Japan-born Thai teenager fights to remain at ‘home’ despite deportation order

In December, the Tokyo High Court upheld the Tokyo Immigration Bureau’s decision to deport 17-year-old Utinan Won from Japan, the country he was born and raised in his entire life.

Despite the court’s ruling, Won, who was born the son of a visa overstayer from Thailand and who lives in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, has never blamed the country he calls home, thanks in part to a core group of people around him who support his desire to remain in Japan.