Italian detainee dies in apparent suicide at Tokyo immigration
An Italian man in his 50s, who was being detained at a Tokyo immigration facility, died in a suspected suicide Friday morning, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan said.
According to the agency, an employee at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau found the man collapsed in his room at around 7:20 am.
The agency said he had lost his permission to provisional release and was detained again from Oct. 25.
The man appeared to have electrocuted himself by tampering with a television cable that was plugged in, according to the agency. Staff attempted to resuscitate him, but he was later confirmed dead at the hospital.
A doctor at the hospital indicated electrocution as being the cause of death. A suicide note was not found.
Staff said they had confirmed there was nothing amiss at around 6 a.m. the same day.
While the man had received multiple examinations at an on-site medical facility since being detained, he did not appear to have had any life-threatening conditions, the agency said.
“We take his death inside the facility very seriously. We are confirming the facts of the case in detail and are reviewing how we will respond,” it said.
The Italian man is the 18th person to have died in Japanese immigration facilities since 2007, the agency said. Six of them, including this latest case, were apparent suicides.
Foreign nationals without residency status who cannot quickly comply with orders to leave the country are placed in detention at one of 17 immigration facilities in Japan.
Individuals can be detained for extended periods, but there are provisions allowing for temporary release, including for illness.