The Immigration Bureau plans to deport four of nine Afghan men whose applications for refugee status were rejected Monday on the grounds they "lack credibility as refugees," Justice Ministry sources said Tuesday.
The four men will be deported to Afghanistan, but an immigration official said, "We will deport them after the situation has settled there," referring to the U.S.-led military operations against suspected terrorist forces.
Earlier in the day, Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama defended the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau's decision to reject the nine Afghan men, saying they entered Japan "presumably solely for the purpose of finding work . . . not to seek protection."