Hidden plight of detainees

[Hachiko]

'What did I do to the Japanese people," asks Merdem Yousif. "I came to Japan because I thought the people would be warm-hearted. It was my big mistake. I should have gone to another country."
The 34-year-old Kurdish man, wheelchair-bound as a result of abuse he claims he suffered at the hands of guards, has been locked up in the Ushiku Detention Center in Ibaraki Prefecture for the past year while waiting for his application for political asylum to be processed.

But instead of getting the asylum applied for eight years ago, he now finds himself in legal limbo. Worse, he calls the detention center "the same as prison."

When he submitted his first application, it was denied. He appealed against the first decision, but again his appeal was denied by the Ministry of Justice. Finally, he took his case to the Tokyo District Court for juridical review. His case is now before that court.

Japan Times