I am still in Korea and will have several posts about my visit and impressions of this lively country, but I couldn't resist posting some updated info on Japan I came across while surfing today. The following is from Japan Today:
Japan rejects Fischer's appeal; orders him to be deported
Tuesday, August 24, 2004 at 19:57 JST
TOKYO Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa on Tuesday rejected former chess champion Bobby Fischer's demand for protection as a political refugee, issuing an order to deport him.The Justice Ministry rejected Fischer's demand for protection as a political refugee, saying that the charges outstanding against him in the United States are not political in nature.
Fischer, 61, is wanted in the United States for violating international sanctions against Yugoslavia in 1992 when he played his 1992 championship rematch against former world champion Boris Spassky in that country.
Although he has seven days to appeal, Fischer imediately submitted his appeal papers to try to block any physical effort to deport him.
Nozawa also formally rejected Fischer's appeal of the deportation order issued against him by the Immigration Bureau. He said that Fischer's grounds for appealing the deportation were insufficient and that the deportation should take place.
John Bosnitch, of the Committee to Free Bobby Fischer, said that the two lawyers handling Fischer's case, Masako Suzuki and Takeshi Ohara, have contacted immigration officials at the Ushiku Detention center as well as the Justice Ministry itself to legally block a deportation on the grounds that the whole procedure is now before the courts and a deportation would be a flagrant violation of Fischer's right to full legal recourse and protection under Japanese law.
Fischer was detained by Japanese airport officials on July 13 for attempting to travel on an invalid U.S. passport. He appealed the deportation order and applied for asylum in Japan as a political refugee and hopes to marry a Japanese national.
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