Filipina arrested by mistake in Japan

A Filipina wrongly arrested in Japan has been released after officials found out that she was legally married to a Japanese national, an official said yesterday.

Japanese immigration authorities might have overlooked the case of Adelaida Bondoc Hashizume, who was applying for a new visa when she was arrested, said Philippine ambassador to Tokyo Domingo Siazon.

Siazon said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo had appealed for Hashizume and two other jailed Filipinas during his official visit to Japan last week.

“The secretary informed the [Japanese] justice minister that prior to their arrests, the women had either filed or were about to file their visa applications, or were already awaiting the results of those applications,” Siazon said. Ferdinand Fabella

Manila Standard Today
April 15, 2006

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