Japan forces a harsh choice on children of migrant families

Ah, 2 decades here and still need an interpreter. They have to go back. India does NOT oppress Sikh people. Sikhs have a good reputation when it comes to business and as foot soldiers. They often are part of the upper class in India as well. They want to stay in Japan because obviously its a much better country, but they have to make something out of India, otherwise nothing in India will get better.

If anything, Europe, U.S and Australia can learn a thing or two and copy Japan.

Get an on-line college degree in English. Try to start on-line start-up business between Japan and India or work for Japanese companies trying to break into India(next economic powerhouse overtaking Japan soon). Make yourself valuable in the eyes of the Japanese government then tables might turn. Good luck to you.

TohkaNOV. 25, 2016 - 05:35PM JST

That is still no excuse for having this case open for twenty six years.

Let us read the article.

All of the family’s four asylum applications have been rejected and they are now applying again. In 2010, Bharpoor said he was detained for 10 months after the third application was denied.

They filed petition for asylum 4 times. When a petition for asylum was conclusively turned down, they simply filed another petition. And now they are filing their 5th petition. They are lucky that Japan does not have court contempt.

That is still no excuse for having this case open for twenty six years. Even with an in-depth appeals/judicial objections process that is simply way too long.

Even 15 years sounds like a breeze to where it's at now.

KTdidNOV. 25, 2016 - 01:55AM JST

@Juzetto Agree with you 100%. Xenophobic is an understatement and it's shameful that these families are kept in limbo, not for one or two years, but 15 years?

First of all, the Indian family was able to leave Japan at any time.

Second, if they keep appealing, they can extend the legal process for years. A petition for asylum is first filed at district immigration bureau. If it is turned down, they can appeal to regional immigration bureau. If the appeal is turned down, they can appeal to the Minister of Justice. If it is turned down, they can file judicial review at district court, then high court, then finally the supreme court. Then, they can file an objection to deportation at district court, high court and then the supreme court. And the process goes on and on. Each process may take months and they add up to years.

Wow where do these people get off coming to a country overstaying their visas have kids and expect to get residency! The parents are responsible for their kids. What does he mean someone has to tie the kids turbin he said he want to be Japanese and love Japan but keep his customs. Japan look at the US if you let this happen before you know it Japan will become India. The law is the law the kids take the parents nationality regardless if they were born in Japan deport them and tell them their vacation is over. They broke the law and expect to be rewarded I say send them back soon! I feel sorry for the kids not the parents. I say to the kids slap your parents for give g you a poor situation.

Pt 2 ..refugee crisis. I think Japan still needs to be doing more in this regard, seem to be a few posters on JT who have been outside of their birth countries for a bit too long to be out of touch with things. Not suggesting an open door policy but a system more commensurate with an economy and member of the international community like Japan - 27 out of 14,000? That's disgraceful.

@Juzetto Agree with you 100%. Xenophobic is an understatement and it's shameful that these families are kept in limbo, not for one or two years, but 15 years? It's outrageous despite all the comments here suggesting that they broke the law. If the law was broken then the government should have taken swift action to remove the 'offenders' within a reasonable period of time. My point is, this family could have been making a meaningful contribution to society all this time rather than relying on charity as well, the government wasting it's own resources time and money defending a system that is broken.

You have a big house with four rooms

Room 1 = You live here Room 2 = It's your best buddy's room, he pays you some rent. Room 3 = You rent it to a foreign student, he will stay until end of year. Room 4 = Empty

In a random day, your best buddy forgot closing the door. When you return home, you suddendly find someone in the Room 4. You ask person in Room 4 to get out your house, he tells you that he will leave soon.

Year ends, and your best buddy got married and found a new house, the foreign student returned to his home country and the Room 4 person is still there. He tells you: come on man, let me stay. look! you have a lot of room now and i am getting married

Bite your parent's ear because it's their fault and not Japanese Government fault or Japanese society fault.

Japan DOES share in the blame because for decades they have FAILED to make a decision, Japan ALLOWS these refugees to "exist" in LIMBO with a FALSE sense of possible hope, pretty cold stuff!

The parents are at fault for HAVING kids in HOPING they that will allow them to stay, LOTS of blame to go round BUT IF Japan had simply dealt with the issue fairly or as is typical un-fairly, it WOULD have been dealt with BEFORE children had been brought into this world to be pawns!

