There are limitations to dealing with the problem of statelessness through child welfare services. Grasping the problem of statelessness in itself is difficult, as fear of drawing attention to irregular status keeps irregular migrants away from government authorities. ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ Other examples of emerging statelessness include the birth of a girl in July 2008 in India to an Indian woman, when a Japanese man asked her to give birth to his baby as the surrogate mother. The baby girl’s nationality remained uncertain. After the Indian government issued a travel certificate following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Japanese government issued a one-year visa on humanitarian grounds, and the baby girl was allowed entry into Japan. The Ministry of Justice has suggested that parental relationship be established by means of paternal acknowledgment or adoption before applying for Japanese nationality 120 Further discussion on statelessness may be necessary for similar cases in the future. (2) Status of Stateless Persons and Related Groups of Concern In Japan, the treatment of (de jure and de facto) stateless persons, including the scope of their rights, largely depends on the legal status. For instance, stateless persons without legal status are at risk of indefinite detention. In describing the treatment faced by stateless persons, some actual examples will be presented below. I will also mention groups that are not necessarily stateless, but might face similar disadvantages in relation to nationality issues. Listening to Voices of Stateless Persons Dr. Eugene Aksenov, Director of the International Medical Clinic in Tokyo, became stateless when Manchukuo collapsed. He has been living in Japan without a nationality. “I do not wish for a nationality, since I can be free. What I desire most now is to do as much as I can for society in good health as a doctor. It is my utmost wish that the world 44 were stateless among the 475 who did not have Japanese nationality. The professor predicts that there are more stateless children in the 40 who were in the process of applying for nationality and 220 whose nationality were unknown. 120 “Dairi shussanji indo karano nyukoku (Baby born to a surrogate mother in India admitted entry to Japan)” Tokyo Shimbun, November 3, 2008. 46