the man was found, with no injuries,

no involvement in any crime,"

"He carried his own ID, identified himself.

He did not offer resistance.

He was talking frankly.

We are still questioning him about his motive,"

. . .

I'm happy to deport anyone who's broken the law but what's the crime or deportable offence here? Presumably he still has a valid visa stamped into his passport for 90 days. The decision by the Ugandans to cut him from the team and send him home doesn't instantly cancel his visa, does it?

The only issue is that he didn't fully quarantine for 14 days as required, but since the Ugandans were about to evict him from the Olympic village, is he really at fault? As long as he resumed his quarantine at the new address in Nagoya, I don't see a big problem. It's as if his Japanese hotel made a booking error and he had to find a new one. He's obviously not allowed to work but he's free to look around and talk to employers who might sponsor him for a visa. As long as he leaves before his visa runs out I think he's free to stay.

Athletes and other Olympic participants are subject to strict rules including regular testing and limits on their movement.

But he's no longer an Olympic participant. The only rules that apply now are the general quarantine rules that cover all foreign visitors in Japan.

"He carried his own ID and identified himself. It is not certain to whom we should send the man -- the team or the embassy."

I can't believe the officer even said that.

How was he planning to find work here? There must be an underground network to find jobs for illegal aliens.

When international eyes are on Japan they certainly treat foreigners differently. Anyone else Amy Amy other time he would be in the detention centre for months.

Things must be pretty bad back in his home country to have to take this risk. Maybe we all need to understand this man and why he resorted to this option.

""The 20-year-old had recently found out he would not be able to compete at the Tokyo Games, which open on Friday, because of a quota system.""

He is probably mad and disappointed after all the training and coming to Japan only to find out he is he can't compete!! terrible that's all there is to it.

Glad he was found before his visa expired.

I bet it's gonna be so emberasing for him to face his wife back home after leaving the note that he wasn't planning to return.

Ya think that kind of individual cares?

He should be deported immediately

Yes, deported...and persona non grata forever...

The same goes for the people who helped him out...

And put them on "that special list"

Only 4 days. That was pretty anit-climatic. I bet it's gonna be so emberasing for him to face his wife back home after leaving the note that he wasn't planning to return.

He should be deported immediately and the people that were harboring him should be investigated.