japan running news

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/general/track/news/20090109k0000m040139000c.html

translated by Brett Larner

Marathon runner Joseph Maura Kamau (21) was deported back to Kenya from the Nagoya Immigration Prison on Jan. 9 after being found guilty of violating the terms of his athlete visa status. Following his forced departure from Chubu International Airport Kamau's supporters expressed his wish to someday return to Japan.

Kamau came to Japan in 2003 on an athlete visa to compete in marathons and ekidens for a professional jitsugyodan team,* but in 2007 he was fired from the team following a leg injury. Kamau was taken in and supported by a small company in Nagoya where he was able to recover and resume practicing. However, in October, 2008 he was arrested by the Immigration Bureau and jailed in the Nagoya Immigration Prison. Immigration authorities successfully argued that Kamau's absence from racing indicated that he was no longer a competitive athlete and was merely working in J…

http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20081103k0000m040105000c.html

translated by Brett Larner

Arrested for violating the terms of their athlete visa status, the deportation trial of Kenyan runners Simon Maina Munyi and Joseph Mwaura Kamau is set to begin Nov. 4 at the Nagoya Immigration Violation Detention Center. Both runners were fired by their sponsor teams last year after becoming injured. The government contends that in their current condition Munyi and Kamau are not fit enough to meet the requirements of the athlete visa. Should they be found guilty, the case will set a precedent which will, in the current economic climate, make the situation of all foreign runners in Japan highly precarious.

Translator's note: An earlier article posted last month gives more detail on Munyi and Kamau's situation. This article does not mention that both runners recovered from their injuries, found a new sponsor, and were in training for comeback races this fall at the time of their arrests. …