Sunday in Japan: A Ugandan asylum seeker turns to filmmaking

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports on “Sunday in Japan,” a documentary centered on Sunday, a Ugandan asylum seeker who has spent more than 15 years living in legal uncertainty in Japan. The film follows him as he faces the possibility of deportation under changes to Japan’s immigration rules and continues to navigate daily restrictions, including regular check-ins with authorities and dependence on charity to help support his children.

According to the report, Sunday previously spent time in detention at the Shinagawa immigration centre. Rather than retreating from his situation, he turns to an ambitious creative project: making a samurai film shaped by his own life experience. The story is inspired in part by Yasuke, the African man remembered in Japan as its first Black samurai.

The documentary presents filmmaking as more than an artistic pursuit. It frames the work as a way for Sunday to preserve dignity, maintain hope, and resist being defined only by his immigration status. The film is credited to Antonio Rui Ribeiro, Leo Nelki and Golriz Kolahi. In a broader context, Japan has faced ongoing scrutiny over asylum processing and immigration enforcement, which makes Sunday’s story part of a wider debate about how long-term asylum seekers are treated.