All of the information posted below is as of a result of Michael;s friends …please start at the bottom and read up ..it will help to clarify what the fundraiser is all about.
ALL INFORMATION POSTED ON THIS PAGE WAS GATHERED BY FRIENDS OF MICHAEL"
Final Update for Today:
WHAT MICHAEL KNOWS/WANTS
Until September 25th, Michael knew nothing of the work that has been done to support him. He was allowed one 15-minute visit with his fiance, Yoriko, on September 25th. There was not sufficient time to fully brief him, but she is returning on September 26th and is also retaining a lawyer who should be able to speak with him for a longer period of time.
Once Michael is moved to another facility, we expect that his lawyer will visit with him. In addition, Steven Thompson will also be able to visit him. Once Michael is fully briefed on his legal situation, and on the social media efforts underway to raise funds, he can then weigh in on next steps.
ALL INFORMATION POSTED ON THIS PAGE WAS GATHERED BY FRIENDS OF MICHAEL"
The Update Details continued:
WHY OVER 100 PEOPLE HAVE CONTRIBUTED
Michael has made many friends through his work online. Many people are willing to help simply because he is a friend and he needs help. Others believe that his activism contributed to the situation he is in. (He was there to help the dolphins. He was arrested because he had forgotten his passport. He is being held for deportation because his visa was expired. He appears to have believed that his visa was in order, but it is not.)
You need to decide for yourself whether this situation is related to his work with the dolphins or whether that matters to you. The fundraising campaign is raising funds which will be used for legal fees and, if legal action is unsuccessful, deportation expenses. Any funds raised in excess of those two needs will be donated to the dolphin cause. (FYI: Legal fees are estimated to be in the range of $10,000.)
WHERE HE IS BEING HELD AND MORE LEGAL DETAILS
Michael is currently being held in Shingu. It looks like the prosecutor in Shingu has decided to send the case to an immigration court either in Osaka or Nagoya. It looks like the prosecutor will do this by Sept 27th. There will be at least three meetings at which an attorney should be present before a final decision is reached by the immigration court.
It is still uncertain as to where a lawyer should be hired: Shingu, Wakayama City (county seat), Osaka, Nagoya, or Yokohama. This should become clear in the next 24-48 hours. Yoriko is in Shingu and working on sorting all this out now.
More Updates and Information Continued: sorry to have to break this into small chunks but I can only add so many characters to the update field:
THE PASSPORT AND MORE ABOUT THE VISA
Yoriko returned to Yokohama to get the passport. and found that the visa has expired. She apparently met police in Yokohama who came to her home to confirm a domestic living situation. She also spoke to the immigration office.
When news about Michael’s arrest first hit the web, there was confusion as to whether the visa had actually expired or was held up due to lost paperwork. There is now no confusion — his visa has expired. It is still not known when it expired or why Michael believed he had taken the proper steps to renew it.
WHAT THIS ALL HAS TO DO WITH DOLPHINS AND THE COVE
On the surface, nothing. Michael was arrested because he could not produce his passport. He is being held for deportation because his visa has expired.
However, there is good reason to believe Michael was asked for his passport because he was speaking to activists in the cove. The documentary director reports that the police have set up some kind of station there and that they interview everyone. This is why many of Michael’s supporters believe that his commitment to helping the dolphins contributed to the chain of events that led to his arrest.
WHY DOES HE NEED HELP
Michael will be deported unless he is able to get a special exception. This could either allow him to stay in the country, or reduce the waiting time before he can return. His court-appointed attorney recommended accepting deportation. The New Zealand embassy provided a list of attorneys, but does not provide legal assistance. His fiance, Yoriko, has asked for help finding and retaining an attorney who can help him get a hearing before he is deported. All advisers have strongly recommended hiring an attorney.
He needs funds to pay the attorney. If the hearing is unsuccessful, he will need funds to pay for the flight to New Zealand.
Further Update to Keep You in The Loop:
BACKGROUND/HOW HE GOT THERE:
Michael is in Japan on a tourist visa. Michael speaks Japanese and has two Japanese children from former marriage living in Japan. Michael lives with his fiancee, Yoriko.
Michael knew his Japanese visitor’s visa was going to expire and Yoriko reports that he had applied for an extension. After his arrest, she discovered that the extension had not been processed. She has referenced a legal change to the process. Michael was not aware of this problem until she met with him in jail on September 25, 2012.
THE DOCUMENTARY
Steven Thompson was organizing logistics for a Canadian documentary through the Taiji Dolphin Action Facebook Group. He recruited Michael to serve as a volunteer translator. The director, Yadir Hakimo has confirmed this in a video posted to You Tube on September 24, 2012. Yadir’s video explaining the situation is available here: http://youtu.be/-2roLunWL-M
THE ARREST
Michael went to the Cove after he arrived in Taiji. Before he connected with the Canadian filmmakers, he was then asked to produce his passport by the authorities. He could not produce it as he had left his passport in Yokohama where he has lived with Yoriko.He was arrested on Sunday Sept 16th at the Cove and is now in Shingu Jail.
To be more precise, he was arrested for not carrying a passport, which is a crime in Japan (for foreigners). The fact that his visa was expired was not discovered until later.
ALL INFORMATION POSTED ON THIS PAGE WAS GATHERED BY FRIENDS OF MICHAEL"