By SAORI KURODA/ Staff Writer
November 11, 2025 at 15:52 JST
The Tokyo District Court in Chiyoda Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
A nearly deported Cameroonian man has sued the Japanese government, arguing he was denied the right to consult a lawyer or seek a trial after his application for refugee status was rejected.
He filed the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court on Nov. 7, seeking 6.6 million yen ($42,700) in compensation from the government.
The man is from one of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, where government oppression and arbitrary arrests are said to be widespread.
According to the lawsuit, the man was placed in an immigration center shortly after his arrival in Japan from Cameroon on Oct. 7.
A lawyer representing him submitted a refugee status application on his behalf.
However, on Oct. 24, an immigration facility staff member informed the Cameroonian that his application had been rejected. He was then taken to a boarding gate at an airport and was about to be deported.
A lawyer contacted by his family protested by phone, and the deportation was halted.
The revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law that took effect in 2024 ended the system that allowed asylum-seekers to repeatedly reapply if their applications were turned down.
But those whose applications are rejected can still request a review or file a lawsuit to seek revocation of the administrative decision.
“I repeatedly said I wanted to request a review, but they rejected it without even considering it,” the man said.
However, an official at the immigration facility said, “The man had no intention to request a review.”
Koichiro Yoshida, the lawyer representing the Cameroonian, said cases of forced deportation following the rejection of refugee applications are rampant.
He said several district and high courts have ruled that such deportations carried out before the person receives a trial are illegal.
Yoshida also said the Cameroonian’s lawsuit is significant because the plaintiff can testify in court about the reality of how the immigration center handled his case.
“Forcibly deporting someone without allowing contact with a lawyer is a clear human rights violation,” Yoshida said. “While the government promotes its Zero Illegal Foreign Residents Plan, it is the government itself that fails to follow proper procedures.”
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