Burenda-kai Front page (Japanese)
petition in Japanese

Petition to "Request to Stop the Solicitation and Provision of Information of "Information Regarding Illegal Overstayers, etc." on the Homepage of the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau"

On 16 February 2004 the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau began accepting on their homepage "Information Concerning Foreigners who are Overstaying, etc."

At the Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan, together with the Executive Committee for the Movement for Foreign Workers' Livelihood and Human Rights, we published the enclosed petition, and brought it to the Ministry of Justice on 19 February. On the 19th when we presented our request, the Ministry officials replied, "Some people want to be able to provide information through e-mail, and we carried out their request for their convenience." They stated that they had absolutely no intention of infringing on human rights by pursuing convenience. In order to bring about the immediate cessation of this sort of information provision, we need to move against the the Ministry of Justice, and collect signatures from individuals and groups on this petition.

For the past several months, we have seen an increase in actions that fan anti-foreign prejudice and strengthen discrimination against them, such as the strengthening of crackdowns in the name of "Joint Declaration" of the Tokyo City Government, "Public Safety Measures," "Measures to Combat Foreign Criminals," and other such discriminatory language. The current "Encouragement of Information Provision on the Homepage" violates the human rights of foreigners, and moreover impels Japanese society to become a society of policing and secret reporting. Japanese citizens must raise their voices against this situation.

If you are in agreement with this position, whether you are a group or an individual, please fill out the form below and fax or e-mail it to the Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan office. We hope to collect signatures from as many people as possible.

Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan
Office Head: Yano Manami

Reply by FAX to: 03-5802-6034; e-mail fmwj@jca.apc.org by 15 March.



I approve of the Petition to "Request to Stop the Solicitation and Provision of Information of "Information Regarding Illegal Overstayers, etc." on the Homepage of the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau"

Group Approval

Group Name:______________________________________

Address:______________________________________

*Name of person in charge:______________________________________
*We will not publish the name of the person in charge, but we need it to contact you at a later date.


Individual Approval:

Name:______________________________________

I approve of my name being published: ____yes ____no

Affiliation:______________________________________

*Contact address:______________________________________

*We will not publish it but we need it to contact you at a later date.



(English)
2/19/2004

Minister of Justice
Mr. NOZAWA Daizo

Director General of the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau
Mr. MASUDA Nobuya


Request to Stop the Solicitation and Provision of Information on the Homepage of the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau

On 16 February 2004 the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau began accepting on their homepage "Information Concerning Foreigners who are Overstaying, etc." With this, if one inputs personal information such as the name, nationality, address, telephone number, workplace, or other information which would verify an individual, it is forwarded automatically as e-mail to the local immigration office in the jurisdiction, without disclosing the name, address, or e-mail address of the informant. Anyone could easily provide such information. We are deeply disturbed by this solicitation of information which one might call "Foreigner Hunting," and we request its immediate cessation.

There are over 2,000,000 foreigners now living in Japan. No matter what their visa status, they live, work, and commute to school, just like the rest of us. They are our colleagues and our neighbors. Foreigners who work in small-to-medium sized enterprises and factories, and on construction sites, are sustaining Japanese industry and the whole economy. Moreover, the strong rights consciousness that foreign workers hold is raising the consciousness of Japanese, and activities surrounding labor unions and human rights and peace are enlivened by them. When foreigners of many different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds live in our neighborhoods, Japanese learn mutual respect for others, becoming a more diverse and rich multiethnic society where many cultures can coexist. The e-mail information solicitation of the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau goes against this trend, induces residents to police foreigners, fans anti-foreign sentiment, and feeds the tendency to equate "foreigners" with "criminals." A system that polices and secretly reports as "criminals" the foreign residents who are our good neighbors and colleagues tramples the human rights of foreigners. We cannot permit this sort of system.

Facilitating the "easy" disclosure in secret of such personal information by e-mail harms the mutual trust of local residents and creates a society of suspicion. This undermines our democracy.

We request the Ministry of Justice to cease immediately the e-mail solicitation of information on its home-page that infringes upon the human rights of foreigners in Japan.

The best way to solve the problem of irregular stayers is to regularize their residency status according to the reality of their livelihoods in Japan. We ask that the Japanese government change this policy to one that moves us toward a multiethnic, multicultural, co-existent society.

Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan
Tokyo-to Bunkyo-ku Koishikawa 2-17-41 TCC2-203
Telephone: 03-5802-6033 Fax: 03-5802-6034
Representatives: OTSU Keiko, NIWA Masao, MURAYAMA Satoshi, MORIKI Kazumi, YUI Shigeru, WATANABE Hidetoshi

The Committee for the Day for Migrant Workers' Rights
Tokyo-to Taito-ku Ueno 1-1-12 Shinhirokouji Building 5F
c/o Zentoitsu Worker's Union
Telephone: 03-3836-9061 Fax: 03-3836-9077


(Tagalog)
2/19/2004

Minister of Justice
Mr. NOZAWA Daizo

Director General of the Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau
Mr. MASUDA Nobuya


Paki-usap upang Itigil ang Paglilikom at Pagbibigay ng Impormasyon sa Homepage ng Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau

Noong ika-16 ng Pebrero 2004, ang Ministry of Justice Immigration Control Bureau ay nagsimulang magtanggap sa kanilang homepage ng "Impormasyon Tungkol sa mga Dayuhan na Overstay, atbp." Kung ang isang tao ay maglagay ng personal na impormasyon tulad ng pangalan, nasyonalidad, tirahan, telepono, pinagtatrabahuan at iba pang impormasyon na magpapakilala sa isang tao, ito ay kaagad na naipapadala sa e-mail ng lokal na opisina ng Immigration na may kapangyarihan sa naturang lugar ng hindi nalalaman ang pangalan at tirahan ng taong nagpadala ng impormasyon. Kahit sino ay puedeng magpadala ng impormasyon. Kami ay lubos na nababahala sa ganitong pamamaraan ng paglilikom ng impormasyon na puedeng taguriang "Pangangaso ng mga Dayuhan" at pinapakiusap namin na agad itigil ito.

