24/07/2012
Embassy of Japan in the Netherlands

With reference to the article “Zonder status is het overleven in Tokio’s Little Burma” which was published in the newspaper Trouw on 12 April, the Embassy of Japan would like to present its views as follows, since no appropriate rectification measures have been taken by the publisher despite our request and the provision of the information relevant to the issue.

It is most regrettable that the article “Zonder status is het overleven in Tokio’s Little Burma” regarding the policy to accept refugees in Japan, which was published in the newspaper Trouw on 12 April, may mislead the readers on Japan’s efforts in this regard.

In particular, since asylum seekers applying for a refugee status in Japan are at times unable to work or don’t have sufficient assets to support their life in Japan, the Japanese government provides protective measures to those living in extreme hardships, such as support for living costs (1.500 yen per day, which corresponds to around 15 Euros), medical costs, housing expenses, etc. Therefore, the statement of a person of the Japanese Refugee Association quoted in the article “The [Japanese] government hardly provides them with any assistance,” is simply incorrect.

Furthermore, in order to promote the settlement in Japan of those who are recognized as refugees, the Japanese government provides various support programs free of charge, including Japanese language training, social guidance, career counseling, employment placement programs, etc. The statement of a union leader quoted in the article, “you cannot expect to receive any help,” is incorrect.

The article further quotes a statement of the person of the Refugee Association to the effect that the asylum procedure takes an average of two years. In fact, however, the average processing time of asylum applications is 5.4 months according to the latest publicized data. It needs to be understood that the government of Japan makes efforts to stabilize as soon as possible the legal position of those who should be recognized as refugees.

In addition, the article states that Japan “lets in very few people.” In fact, however, Japan not only grants resident permission to asylum seekers who are recognized as refugees, but in 2010 also granted special resident permission to 363 asylum seekers for humanitarian reasons, despite the fact that they cannot be recognized as refugees under the Convention and Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. While the number of asylum seekers who are granted resident permission is fewer than that of the Netherlands, it is important to recognize that Japan does indeed grant resident permission to a significant number of people.

The government of Japan will continue to take a leading role to protect refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in the world, with a view to finding permanent solutions for refugee problems worldwide. For these purposes, Japan will continue to offer active support through the UNHCR. It will constantly seek to improve the procedures relating to the recognition of refugee status. In addition to accepting refugees under the Convention, in 2010 Japan became the first country in Asia to start accepting refugees through UNHCR’s Refugee Resettlement Program as a pilot case. Japan will continue to improve and expand the efforts regarding the acceptance of refugees.

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