Two Sri Lankans in Japan were recently arrested over an illegal abortion, and an expert has pointed out that international students’ unstable resident status may be a factor behind the incident.

Ibaraki Prefectural Police on May 23 announced the arrests of a Sri Lankan student residing in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, for allegedly aborting her baby when she was about nine months pregnant, and her boyfriend a Sri Lankan national in the neighboring prefecture of Tochigi, for allegedly aiding the abortion.

According to the police, the woman used a drug to abort her baby on April 29. The suspects, both 30, have admitted to the allegations. They had visited an obstetrician in Tochigi Prefecture in late March to ask for an abortion, but the doctor refused as the woman was beyond the period allowed for an abortion under Japan’s Maternal Health Act.

The school said that in the past, some students who became pregnant and gave birth returned to their home countries, while others left their babies with family members in their home countries and continued their studies.

Meanwhile, Yoshihiro Yokota, president of the Ibaraki NPO Center Commons, which supports the employment and schooling of foreign residents in Ibaraki Prefecture, pointed out that the unstable position of international students, whose resident status depends on their schooling, may have contributed to the latest incident.

There have been incidents in which foreign technical intern trainees were arrested on suspicion of corpse abandonment after giving birth at home. Yokota explained that if a foreign student is absent from school or their grades deteriorate due to childbirth or child care, “their status of residence may not be renewed on the grounds that they have not fulfilled the purpose of studying abroad.” He added that since the immigration system does not foresee foreign students giving birth, it is difficult for them to access medical care for fear of being sent back to their home countries.

There is a support system, but there is apparently a lack of simple, multilingual materials in the prefecture. Yokota stressed, “It is important for the government to make the system known earlier and for schools and other institutions to establish a system to support international students when they’re in trouble.” nichi Japan)