Local News in Brief : Woman Let Back in Japan

A third-generation Korean resident of Japan landed Tuesday in Tokyo on a flight from Los Angeles after earlier being barred from Japan because she had refused to be fingerprinted as an alien.

Choi Sun Ae, a 28-year-old graduate student, was allowed into the country on a special 180-day visa, according to immigration officers at Tokyo’s Narita airport. Choi, who was born in Japan, is not recognized by the Japanese government as a citizen because her parents are Korean.

She left the country in 1986 to study music at Indiana University. At the time, Japan’s Ministry of Justice refused to issue her a re-entry permit, making it impossible for her to legally return.

Choi was allowed to enter Japan on Tuesday to pursue a legal appeal of the refusal, officials said. She said she returned to Japan to claim her right to permanent residence.