This page has the following sections:
See also: Refugee issues and policies
Japan's proposed immigration law revisions deal fresh blow to refugees This article looks at criticism of how the proposed new Immigration law would affect applicants for refugee status in Japan and also explains the story of Moradi, a refugee from Iran. Mainichi, 18 Apr 2021.
A Sophia University student group is building the bridges that refugees need This article explains the activities of the student-organized Sophia Refugee Support Group (SRSG) at Sophia University which include visits to asylum seekers in detention centres, refugees cafes for new arrivals to Japan, and language classes for asylum seekers. Japan Times, 14 Aug 2019.
The article below is written by a Professor, David H. Slater, who oversees the Sophia Refugee Support Group, and Rosa Barbaran was a founding member of Sophia Refugee Support Group, and is now working in the NPO sector in Tokyo, and is based on the group's visits to the detention center in Shinagawa:
'If the virus gets in, it will spread like wildfire': Refugees confined to detention centers believe they're sitting ducks for COVID-19 by Professor, David H. Slater, who oversees the Sophia Refugee Support Group (see above), and Rosa Barbaran who was a founding member of Sophia Refugee Support Group, and is now working in the NPO sector in Tokyo. Based on the group's visits to the detention center in Shinagawa, the article reports the experiences of many asylum seekers in detention. They describe the situation they are in at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau Detention Centre in Shinagawa and their fears about catching Covid-19 because of the conditions there. The article also reports on calls for people in detention to be released because of the threat of contracting Covid-19 in detention. It also mentions the work of Sophia Refugee Support Group, a student group which visits asylum seekers in detention and supports them in other ways. Japan Times, 4 May 2020. (This is a longer version of the above article with more references: The Whole Block Goes Down: Refugees in Japan’s detention centers during the pandemic)
Report about the work of the refugee support group Welgee which has many student members and works mainly with asylum seekers form Africa: https://www.welgee.jp/img/updated_2019_cocreative_adventure.pdf
Coronavirus Crisis Sheds Light On The Struggle Of Asylum-Seekers In Japan This is a short article which summarises the experiences of asylum seekers in Japan during the pandemic from some recent newspaper articles. It also suggests that a reason the government uses detention is to try and force asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected to return to the countries they fled from, which is usually very dangerous for them. The Organisation for World Peace, 9 Jun 2020.
Foreign detainees let go temporarily amid pandemic have nowhere to go This article which tells the story of a Nepalese asylum seeker in Nagasaki describes the programme for releasing asylum seekers from detention into provisional release and reports on the very difficult conditions that asylum seekers on provisional release face. Japan Times, 25 Dec 2020.
Asylum seekers in Japan face battle for survival in time of coronavirus: The Japan Association of Refugees says we must change the fact that some people have no safety net here This article considers how the Coronavirus has affected asylum seekers in japan, particularly at the situation of those on provisional release who rely on the support of their families in their home countries or supporters in Japan, because they are not allowed to work, and argues that Japan should provide a welfare safety net for these asylum seekers. It also explains how the coronavirus has affected the work of the Japan Association for Refugees. Japan Times, 27 Jun 2020.
The Desperation of Japan’s Detained Asylum Seekers: A look back at the wave of hunger strikes among detained asylum seekers in Japan last year. This article tells the stories of some of the asylum seekers in Ushiku Detention center who stopped eating and went on hunger strike in 2019 to protest against their situation, explaining the desperation of their situation. It describes how the government has released some detainees into provisional release who became unwell because of their hunger strikes, but has then returned them to detention after a few weeks. It also explains, at the end of the “Here There Is No Future” section, that detention is used for asylum seekers whose applications are rejected to try to get them to agree to be deported to the country they escaped from, which the asylum seekers say is impossible because it is too dangerous for them. The Diplomat, 18 Sep 2020.
Why does Japan accept so few refugees? This video looks at the conditions for people who come to Japan seeking asylum as refugees and at the low numbers of refugees accepted. BBC News, 9 Jun 2016.
Japan maintains tough stance on refugees, only 20 accepted in 2017 Japan received a record 19,628 asylum applications in 2017, but only 20 were successful, according to preliminary figures released by the Justice Ministry on Feb. 13. Asahi Shimbun, 14 Feb 2018.
