An Italian man in his 50 s was found dead in a Tokyo detention center, possibly from suicide, authorities said.
The man's death followed a recent high-profile case of a Sri Lankan woman who died without adequate medical care, triggering international condemnation over conditions at Japan's immigration facilities in recent years.
The UN Human Rights Committee expressed concern about the treatment of foreign nationals detained at immigration facilities earlier this month, and called for Japan to take steps to improve conditions.
The Immigration Services Agency said on Nov. 18 that the Italian man appeared to have died from electrocution and officials are looking into whether it was a suicide.
On November 18, agency officials said the man was found collapsed on his cell floor around 7: 20 a.m. Although cardiopulmonary resuscitation was attempted, the man was pronounced dead after being taken by ambulance to a hospital.
The man entered the detention facility on October 25 and had a cell to himself. He did not have any life-threatening illnesses and facility staff made their rounds found him in his cell between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Nov. 18.