It's not the Japanese governments fault that the children's parents broke the law. The parents are responsible for their predicament. There are plenty of places in northern India where Sikhs can live in peace. They wanted to live in Japan for some reason although they never gained lawful authorization to remain there. The children should be furious at their parents for what they did to them. Transferring responsibility to the Japanese is to misplace blame.

@juzetto:Also, learning Japanese and surviving in this hostile environment (I am Caucasian, got my PhD in Japan, female, with a great job and still encounter a ton of racism and discrimination...

I am really tired d people making statements like the one above. How hostile is the environment here? Are threatened everyday by someone who thinks your religion or cultural background is different? Or do you have to struggle with violence while in Japan? Or do you have to fight for your food while you are here because you chose to stay? Even though you got your Ph. D. here, you have missed a bigger lesson which is that what you perceive as a hostile environment in Japan is INDEED your lack of understanding of the locals' shyness and their ways of trying not to create "mebdokusai" situations for people like you. Call me an apologist or whatever you like. Still, in the Japanese society reciprocity is very important and you usually get back what you give away. Do you still wander why some people make long-lasting friendships with local people and others think the environment is hostile?

Whilst Australia's system has become stricter it is still considered fair and I'd like to say we are doing our bit to help with the worldwide rec

Bite your parent's ear because it's their fault and not Japanese Government fault or Japanese society fault.

What a sad sad case.......I feel sorry for the kids they are pawns in their parents mistakes. And shame on Japan for not dealing with their case in a timely manner.

If they denied them refugee status they should have been deported, then this sad sorry mess would never have been allowed to happen, sadly its likely going to get worse for all concerned

I wonder how easy it is to 'get permission' to travel outside the prefecture they live in? I would have thought that it might help them find work if they could travel more freely.

TigersTokyoDomeNOV. 24, 2016 - 04:12PM JST

My home town of London has shocking crime and huge illegal immigration. The vast majority of robberies come from our own lovely homogenic Londoners.

I understand illegal immigrants in the UK are subject to deportation. Why does it shock you to find illegal immigrants are subject to deportation in Japan?

DocCarlosNOV. 24, 2016 - 05:34PM JST

Too bad the world does not recognize that there is only one race and WE CALL IT THE HUMAN RACE

Race is one thing. Citizenship is quite another. Foreign nationals are not entitled to live in a country unless they have a valid visa.

I thought that the US of Trumpland were racists, I see Japan thought the Trumpeteers on proper lose no faith discrimination. Too bad the world does not recognize that there is only one race and WE CALL IT THE HUMAN RACE. WE ARE ALL THE SAME tIME TO START THINKING THAT WAY

Stay or go, for me the biggest question and problem with this is ... why has this taken so, so long?

Either way, this should have been resolved long ago.

Go back to India is best for these people. Just because the kids were born in Japan does not make them Japanese. The country of India is not war torn....

"And they have religious needs such as a vegetarian diet and wearing turbans" Looks like they made no effort to live a Japanese lifestyle, maybe they should go back to their home country if they value their culture above the country they are residing?

“We really don’t want to go back to India. Please give us visas.” How about no. India is neither a war torn country nor run by dictatorship. they aren't even refugees

Any couples who come to Japan illegally are taking a risk by assuming if they give birth to children in Japan that those children will be able to stay. Sadly it may well be that Japan (and Australia) have got it right with immigration by ensuring that only those who apply through legal channels have any chance of immigrating. Word travels quickly and people know Japan almost takes no immigrants so most wouldn't even both trying.

legal immigration, skilled,necessary,contributing and evolving the host country, all others go back and work on your own country and make it proper.. running away is never a solution.

Im sorry but this is just shocking right wing rhetoric. These countries have fallen apart because of their political and military dictatorships. The populace cannot do anything to improve life. Skilled immigration only? Whats so wrong with immigrants supporting the unskilled roles? Most home nationalities dont want those jobs anyway. Youd like this perfect world of lawyer and banker migration?

And als o about comlon sense: do they look Japanese in their behaviour ? Vegetarian, religion fanatics,specific clothes. It seems to me they want all the cake.

My home country is flooded with those people. They have a home country, remember!

And my country has been fighting against people like you since 1939 and still today we go on the streets and stop the right wing from pushing their racist agenda.

Sorry to say but you say yes tot his family, millions will come. India population: over a billion. Sikh: a few %. Learn maths and common sense.

And als o about comlon sense: do they look Japanese in their behaviour ? Vegetarian, religion fanatics,specific clothes. It seems to me they want all the cake.

