Date of issue on the web:2003/11/10
	National and International
		The Ministry of Justice issued a joint declaration on October17, 2003 to strive to reduce the number of undocumented foreign nationals to a half in 5 years, in a close cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan government and Metropolitan Police Agency. According to the declaration, they are going to repeatedly expose undocumented migrants in a tighter manner. The SMJ announced on November 4, 2003, a statement in protest against the declaration. -STATEMENT- Efforts should be made to create a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society, not to tighten up regulation!! The Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan is the national network composed of advocacy groups, labor unions, Christian groups, organizations of migrants and other individuals in support of foreign nationals in Japan. We give a helping hand to foreign people to protect their human rights without regard to status of residence and nationality. The Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan government and Metropolitan Agency announced on October 17, 2003 a joint declaration to reinforce countermeasures against foreign nationals illegally staying in the Metropolitan Tokyo. We believe that the declaration is nothing but an agitation of anti-foreignism to drive out undocumented migrants, and tightened-up regulation will cause a severe encroachment on their human rights. The joint declaration indicates that the existence of some overstaying foreign nationals has been a hotbed of organized crimes committed by foreign people, and it is urgently necessary to solve such an issue involving these undocumented foreign national to keep security in Japan. Of the 47,828 criminal offenders arrested in 2002 in Tokyo, however, foreign criminal offenders amounted to 2,027, accounting for 4.2%. The number of undocumented foreign criminal offenders came up to 468, accounting only for 0.98%. It is to be said that undocumented foreign nationals did not form a hotbed of crimes. Most of undocumented foreign people currently living in Japan work to support themselves and their families, wanting their dreams to come true. While they are supporting their families at home, they are activating the region and supporting Japanese industry. They, female as well as male, are members of Japanese society, and there are many foreign people who have formed families here and who have lived for more than 10 years. To expose them in a tighter manner means that they will lose the basis for living in Japan which they have set up, and their human rights will be heavily violated. On top of that, the declaration mentions that alien cards are issued even to undocumented foreign people having no status of residence, and they often misuse these alien cards. We know, however, nothing of the actuality, and since they mentioned the misuse of alien cards, they should have given concrete examples. It is not acceptable at all they use the abuse of alien cards to propaganda their political intention with no grounds. a flat expression of prejudice or propaganda. To live without a proper status of residence itself drives them into a very vulnerable position, and as a result, they are often subjected to infringement upon human rights. What the local governments and the Japanese government should do is protect them for their human rights and create a society where everyone is able to enjoy living together, never to expose them. Let's take up Korea. The Korean government decided to enforce the employment permission system as a realistic policy to protect the human rights of undocumented foreign people on the increase. The Japanese government also should face the reality and take down-to-earth measures to meet the situation. As we live together with foreign people, we are sure that Japanese society will be diversified and activated more and more, creating a richer society. We claim that more efforts should be made not to expose foreign nationals but to create a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society. November 4, 2003 Ms. Otsu Keiko, Mr. Niwa Masao, Mr. Murayama Satoshi, Ms. Morki Kazumi, Mr. Yui Shigeru, and Mr. Watanabe Hidetoshi, jointly representing the SMJ.

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	Solidarity network with Migrants Japan