On March 6, 2021, a 33 year old Sri Lankan woman, Wishma Sanadamali, died in Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau. During her long detention, she became too sick, not to be able to drink and eat. Despite her starving conditions revealed in her urinalysis, she was not given any proper medical treatment such as intravenous drips , and was abandoned to die a painful cold death.  Even her bereaved younger sisters came to Japan and demanded Immigration Bureau to seek the truth into her death.  But the Immigration Bureau did not responded.  On August 10, 2021, Immigration Bureau issued an investigation report, dismissing the case citing into facility's medical care system, and denied all its responsibility.

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We formed a group of students and citizens to seek the truth into the incident leading to the tragic death of Miss Wishma.  On August 13 and October 1st, 2021 we collected and submitted a petition of 93,148 signatures to Immigration Bureau, calling for the truth and releasing the video footages of Miss Wishma's last two weeks prior to her death in immigration detention centrer.  On September 25, 2021, we held protests and rallies, 450 people were gathered at nine different locations, and many more participated in different forms throughout Japan.

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Miss Wishma's death exposes the fact that Immigration Bureau focuses mainly on Deportation and does not care much about the lives, and disregards the human right of foreign residents of Japan. Immigration Bureau's policies of mandatory and indefinite term detentions, unlimited number of solitary confinements without any judicial review, great discretions etc  such practices attributed to Miss Wishma's and many other deaths in detention centers managed by Immigration Bureau.  The post war immigration system has been framed by an extensive discretionary powers exercised by its authorities.  A policy rooted in racism and prejudice motivates these discretionary powers, exercised by the authorities.  Japan once invaded and occupied the Asian countries, ruled the population and suffered them with aggression, oppression and discrimination.  This post war immigration system inherited these characteristics of colonization.  We must have a radical change in the post war immigration system which still harbours the hostile views and employs the policy of oppression and ruthless control over the foreign residents of Japan.

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There are no regrets and reflections shown by Immigration Bureau into the tragic death of Miss Wishma. The Bureau is still trying to maintain and pursue in implementation of single-minded policy of deportation as before.  Furthermore, it also seeks to enhances its authority to establish a solid position by resubmitting the Immigration Law Amendment Bill, once after a public backlash due its change for worse, previously it has been withdrawn.

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We will continue to seek the truth into Miss Wishma's death in order to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.  We will push our government to withdraw the Immigration Law Amendment Bill in current form, which is likely to be resubmitted this year. We will also request an expanded grants of Special residence permits to stay in Japan, Refugee recognition and asylum procedures to meet international standards and to call for a change in the immigration's single-minded policy on deportation.

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Through these initiatives and efforts, let’s create a citizen movement to fight against discrimination, racism and human right violations by the Immigration Bureau and to build a civilian power to make fundamental changes, and to scrutinize Immigration Bureau's policies. We call the groups and individual working on the immigration issues all across Japan to join us." Alliance against ISA of Japan"