My home country is flooded with those people. They have a home country, remember!

I dont want to live in a place where I need to worry someone would rob me because they cant work legally, I dont want to live in place where my partner would be told to cover up cause her dress is too short and i dont want to live in a place where half the hood dont speak the language of the country I am in.

Goodness me this gets worse. Dont you ever get around to reading Japanese news? There is crime here and it comes by way of homogenic Shinto Japanese. Very rarely from illegal immigrants. My home town of London has shocking crime and huge illegal immigration. The vast majority of robberies come from our own lovely homogenic Londoners.

And why on earth would your partner need to cover up if Japan allowed a few Sikh's to live here?

Like I said I come from a city with huge illegal immigration and even there you will not find half the hood unable to speak English.

Gursewak’s parents, who are Sikhs, fled to Japan from India in the 1990s.

Were there Sikh refugees from India in the 90s? Yes there were. It seems that the mood in India was anti-Sikh, for a number of reasons, including militant movements, the assassination of Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, and the demands for a Sikh homeland... I skimmed a couple of articles, it's a complex history. However, their refugee status may well be a valid one, and returning now may put their lives in danger

Human Rights Watch reported that since 1984, the government forces have resorted to widespread human rights violations to fight the militants, including arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention without trial, torture, and summary killings of civilians and suspected militants. Family members were frequently detained and tortured to reveal the whereabouts of relatives sought by the police The organisation International Human Rights Organization claims that several Sikh women were reportedly gang-raped and molested by the Punjab Police and the Indian security forces during house to house searches. It also claims that looting of the villagers' properties and the ransacking of entire villages occurred during this period. Amnesty International has also alleged several cases of disappearances, torture, rape and unlawful detentions by the police during Punjab insurgency, for which 75-100 police officers had been convicted by December 2002. Source in link below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalistan_movement#Assassination_of_Indira_Gandhi_and_massacre_of_Sikhs

Although Japan did drag this case a bit too long, once you placed on provisional release - you already received the letter saying please leave , provisional release is in fact a nice way of deportation ( instead of keeping you locked up until someone gathers you the necessary cash for the tix ) so , legally they should have been on the airplane back home as soon as that happened.

Japan has no obligations whatsoever to accept any refugees, Japan is not involved in any wars, contributing nicely around the world and protective of its original society which is exactly why its culture is so desirable around the world.

So,they make it much harder to become part of it and I totally applaud that, I dont want to live in a place where I need to worry someone would rob me because they cant work legally, I dont want to live in place where my partner would be told to cover up cause her dress is too short and i dont want to live in a place where half the hood dont speak the language of the country I am in.

I got nothing again legal immigration, skilled,necessary,contributing and evolving the host country, all others go back and work on your own country and make it proper.. running away is never a solution.

The children could stay in Japan legally if the parents returned to their country of origin. Immigration officials confirmed such an arrangement exists, but said the offer was only made in cases where the family first raised it.

That is not accurate. The children may stay if they have a legal guardian in Japan. Regardless, the illegal parents must go back to the country of their nationality.

Does anyone remember Noriko Calderon case? http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/03/06/national/calderons-hopeful-as-end-game-approaches/#.WDZ4rdKLTDc

The child could stay in Japan because her Filipina aunt who lives in Japan legally pledged to take care of her.

A sad comment on the backward, insular, clannish worldview of the Japanese govt, particularly the Justice Ministry. I`ve passed this story on to friends in the media outside Japan in hopes that it will find a wider audience - the govt occassionally responds to embarrassment.

While there were almost 14,000 asylum cases under review at the end of 2015, Japan accepted only 27 refugees last year. The year before that, the number was 11.

That statistic is an absolute disgrace. And in a country where they are struggling to keep the pension pot filled, where rural towns are vanishing, and where they are struggling with the birth rate.

Lots of patronising western posts here preaching about immigration law this and go back home that. Anyone who is British, Japan, American, Australian, Western European etc should be truly thankful that we were born and raised in prosperous and rich societies. Do you think those unfortunate people who were born in India, Africa, Syria, Iraq etc had any choice in their lives of poverty and persecution? Think yourselves fortunate.

But, they are not and never will be Japanese under Japanese law.

Both sides are to blame for this fiasco.

