Couple from Myanmar allowed to stay in Japan+

TOKYO, May 27 Kyodo -
An undocumented couple from Myanmar were allowed to remain in Japan on
Wednesday after the Tokyo High Court recognized the wife, 39, as a refugee
while granting special residence permission to the husband, 40, rescinding the
state's decision to deport them.

''The wife's brother, who supported the antigovernment campaign with her, was
arrested by the military and she herself could be persecuted,'' Presiding Judge
Toshifumi Minami said, overturning a lower court ruling that rejected her
application for refugee status.
Minami rejected the husband's request for refugee status but said, ''He should
be granted special residence permission as he has led a calm life with his wife
for more than 10 years.''
The couple illegally entered Japan in 1999 and applied for refugee status in
March 2004 after her brother was detained. But they were immediately ordered to
leave the country on the grounds that they had violated the immigration control
law, according to the high court ruling.
==Kyodo