Foreigners' Rights in Japan

"Do foreigners really have 'human rights' in Japan? This book sheds light on the way Japan views foreigners by examining court cases initiated in the wake of the issuance of deportation orders. In some cases, foreign parents are ripped from daily lives by deportation orders and even separated from their Japan-born children. Foreigners go to court to apply for 'special permission to stay in Japan', which is only issued when the state finds special circumstances that should be taken into consideration that merit the granting of residence status. This book closely observes the court records of various cases involving requests for special permission to stay in Japan and explores the logic and ideology applied by the state to define the line between 'acceptable' and 'unacceptable' foreigners. As result, the system through which Japan, as a nation, 'evaluates' foreigners and determines the extent to which it will afford them rights is revealed"--