Immigrants in Japanese detainment center go on hunger strike

After an immigrant being held at a Japanese detainment center died from hunger strike earlier this year, 10 more detainees have gone on hunger strike to protest their detainment.

Why is this happening? Japan's immigration centers are largely criticised for holding detainees who have received deportation orders for extremely long periods of time and the medical facilities, medical care and other facilities are reportedly poor. When a non Japanese citizen without legal status in Japan receives a deportation order from the government 2 things must happen for them to be deported. 1. They must have the funds to pay for their ticket out of the country. 2. The country they are being deported to has to agree on their deportation. Obviously if the person can't legally work and has no funds, the first condition is impossible, some countries also refuse to accept their deported citizens. This means these people end up in these detention centers for years on end with no way out. 

Last year after an Indian man committed suicide after being detained at the facility. Following this 40 other detainees went on hunger strike to protest the conditions at the immigration detainment facility. Many people criticise these facilities as a violation of human rights because the immigrants can be held there indefinitely and don't have to provide reasoning to do such. Many of these people are running from terrible conditions in their home country and returning to their country is a life or death matter. 

Japan is notorious for taking in very few asylum seekers and it seems as if these facilities and their practices won't be changing any time soon.