The Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center is seen in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture. (Mainichi/Hironori Tsuchie)

       TOKYO -- A Brazilian man who sustained a neck injury after a security guard put him in a headlock at an immigration center in east Japan is seeking 1 million yen (about $8,800) in compensation for his suffering and an apology from the center, his lawyer announced on Nov. 17.

       The Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center in the Ibaraki Prefecture city of Ushiku detains foreign nationals who stayed illegally in Japan.

       According to the lawyer, the 32-year-old Brazilian man and the guard from a commissioned private security firm had a dispute over where a soccer ball was during a physical exercise period on Aug. 27. The man was put in a headlock by the security guard, and was later diagnosed with a neck sprain. The guard apparently said that he did it playfully.

       The lawyer demanded the immigration center on Oct. 26 make payment within two weeks, but they had apparently not received a response as of Nov. 17. The victim's side is also considering a national reparations lawsuit on the grounds that "the center's response is insincere."

       The immigration center announced on Aug. 29 that the security guard had injured the detainee and that his injuries took two weeks to heal. It commented, "We will strictly demand the security company prevent a recurrence."

       (Japanese original by Kazuhiro Toyama, Tokyo City News Department)

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