Fourteen children of visa over-stayers in detention staged a sit-in protest Monday in front of the Justice Ministry complex in Tokyo demanding the release of their fathers.
Aged between 2 and 18, they are the children of Iranian, Peruvian and Bangladeshi nationals who turned themselves into immigration authorities in groups in December and July, seeking permission to extend their stays.
The 12-year-old daughter of a Peruvian man said: "I have been living in Japan since I was 3 and I am studying here. So please (let us stay)."
Since September 1999, 17 families consisting of 64 illegal immigrants have visited immigration to ask for special permission to stay.
Immigration authorities detained those who turned themselves in for inquiries although children and wives were released.
The authorities have granted special permission to 20 people in five families who have lived in Japan for nearly 10 years and have children in junior high school.
But the authorities have been detaining others with the intention to deport them, immigration sources said.