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Japanese PhD Student Faces US Deportation Over Minor Infractions (www.tokyoweekender.com)

submitted 10 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

To preface this comment, I in no way support this action and think he should stay. It's important to also know that Japan is very restrictive with their visas. I knew someone who lived and worked in Japan for 7 years until she fell into depression and was hospitalized briefly. That mental health diagnosis was enough for the Japanese government to cancel her visa. She lost her job and had to leave her boyfriend of 4 years who she lived with.

[+] [email protected] -9 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I doubt they would have cancelled the visa. Immigration doesn't have access to your medical records. It is more likely that they may not have renewed her working visa if she was currently unemployed. Unfortunate but you have to follow the rules of the visa.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not sure how easy for Japan's Immigration to have seen those medical records.

But from sources ( https://www.bn.emb-japan.go.jp/consular/criteria/_of/_visa/_issuance.htm and https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4235/en ) it seems like the following applies:

Article 5. Any alien who falls within any one of the following items shall be denied permission for landing in Japan :
(2) Any person who is mentally defective as prescribed by the Law Concerning Mental Health and Welfare For the Mental Disabled

And from that law,

Article 5 The term "person with a mental disorder or disability" as used in this Act means an individual with schizophrenia, acute addiction to, or dependency on, a psychoactive substance, intellectual disability, psychopathy or any other form of psychiatric disorder

(Dealing with different English translations of the Japanese originals likely explains the slight discrepancies in wording here.)

Finally, Google's AI overview confirms,

Depression, also known as major depressive disorder, is a psychiatric disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest, and a range of other symptoms that can significantly affect daily functioning. It's a complex condition influenced by genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.

Also, there's a forum thread over at https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0%20174499 which states,

Their main concern is that you aren't going to move to Japan and be hospitalised immediately (or drop dead).

But perhaps since a hospitalisation occurred in this case, that's why it was treated so strictly.

There's also https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0%20173504 which says,

If you work in Japan you’ll need to undergo a quite complete medical exam before starting your work (results are provided to your employer) and then do an other exam organized by your company or school on a yearly basis.

So while I'm still unsure about the exact mechanism of enforcement, it seems that Japan Immigration is supposed to know or be informed about these kinds of situations specifically because their laws require it to establish and maintain visa eligibility.

In other words, the tale that protist shared is at least plausible and I believe likely to be completely truthful.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago

Everything is being centralized to the My Number (MyNa) system (national ID card, basically). Starting this year, insurance cards are no longer issued but the MyNa card is used. They plan to do driving licenses and the zairyuu card for foreigners as well. As an aside, foreigners' cards expire with their residency which can be a paperwork nightmare for some things, especially with immigration having lately been very slow running over the SoR expiry.

Now, does consolidating that mean that they will have easier access or access at all? That I'm not sure of. I wonder indeed how the government would have known.