In Japan, the definition of “Undocumented People” is not always unified, and it varies with the law. One definition is provided “people don’t have nationality of Japan” by immigration control law and refugee recognition law. The other definition is “people don’t have nationality of Japan except those who have permission of a landing in transit, permission of crew member landing, permission of temporary landing and permission of landing at port of call”. In this way, the definition of Japan may be give loose impression comparatively. According to this definition, the child who hasn’t done “alien registration” can go to public school.

In the case of Japan, record of a social position act is recorder by the family register system and a resident card. A foreigner is recorded by the alien registration system. After the common Japanese takes out a marriage registration form and a birth certificate on the assumption that family register system, it has an image which has parents’ entrance to a child’s public school. People hold the image often “alien registration system” like this. As a result, misunderstanding “an illegal immigrant child hasn’t gone to school” is produced. For example, the girl who parents are illegal alien was forced to leave school in Tokyo. She was born and to live in Japan. She speaks Japanese only. However, she was dismissed from school because her parents are illegal alien by trial. And they were commanded to deport. When the children who ask for “special permission for residence” are introduced, the question “why the child goes to the public school that parents haven’t done alien registration” comes out. So, the government of Japan should inform nation and immigrant people “a just right of undocumented people in Japan” properly.

However, “Illegal immigrant reduction by half campaign” is performed from 2003 in order to send a child to a public school a condition. The illegal immigrant performs alien registration. But the cases that the staff of the city reports this act are occurring frequently. On the other hands, the illegal immigrant tries to avoid the alien registration which was being performed in the idea of “making alien registration a child’s education for health insurance”. It’s the latest tendency that it’s difficult for an illegal immigrant child to receive education as the result. How do you think about that illegal immigrant child should education in Japan or not?

by Saki Uetsuji