KAFIN Migrant Center - NPO

23/05/2026

One Year After: The Human Cost of the Zero Plan

On May 18, 2026, KAFIN Migrant Center (KMC) joined the “1 Year Since the Zero Plan” Parliamentary Meeting and Candle Action organized by the National Network for Protecting Human Rights (NPHR) and partner organizations, with Migrante Japan ミグランテージャパン serving as part of the organizing and staff team.

The activity was held in two parts:
📍 Parliamentary Meeting at the House of Representatives Members’ Office Building
📍 Candle Action in front of the National Diet

Refugees, migrants, lawyers, advocates, volunteers, and Diet members gathered to discuss the impact of Japan’s “Zero Plan” and tightening immigration policies on migrant and refugee communities.

Participants from Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Guinea, the Philippines, and others courageously shared experiences of detention, fear of deportation, family separation, and daily insecurity while living in Japan.

Several testimonies described:
• long-term detention,
• repeated refugee application rejections,
• inability to work under supervised release,
• lack of healthcare and basic services,
• and deportations carried out even while court cases remain ongoing.

One participant asked:
“How are we supposed to survive?”

Another shared:
“Japan is peaceful, but my country is not. Yet Japan is also becoming frightening.”

Migrante Japan ミグランテージャパン also shared its statement during the activity, which was translated into Japanese for participants and supporters.

As KMC, we joined in solidarity because many of the realities discussed are the same struggles we encounter through our own community support work:
families facing possible separation,
workers afraid to seek help,
and migrants trying to survive while living under uncertainty and exclusion.

On the way to the candle action near the National Diet, participants were also subjected to xenophobic harassment by a right-wing group using loud sound systems. Some individuals shouted at participants to “go back to your countries” as police officers intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Yet despite this, the candle action continued peacefully.

With this let us also remember migrant families such as Maribeth and her Japanese daughter, who continue to face uncertainty and possible separation under Japan’s immigration system.

No family should have to live in constant fear of separation, detention, or deportation. # # #

23/05/2026

Behind Election Hate Speeches Are Real Human Lives

As anti-foreigner rhetoric and discriminatory campaigning increasingly appear during elections in Japan, civil society groups gathered last May 15, 2026, at the Suginami City Office to call for stronger action against hate speech and discrimination in the upcoming Suginami elections.

The dialogue and demonstration brought together organizations working on anti-discrimination, poverty, migrant rights, and LGBTQ+ issues, including No Hate Suginami, Tsukuroi Tokyo Fund, Migrante Japan ミグランテージャパン, Anti-Poverty Network, Suginami Sexual Minority Liaison Group, あなたの公-差-転 / kosaten and groups working against transgender discrimination.

A formal request was submitted to the Suginami Mayor and Election Management Committee urging local authorities to prevent hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric during election campaigns.

The proposal called on authorities to:
• publicly reject hate speech and discrimination,
• inform candidates about anti-discrimination laws and human rights standards,
• monitor discriminatory rhetoric during elections,
• respond to harmful misinformation targeting foreigners and minorities,
• and strengthen protections against discrimination during the election period.

KAFIN Migrant Center (KMC) joined the outdoor action in solidarity and shared experiences from our direct community work with migrants in Japan.

During the demonstration, KMC spoke about how hate speech is often connected to deeper structural realities — including language barriers preventing access to support, visa insecurity discouraging workers from reporting abuse, and systems that leave many migrants isolated and vulnerable.

We also shared stories encountered through community support work, including migrant women unable to access services during domestic violence situations and workers discouraged from asserting their rights because of fear and insecurity.

Discrimination does not begin and end with hateful words. It also grows when exclusion and hostility become normalized in public discourse and political spaces.

A society that tolerates discrimination during elections risks normalizing discrimination in everyday life as well. # # #

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

This Mother’s Day,
we remember the mothers hidden behind immigration statistics.

In 2025, more than 13,000 people entered Japan’s immigration detention facilities under intensified enforcement policies. Yet the government does not even count how many were mothers separated from their children.

Maribeth Domingo went through this even before the full intensification of the “Zero Illegal Residents Plan.”

A Filipina mother in Japan, she endured abuse, long-term detention, and separation from her child while simply trying to keep her family together.

If this happened before the Zero Plan, how many more mothers are now living in fear, detention, or family separation under even harsher enforcement?

The petition signatures supporting Maribeth’s case will be submitted by the end of the month (May).