I am from Europe and can tell you that Japan is 100X more xenophobic than the Old Continent. For one, asylum seekers receive state aid while many of the migrants to Japan actually want to work and sustain THEMSELVES, mostly by doing jobs that the Japanese would not or could not do. I mean, does Abe really expect women and the elderly to do the roadworks? Also, learning Japanese and surviving in this hostile environment (I am Caucasian, got my PhD in Japan, female, with a great job and still encounter a ton of racism and discrimination... I cannot even imagine what other people who are less fortunate than me might go through) is no small feat. Anyone who is not only willing but wanting to stay in the country despite these odds deserves to be given a chance. On top of that, what screwed-up brain came up with the genious idea of separating kids and parents? Does Japan want to raise more psychopaths? Do they really think that their orphanage system is so great? Almost no kids get adopted here and the inter-family relations (there are exceptions of course) are super cold by Western standards (which I can speak for). Yes, the Japanese (especially the bureaucrats) like to follow rules, fulfil duties and act like perpetual robots: never see the human side, think outside the box or act in a way that would indicate they actually have blood flowing in their veins. No question, I have met many Japanese folks who defy these criteria but they struggle as much in their own country as any foreigner would. They are the ones who are trying to change the system and make the country more livable.

and that is a prerequisite to life in Japan. you are expected to be a contribution

Imo nothing wrong with that: when one moves to a new country and is granted permission to settle in, he/she should do his/her utmost to contribute i.e. work, pay taxes, embrace their new culture, educate their kids (if applicable), live lawfully etc. No new migrant should have a sense of entitlement and expect their new country to provide free healthcare, shelter, social benefits etc without anything in return just because they are coming from a poorer nation, are political refugees etc.

For this to work, the new country must provide opportunities to the migrant and basically 'a fair go'. In this case, these ppl weren't given any opportunity although they were given 'some sort of assistance": free school, shelter etc. That's where imo japan were wrong, they sort of 'tolerated' these ppl in their country for 20 odd years (!!), gave them access to the basics yet didn't offer them the chance to prove that they could contribute. They basically desocialized them for 20 years and are now asking them to leave.

Meanwhile as long as you have a JAPANESE as a family member (a true partner, a kid to be born, or even a kid from a previous marriage you don't even know where it is) you're granted status.

This isn't always the case. The man who died in custody while being put on a plane "home" was married to a Japanese woman.

We are all on the same boat, and you know exactly what many japanese think about us in general, so be positive and stop judging other fellow foreigners. No, we are not. I came here legally and stay legally. I have no doubts that many Japanese have issues with non-Japanese being here but that isn't what this is about. This is about a family who came here illegally, played the system, lost. Suggesting this is the same boat that I and other are in is laughable.

I've already commented that I think the asylum system here needs to be changed. I'm all for that. I'm not for giving out pity visas though, more so to folks who came illegally.

Not to be heartless but after two decades in Japan,the parents still need interpreters?

How I learned Japanese:

Language school (which required money)

Working (which required permission)

Social interaction (which required money)

I'm sure the parents have basic Japanese, but is anyone (including your average Suzuki Taro) really expected to be conversant in legalese?

tmarie you have a point, but how about the same "illegals" on provisional release that in theory have no means to support a family and end up getting a visa within months on provisional release? What I was trying to say is take a look at this family. They don't have "japanese blood" in their veins. This is the real reason they aren't accepted. Same happens to all refugee/illegal families from many countries. Meanwhile as long as you have a JAPANESE as a family member (a true partner, a kid to be born, or even a kid from a previous marriage you don't even know where it is) you're granted status. And once again... +sigh+ .... for narrow minded commenters here...... it REALLY can happen to anyone here, coming illegaly or not. OK, the last case I got just last week (I translate in 5 Bar Associations) = an american who got driving with his license expired. Still had 1.5 months (out of 12) of his visa left. He was "invited" to the prosecutor's office just to be told the court process for his "heinous offense" would take 2 months and he needed to stay in Japan. The american pledged to him he would go to the Immigration on the same day to renew his visa to be sure he would stay in Japan to go to court and pay the fine (never intended to leave Japan anyway) but the heartless prosecutor chose to send him to a japanese detention center (where all sorts of criminals wait their court day). Not only he was sent to that place for a traffic offense NO japanese would ever be sent for, but he also "expired" his visa there and became an "illegal". That's it folks, one slip and you become the "illegal" that you demonize. The american is fine though, already on provisional release and about to sort all this out, as he just married his japanese girlfriend. We are all on the same boat, and you know exactly what many japanese think about us in general, so be positive and stop judging other fellow foreigners.

