春雨直播app

As the title suggests, this book considers the power that the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Services Agency of Japan) exercises as an administrative body, from the perspectives of sociology, political science, and political philosophy.
 
The Immigration Bureau has the authority to monitor the movements of people to/from Japan, grant residence status to foreigners staying in Japan, and detain or deport foreigners who have lost their residence status, among other powers. Although most foreign residents who do not have a permanent residence status are familiar with this administrative institution, since they are required to visit these offices to renew their residence status, many Japanese people have no contact or have only limited information about this government office, except when they travel overseas. However, the Immigration Bureau in Japan drew significant attention over a recent incident in 2021, when a Sri Lankan woman lost her life in the detention facility of the Nagoya Immigration Bureau. The horrific violence involved in the case shocked the Japanese public, and the media reporting was extensive.
 
Nevertheless, this case is certainly not an exception, as violence is prevalent at the Immigration Bureau, a fact that is well known among those involved in the field. Since 1997, at least 21 deaths within the Immigration Bureau detention centers or during repatriation, including that of the Sri Lankan woman, have been reported by the Japan Lawyers Network for Refugees (http://www.jlnr.jp/jlnr/?page_id=3277). Moreover, around the time of this specific incident, several cases of violence by Immigration Bureau staff in detention centers were revealed through issues raised by lawyers, journalists, and supporters and by the assertions of the victims. Under these circumstances, it has been highlighted that the violence within the Immigration Bureau arises from the extensive discretion of its administration and the historical context surrounding its establishment during the occupation period after the Asia-Pacific War.
 
However, academic discussion on the Immigration Bureau in Japan outside of the field of legal studies is limited. This book refers to debates in sociology, political studies, political philosophy, and related areas by (a) examining fundamental questions such as, “Why does the Immigration Bureau administration have such broad discretion?” “Why are assertions made by detainees not believed?” “What type of places are Immigration Bureau detention facilities? Is their power absolute?” and (b) seeking to understand the characteristics of the power represented by the Immigration Bureau. Simultaneously, it discusses the realities of undocumented migrants, who are caught in the power of the Immigration Bureau but try to resist, as well as the practices of civil society, and it provides normative arguments regarding the power held by the Immigration Bureau. Through these explorations, it aims to question the myth of the absolute nature of the immigration control administration, both factually and normatively. We hope this book will be picked up by those who learn about the various forms of violence perpetrated by the Immigration Bureau and wonder, “What exactly is the role of the Immigration Bureau?”
 

(Written by TAKAYA Sachi, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / 2024)