On this Mother’s Day, help us gather more signatures.

Stand with Maribeth.
Stand against family separation.

Scan the QR code and sign the petition.

25/04/2026

Overtime, “thank you” (OTTY) lang?

Hindi ka nag-iisa d’yan. Overworked, underpaid tayong lahat sa ilalim ng sistemang nagkakamal ng yaman mula sa ating paghihirap. Pero iba ang tama nito sa mga tulad nating nasa ibayong dagat at malayo sa pamilya.

Kapoy malala ang marami sa atin matapos ang hihigit sampung oras na shift. Marami sa atin ni wala nang oras magluto ng paboritong hapunan. Marami rin ang wala nang oras mag-videocall man lang sa grmahal sa buhay. Wala na ngang pakonswelo sa pagod, hindi pa bayad ang pag-ganbaru sa trabaho. Eguls talaga sir.

Pero marami tayo at maraming pwedeng gawin!

Pag-usapan natin yan sa darating na 𝟮𝟲 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹, Linggo 𝟭𝟰:𝟬𝟬 (𝟮:𝟬𝟬𝗽𝗺) sa 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝟰𝟬𝟯, 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝘆𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝟰𝗙!

Register na: https://forms.gle/hECM3jsMBj2fZjoF7

🇯🇵

18/04/2026

Stand with Maribeth!

Maribeth is a mother fighting to stay with her child. She has won custody, but her right to remain is still uncertain. She is also seeking justice for violence experienced in detention.

Stand with Maribeth and her child. Your presence matters.

No one is illegal! No to Zero Plan!

👉 Help Maribeth stay.
✍️ Sign the petition: https://c.org/fMsdh2QNLB

17/04/2026

Sa gitna ng malawak na diskriminasyon at 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮, isang tahimik na reyalidad ang laganap na abusong dinaranas ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Japan. Maya’t-maya, merong reklamo ang mga kababayan natin na biktima ng 𝘱𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢, diskriminasyon, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, at iba pang porma ng abuso.

Sa unang tingin, parang hiwa-hiwalay na insidente lamang ang pana-panahong nababalitaan natin sa Facebook, sa Malago Forum, at sa iba’t-ibang news outlets. Pero alam na alam nating lahat na hindi ito isolated incidents kundi bahagi ng 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮 ng pagsasamantala sa mga migranteng manggagawa.

Hindi 'yan 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘪. 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗮𝘄𝗮 𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗼 𝗷𝗮𝗻.

Kita-kits sa 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝟭𝟰:𝟬𝟬 (𝟮:𝟬𝟬𝗽𝗺) sa 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝟒𝟎𝟑, 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐁𝐥𝐝𝐠. 𝟒𝐅, 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐚-𝐤𝐮, 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨, 𝟏𝟒:𝟎𝟎 (2pm) 𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧.

Mag-register in advance: https://forms.gle/hECM3jsMBj2fZjoF7

🇯🇵

16/04/2026

Stand with Aiko!

Aiko is a trans woman who recognizes that our struggles are connected. She has stood in solidarity with refugees, migrants, workers, and all oppressed people—fighting not only for herself but for everyone.

Now, it’s our turn to stand with her.

Join us at her court hearing and raise our voices together.

No one is illegal! No to Zero Plan!

27/03/2026

📣 VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT

Recently, KAFIN Migrant Center held its General Assembly and launched the KMC Women’s Study Movement—bringing together migrant and local women to reflect on our collective experiences and the realities we face in Japan.

From these discussions, one urgent issue stood out:
many migrant women and workers are facing domestic violence, workplace abuse, and sudden loss of housing—yet access to safe support remains very limited.

At present, we can only accommodate one person at a time in our office. There have already been cases where we could not provide shelter despite urgent need.

Because of this, we are working to acquire a dedicated shelter as soon as possible.

To move this forward, we are looking for volunteers who can support in simple but meaningful ways:
- Sharing campaign posts
- Helping with short write-ups or translations
- Assisting with website updates
- Supporting preparation for the shelter
- Assisting in case support activities (under guidance)

You don’t need special skills—just time, willingness, and care for the community.
📌 Flexible and manageable tasks
📌 Orientation will be provided
📌 Case-related work will be guided and assigned appropriately
👉 Send us a message if you’re interested
👉 Or sign up here: https://forms.gle/fpBKrfdqZEswbgzg7

Even sharing this post helps expand our reach.