Japan Immigration News

Japan's Refugee Debate: What Does the Data Reveal?

Release Date: 2024-12-25
Media: JAPAN Forward
Summary: The influx of Kurdish immigrants to Kawaguchi City, Saitama, has sparked discussions on Japan's refugee policies, often criticized for its low refugee acceptance rate. However, a comparison with European countries reveals surprising insights.

In 2023, the UK had a high refugee recognition rate, ranging from 86% to 99% for applicants from unstable countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Eritrea. Japan also has a 90% recognition rate for Afghan applicants. However, most of Japan's refugee applicants (66%) come from countries like Cambodia and Sri Lanka, where recognition rates are low in Europe, highlighting the differences in applicant profiles.

In Japan, 94% of refugee applicants are "regular stayers," meaning they initially entered on short-term visas for tourism or internships, often seeking to extend their stay for economic reasons rather than fleeing life-threatening situations. This challenges the perception that Japan is "cold to refugees."

Similar to Japan, the UK has tightened its refugee screening process to reduce unrelated applications, aiming to cut down on fraudulent claims and criminal activities linked to smuggling networks. Europol, in cooperation with French and German authorities, has been targeting smuggling operations involving Iraqi Kurds, which fund terrorism and involve human trafficking and exploitation.

In conclusion, Japan's refugee screening and protection systems are fair, though this is rarely reflected in media discussions. The focus should be on objective data, societal conditions, and learning from Europe's experiences.
Tags: Refugee Status

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