As tensions continue to flare between Kurdish immigrants and Japanese residents in Saitama Prefecture, a new incident involving a Kurdish girl who was expelled from school is generating fierce debate online.
NHK reports that a school in Saitama City expelled a sixth-grade elementary student of Turkish nationality. Her parents had lost their immigration status in July 2024. in September, the school removed her from the roster. She hasn’t been attending classes since then.
The action, however, contradicts guidance from the Japanese government, which states that students should be accepted into compulsory education even if their parents lose their immigration status.
The guidance is designed to give families time to appeal immigration decisions and regain their immigration status. Immigrants with pending cases can obtain provisional release (仮放免; kari-houmen) status, giving them the right to remain in Japan while their case is heard – but not the right to work or receive public benefits. A recent change to Japanese immigration law also grants residency rights to children of immigrants born in Japan, even if their parents lose their immigration status.
For its part, Saitama said that its policy was to ask families who’d lost their immigration status to submit documents stating their desire to remain in Japan. If they didn’t receive such documents, it was school district policy to expel the student.
The city apologized to the student, saying it wasn’t aware of the Japanese government’s guidance and will revise its procedures. The girl will return to school immediately.
Tensions continue to boil in Kawaguchi
The case is another flashpoint for tensions between Kurdish immigrants and residents. Some 3,000 Kurdish immigrations live in Saitama Prefecture’s Kawaguchi City. (This is an estimate; Japan’s Immigration Services Agency doesn’t share exact figures.)
The Kurds are a stateless people who face discrimination in Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey. According to Daily Shincho, 9,700 Kurdish refugees have come to Japan and filed requests for asylum. To date, Japan has approved only a single claim.
As a result, many Kurds fall into karihomen status. Incidents of violence and cases of lawbreaking – from driving without a license up to sexual assault – have stoked anti-immigrant tensions. Right-wing groups have held demos in Warabi and other cities in the Prefecture, demanding the country expel Kurdish refugees.
Many are also filling social media with anti-immigrant sentiment. A Yahoo! News JP thread on this case is stuffed with comments saying immigrants who lose their status should face immediate deportation. Some commenters blame immigrants for an uptick in crime in Japan. (Statistics show that Japanese immigrants don’t commit crimes at a rate greater than citizens.)
Kurdish support organizations maintain that most Kurdish refugees are law-abiding, get along well with Japanese residents, and do dangerous construction work that Japanese workers refuse to do.
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