TOKYO — The death of a 33-year-old Sri Lankan migrant, trapped in the bowels of Japan’s immigration system, triggered national calls to reform the bureaucracy that allowed her to waste away in a detention center without proper medical treatment. A government report on Tuesday detailed the missteps that contributed to the tragedy, including insufficient medical resources, communication failures and a lack of proper oversight. But activists and politicians said the proposed changes didn’t go far enough to address the fundamental failures in an immigration system they describe as opaque and capricious. The nearly 280-page document describes the series of events that led to the death in March of the 33-year-old Wishma Rathnayake, who had been detained for overstaying her visa. The report did not assign blame to any individuals, nor did it address some of the more systemic issues with the immigration system.

Source: New York Times August 10, 2021 14:48 UTC