Alex Einz, it is clear that these parents made a rubbish life choice, but there again their lives must have been pretty awful back home. But the fact is that the Japanese authorities have allowed this to drag since 2001 and should have made a decision one way or the other. And if the authorities have granted residency to the children, it makes no sense to kick the parents out.

You were invited because they saw some value in your contribution ( if you in fact were invited and not just argumenting yourself ) and that is a prerequisite to life in Japan. you are expected to be a contribution - that does say so in visa regulations and laws, maybe you should try reading these - you do need to respect it.

If you came with your family from abroad, and are a "foreigner" yourself (even being born here) they simply see you as an outsider. How crazy is this logic? This system needs to change.

You might want to look more into this issue. "Our" countries are the minority in this. Canada has been looking into doing more to stop anchor babies and "tourism births" just to get passports - which it seems is perhaps what this family was trying to do. Why else have kids if you have no job, no means to support a family and are living as outlaws and unwanted? The majority of the world, like Japan, doesn't believe that just because you are born in a country makes you a national of said country. Pros and cons to this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_soli

I think you are the one that have reading disabilities. Find jobs - is a prereq to getting work visas, absolutely normal process that many many many foreigners go thru every year here. If you come as tourist, overstay illegally and then get caught ... you obviously cant work. As was in their case. Racism because if you come to homogenic Shinto society to live you are expected to comply to society standards. It aint a country of immigrants like Oz or USA, you are expected to assimilate and comply to Japan standards - and if you dont like it get the hell out , nobody invited you over in the first place. I do like Natto and I do go to temple on key dates if you need my personal assurance.

Speaking through a Punjabi interpreter, an immigration official quizzed the Singhs about their lives.

Not to be heartless but after two decades in Japan,the parents still need interpreters?

People doing their jobs without actually thinking about it. Japan really needs to come up to speed on these issues.

I agree we need to work harder to be more accepting of foreigners, but I don't think that's the main issue here. Being accepting of foreigners and tolerating illegal immigration are two separate issues.

Like other commentators said, these are illegal immigrants. I know our refugee system is not great but we cannot just allow anyone to circumvent it. It exists for a reason.

That being said, I think we should develop some kind of mechanism to allow people in this situation to correct their status and become legal migrants.

"Rules are rules", they say. Japan is a country of "rules", but there are always exceptions. For any particular "rule" it is possible to find someone who has been allowed to bend the "rule", thereby proving that the "rule" is nothing but a guideline that can be applied arbitrarily, depending on the mood of the person enforcing it.

You can see this approach to enforcing "rules" in the article: if the parents leave the children become eligible to stay in Japan. One minute the children are illegal aliens and must be removed, the next they are eligible for residence.

The government should make up its mind quickly, instead of allowing these cases to fester for decades.

But I honestly can't understand why anyone seeking asylum would come to Japan. Why not go somewhere more accepting, like Australia, Europe, or Canada?

Because even in 1992, just like today, Indian passport holders could not simply buy a ticket and board a flight to Australia, Europe or Canada without first going through rigorous screening at the local consulate to get a tourist visa. It's likely that Japan was the softest target and that's why they ended up here.

Enough with those tear stories... His parents came here illegally, trying to bullshit the government that they are refugees and work here illegally. They as evident from the photo are not interested in assimilation into Japanese society and had kids while being illegals in hopes that this would anchor them here. On other hand they could come here , find jobs, go thru the process of acquiring proper work visas and in few years could have permanent residence.. and their children would have been sorted.

They chose the originally easier way and now they and their kids are paying for it, as they should .

Is an immigrant somebody who moves from one country into another? Or somebody born in the second country? Or both?

Common sense says the second one.

Governments without fail (the US being an exception but who knows for how long) choose the last one.

Pre-empting the question, to what extent are governments governed by common sense? And before someone answers that governments are governed by the law, that is not always true either.

ZERO consideration from the "Immigration" (what they call 入国管理局=Entry Control Bureau in japanese)....... kudos to the media reporting the true Japan to the world... guess what, been in the same thing, but in the end they gave me a visa within 1 year on provisional release. The BIG difference is my wife is japanese. No matter if you're illegal or not, as long as you're not a scammer, marrying a japanese national automatically make them change their instance. I know people that got the visa without seeing their wife or kids for months.... so the keyword here is: "LINK" to Japan. If you're married/have a japanese kid = they accept you in their society. If you came with your family from abroad, and are a "foreigner" yourself (even being born here) they simply see you as an outsider. How crazy is this logic? This system needs to change.

