An Upper House member is coming under fire from the bereaved family and supporters of a Sri Lankan woman who died at an immigration detention center for suggesting that her illness was a ploy to secure her temporary release. 

They demanded that Mizuho Umemura, a member of Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), retract and apologize for the remarks she made in the Diet in reference to Wishma Sandamali.

During a news conference in Tokyo on May 17, they said, “The remarks are completely baseless. They trample on the dignity of Wishma and deeply hurt her bereaved family.”

Sandamali, 33, died in the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau facility in March 2021.

The Sri Lankan woman was detained for overstaying her student visa in August 2020. She died after the detention center staff failed to offer her the necessary medical care despite her deteriorating health.

Umemura on May 12 asked questions representing Nippon Ishin at the Upper House’s plenary session that was discussing the revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law.

Regarding the assistance that Wishma was given by her supporters, Umemura said, “One remark that (Wishma’s) supporters made to her might have given her faint hope that she might be granted a temporary release if she became ill. That could have led to the situation where a doctor pointed to the possibility that she was faking her illness. Such possibilities can’t be denied.”

A group of lawyers for Wishma’s family sent a letter with questions to Umemura on May 16 asking her the basis for her remarks.

A question in the letter asked, “Did you suggest that Wishma’s supporters gave her the faint hope that she might be granted a temporary release if she became ill?”

Umemura responded to this question at a meeting of the Upper House’s Judicial Affairs Committee on May 16.

She said, “There is no such fact. But the possibility that it occurred cannot be denied.”

Wishma’s family strongly protested her remarks at the news conference.

Wishma’s younger sister Wayomi, 30, referred to the footage captured by a security camera at the detention center that showed how Wishma’s health deteriorated leading up to her death.

Wayomi said, “It is obvious that my sister was ill. She never faked her illness.”

Members of the group called START, which met with Wishma at the detention center, also blasted Umemura’s remarks at the news conference, saying, “We never told Wishma, 'You will be granted a temporary release if you fall ill.'”

Umemura was asked by reporters the intention behind her remarks and the basis for them at the Diet building on May 17, but she just repeated, “I will say what I need to say in the Diet chamber.”

On the evening of May 12, she tweeted that she made the remarks knowing that they would invite “severe backlash.”

On May 17, she tweeted again saying, “I said everything (I could say) at the chamber. I can’t trust the media in the current situation.”

Umemura is serving her first term as an Upper House member.

She won her first seat in the Upper House election in 2019, gaining the largest number of votes in the Osaka electoral district.

She had worked as a freelance presenter before winning the seat.

She ran in Nippon Ishin’s leadership election held in August but lost to Nobuyuki Baba, the current leader of the party, by a large margin.

At the May 12 Upper House plenary session, Umemura asked questions representing her party.

Fumitake Fujita, Nippon Ishin's secretary-general, was evasive about her comments at a news conference on May 17.

Fujita said, “I would like to ascertain the facts accurately. I will make comments (about Umemura’s remarks) after scrutinizing the minutes.”

He will ask Umemura how she prepared the questions and her intentions in asking them, Fujita said.

Hirofumi Yoshimura, Osaka governor and co-leader of Nippon Ishin, has said about Umemura’s comments, “I believe that she communicated her own beliefs.”

“With regard to the intention of her remarks, it’s better to ask Umemura directly,” Yoshimura added.

Ruling and opposition parties have criticized Ishin over the issue.

Kenta Izumi, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has strongly criticized Ishin’s lack of “awareness of human rights” when he talked to reporters about Umemura’s comment.

The CDP only recently announced that it would dissolve its cooperation agreement with Ishin to oppose the ruling parties at the Diet.

Izumi told reporters, “I once again became reassured that Ishin is different from us.”

Yosuke Takagi, chair of the policy research council of Komeito, a junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has said, “(Umemura’s comments) were inappropriate. Remarks made at the Diet chamber carry weight. She should speak based on facts as someone holding public office.”