Tokyo court rules deportation of two Sri Lankans by immigration authorities was unconstitutional

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday ruled that Japanese immigration authorities’ actions involving two Sri Lankan men were unconstitutional after the men said they were deported, having been denied refugee status, without enough time to take legal action.

The two had filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government seeking a total of ¥10 million in compensation, the Japan Times reported.

Presiding Judge Yutaka Hirata said that personnel of the immigration authorities “violated the right to a trial, as guaranteed under Article 32 of Japan’s Constitution” and that the way they handled the matter was “illegal” in terms of the state redress law.

The court ordered the country to pay a total of ¥600,000 in compensation.

According to a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, the ruling was the first in which a Japanese court has handed down a judgment of unconstitutionality in a case involving the deportation of a foreign national.