Sorry for your situation. your parents should have taught you to speak your native language fluently and should have foreseen that your family can be sent home once caught by immigration officers.

These aren't migrants. They are illegal immigrants. I feel very sorry for these kids/adults because their parents did not follow proper procedures and played the system and lost. Every country should have the right to decide who they allow in and who they allow to stay. I am disgusted with Japan and their lack of asylum granted to those really in need but I get tired of these type of stories because the facts are often distorted or aren't even told - why dd they leave India? Why can't they go back? Why are a husband and wife having kids if they can't even legally work and can't financially support a family? I'm more included to support a Syrian family to come to Japan than allow this family to stay.

Japan throwing away perfectly good potential new citizens who have learned the language and culture and want to stay in the country. No wonder there's a labor shortage. Such a short-sighted waste for the sake of "rules".

painful

It's difficult to say which is more sad and depressing, the story itself or the heartless comments underneath.

Well, they should have deported them long ago then. A little bit too late for that right? I fell sorry for their children who were born in Japan.

I also find the comparisons with Europe to be deceiving.

Anyone can see from the headlines that all of this immigration and refugees to Europe has been a disaster. On a daily basis one reads about rampant crime in many parts of Europe that accepted these refugees.

If Japan wants to protect its borders and its national identity, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nor is it wrong when other nations do it either.

This is a very sad and troubling story, and I feel awful for those families. But I honestly can't understand why anyone seeking asylum would come to Japan. Why not go somewhere more accepting, like Australia, Europe, or Canada?

Saw this guy on the news yesterday and obviously felt sorry for him. Having said that I couldn't help thinking 'why the hell did they choose Japan in the first place!?' If I were Indian/Asian and wanted to live under the radar somewhere I would probably choose Thailand where its fairly easy to open a small biz and living costs are reasonably cheap (in fact a fair few Indians live there).

Then if I wanted to apply for asylum Japan would be very, very, very low on my list, especially as a Sikh (who are not, whether we like it or not, on the 'most persecuted ppl around the world list').

Although I get J govt (and others like Oz) strong stance re illegal immigrants I still think they should have handled this particular case, and many others, far more quickly. After 20 years in Japan the damage has been done. They should at the very least work on a solution with the family.

Chop Chop: Well, they have to go back to India because India was not in civil war.

Refugee from caste system?

Well, they have to go back to India because India was not in civil war. Public opinion won’t change Government policy. Gursewak Singh family was not alone and there are many economy asylum seekers in Japan. Everyone wants to live and work freely in Japan because it better than their country even thought they have to work at restaurant, construction and other cleaning job.

I think Japanese Government should introduce one year work permit to current illegal alien who came to Japan with Tourist Visa. So Government can track those peoples where they live and where they work

@some14some.....Do much reading before commenting?

Seems to me that getting tortured would be cause enough to seek a life somewhere else.

According to court documents from two trials related to his status in Japan, Bharpoor said he was arrested by the Indian police and tortured. He pointed to a scar on his right foot that he said was the result of being given electric shocks.

According to the state police in Punjab, Bharpoor was arrested in March 1989 for allegedly “giving shelter to terrorists and keeping their weapons at his home.” He was tried and found not guilty, and released in November that year.

Satwinder Singh, a police officer in the Hoshiarpur district where the case was filed, said he couldn’t confirm whether Bharpoor was tortured by the police but that it was “quite common to torture the Sikh youth at the time who were arrested for alleged involvement in terrorist activities.”

oldman_13NOV. 24, 2016 - 06:54AM JST Sad for them, but sadly, rules are rules as unfair as they may be.

To say that "rules are rules" while acknowledging them to be unfair in the same breath is to say you're okay with completely needless human suffering as long as it happens under government decree. And presumably, as long as it happens to someone else.

Gursewak’s parents, who are Sikhs, fled to Japan from India in the 1990s.

why?

“We really don’t want to go back to India. Please give us visas.”

why?

In this case here I wonder if the authorities and the family could work out a deal for them to move to a third country that has a community where they would be accepted.

The government officials are being anal about separating families like this, probably think that if they let one go through the rest will have to be allowed as well. They don't care one bit about the families and people themselves.

Sad for them, but sadly, rules are rules as unfair as they may be.

They came to Japan and stayed illegally, extending their stay by claiming refugee status based on flimsy reasons.