In a move lawyers and activists denounced as ¡°inhumane,¡± Japan deported 26 Sri Lankans and six Vietnamese on Thursday, including a ¡°sizable¡± number of denied applicants.

It was the third round of mass deportations conducted using a specially chartered plane, the Justice Ministry and a support group said Friday.

It is believed to be the first time the government has deported asylum seekers and visa overstayers using the same flight, the immigrants¡¯ lobby group Provisional Release Association in Japan (PRAJ) said.