Mayroong 2 milyong dayuhan na naninirahan sa Japan. Ano man ang kanilang "visa status", sila ay namumuhay, nagtatrabaho, pumapasok sa paaralan katulad ng karamihan sa atin. Sila ay mga kasama at kapit-bahay natin. Ang mga dayuhan na nagtatrabaho sa maliliit at katamtamang mga kompanya at pagawaan o di kaya sa mga konstruksyon, ay tumutulong sa pagpapadaloy ng industriya at ng buong ekonomiya. Maliban dito, ang malakas na kamalayan ng mga dayuhan tungkol sa kanilang mga karapatan bilang mga manggagawa ay nakakatulong sa pagpapataas ng antas ng kamalayan ng mga Hapon tungkol sa mga gawain na may kaugnayan sa labor union, karapatang pantao at katahimikan. Kapag ang mga dayuhan na may iba't-ibang nasyonalidad at pananampalataya ay nakatira sa ating paligid, tayong mga Hapon ay natuto kung paano ang gumalang sa kapwa, magiging mayaman at malawak ang ating lipunan kung saan lahat ng kultura ay puedeng mamuhay na magkasama. Ang paglilikom ng impormasyon sa pamamagitan ng email ay isang salungat na hakbang at laban sa paglago ng ating lipunan, naghihikayat sa ating mga mamamayan na maging "police" ng mga dayuhan, gumagatong ng isang sentimento na laban sa mga dayuhan at nagpapalago ng isang pag-iisip na ang tingin sa mga dayuhan ay katumbas ng mga kriminal. Ang sistemang nagbabantay at palihim na nagsusuplong sa mga dayuhan na parang mga kriminal kahit na sila ay mabubuting kasama sa trabaho at mga kapitbahay ay isang pagtapak sa karapatang pantao ng mga dayuhan. Hindi namin pinapayagan ang ganitong uri ng sistema.

Ang paglalaganap ng isang madaling paraan na sekretong nagsusuplong ng personal na impormasyon sa pamamagitan ng email ay makakasira sa pagtitiwala ng mga lokal na residente sa bawat isa at nagbubuo ng isang lipunan na puno ng hinala. Ito ay makakasira sa ating demokrasya.

Hinihiling namin sa Ministry of Justice na agad itigil ang paglilikom ng impormasyon sa pamamagitan ng email sa kanilang homepage dahil ito ay lantarang paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng mga dayuhan dito sa Japan.

Ang pinakamaganda na solusyon sa problema ng mga irregular na nananatili dito ay gawing regular ang kanilang paninirahan ayon sa kanilang kakayanan na mamuhay at magtrabaho dito sa Japan. Hinihiling namin na baguhin ng pamahalaang Hapon ang patakaran na ito at palitan ng isang magdadala sa atin tungo sa isang lipunan kung saan ano mang nasyonalidad, kultura at pananampalataya ay puedeng mamuhay ng matiwasay at sama-sama.


Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan
Tokyo-to Bunkyo-ku Koishikawa 2-17-41 TCC2-203
Telephone : 03-5802-6033 fax: 03-5802-6034
Representatives: Otsu Keiko, Niwa Masao, Murayama Satoshi, Moriki Kazumi, Yui Shigeru, Watanabe Hidetoshi

The Committee for the day for Migrant Worker's Rights
Tokyo-to Taito-ku Ueno 1-1-12 Shinhirokouji Bldg. 5f
C/o Zentoitsu Worker's Union
Telephone: 03-3836-9061 Fax: 03-3836-9077




Catholic Commission of Japan for Migrants, Refugees and People on the Move
Protest against asking the public to send in by email information about illegal foreign residents

*Immigration Bureau introduces 'xenophobic' homepage (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Feb. 21, 2004)

*Service to rat online on illegal aliens a racist ploy: Amnesty / japantimes February 21, 2004

*Amnesty Int'l urges Japan to stop illegal alien online tip service / kyodo February 20, 8:37 PM

*Web site lets locals rat on foreigners / japantimes February 20, 2004


kyodo
Friday February 20, 8:37 PM

Amnesty Int'l urges Japan to stop illegal alien online tip service

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International Japan on Friday called on the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau to stop its recently launched service to receive e-mail tips on suspected illegal aliens, saying it promotes racism.

The group said in a statement that the Immigration Bureau is "encouraging reports without any concrete proof."

Immigration officials responded by saying the service for informants is "simply part of measures to computerize" such information.

They added that receiving tips does not mean authorities will immediately move to apprehend suspected illegal residents.

On Monday, the Immigration Bureau introduced a section on its Web site that allows people to send tips on the identity, address or workplace of undocumented foreigners.

On Monday and Tuesday alone, the bureau received tips on about 100 people through the new service. It also asks informants to indicate why they are reporting someone and offers preset options.

Amnesty said the preset options, such as "causing anxiety" or "causing a nuisance to the neighborhood," are unrelated to the offense of staying in Japan illegally and will "fan aversion and anxiety" toward non-Japanese.

Once a report is submitted to the Web site, it is automatically sent to regional immigration bureaus, which have jurisdiction over workplaces in Japan where foreigners may be employed.

Japanese law enforcement authorities are cracking down on foreigners who overstay their visas. In particular, the Tokyo metropolitan government wants to halve the number of its illegal aliens in the next five years.

For 2002, the bureau said it received tips on 75,000 people by phone or mail, as well as e-mail forwarded to the ministry.