Tokyo court denies Syrians’ bid to overturn refugee ruling Two Syrian asylum seekers on Tuesday lost a bid to overturn a government decision to deny them refugee status, in the first such lawsuit in Japan since civil war erupted in the Middle Eastern state in 2011. Asahi Shimbun, 20 Mar 2018.
Ethnic Kurds Find Haven, but No Home, in Insular Japan "Mahircan Yucel is one of about 1,300 ethnic Kurds who have settled in Kawaguchi, an industrial city north of Tokyo, and in the neighboring city of Warabi. Their plight offers a stark illustration of Japan’s approach to refugees." The New York times, 16 August 2016.
Japan’s scant refugee ranks find living a normal life beyond reach This article looks at the case of Liliane, an African women accepted as a refugee in Japan ten years who is living in difficult conditions without much support and who is unable to be reunited with her daughter, and Nonnon asylum seeker from Myanmar, both of whom have experienced discrimination in work and other aspects of life in Japan. Japan Times, 5 May 2017.
Why Japan accepts a staggeringly low number of refugees The New Daily, 16 Feb 2017
Syrian refugees invited to Japan set to total 300 through 2021 Japan is set to welcome about 300 Syrian refugees comprising study-abroad students and their families over the next five years, the most to date in the current Middle Eastern refugee crisis. However, the number still falls far short of other nations that have already welcomed tens of thousands displaced from the Middle Eastern nation ravaged by civil war. Asahi Shimbun, 3 Feb, 2017
Why Japan Can't Criticize Trump's Refugee Ban By Taisuke Komatsu Trump’s America isn’t the only country turning its back on refugees. Japan is just as guilty. The Diplomat, February 24, 2017
Asylum Data CDR, The Project of Compilation and Documentation on Refugees and Migrants, The University of Tokyo.
Japan’s Closed-Door Refugee Policy This article gives an overview of Japan's refugee acceptance policy and the numbers of applications and acceptances (including applications by country), as well as Japan's contributions to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Nippon.com, 19 May 2015
Japan rejected 99 percent of refugees in 2015 Justice ministry says it accepted 27 asylum seekers out of record 7,586 applications last year. Aljazeera, 24 Jan 2016
Refugee recognition is overly slow, opaque, panel tells Justice Ministry "Japan should clarify the criteria it uses to recognize refugees and set up safeguards to protect vulnerable applicants who fall short of the definition, an advisory panel told the Justice Ministry on Friday. Japan Times, 26 Dec, 2014.
Justice Ministry unveils eased refugee-recognition criteria but critics quick to cry foul "Japan will ease its rigid criteria for recognizing people as refugees while boosting efforts to detect bogus or unqualified applicants, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday in what it is touting as a systemic overhaul." This article looks at the new plans for refugee acceptance made by the Ministry of Justice, and criticisms of them, based on the report of the advisory panel explained in the story above. Japan Times, 15 Sep 2015.
Yukie Osa and Shogo Watanabe: "Refugee Crisis and Japan" This recent video, especially Shogo Watanabe's contribution, explains very well the Japanese government's policy on refugee acceptance and reasons why the government rejects so many refugee application. The video is in both English and Japanese. Shogo Watanabe is a graduate of Chuo Law Faculty who has supported asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant workers in Japan in many legal cases. Foreign Corespondants Club, 2 Oct, 2015.
Country Fact Sheet - Japan A short overview of the refugee resettlement program in Japan, discussions on alternatives to detention of asylum seekers, and the rate of acceptance of claims by asylum seekers for refugee status. Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.
Wary of outsiders, Japan keeps doors closed to refugees This article discusses Japan's polices on refugee acceptance, including the views of lawyer, Shogo Watanabe, and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, and looking at the experiences of Syrian and Myanmarese (Burmese) asylum seekers in Japan. Japan Times, 30 Dec 2016.
Home away from home: the plight of refugees in Japan Asylum seekers face a long, cold winter, with many left in limbo while their applications work their way slowly through the bureaucracy that has been set up to prevent abuse. This article examines the system for assessing refugee applications in Japan, including the views of Japan UNHCR representative Michael Lindenbauer, Eri Ishikawa from Japan Association for Refugees, and lawyer Shogo Watanabe, and discusses whether it needs reforming. 17 Jan 2015.
Japan to take in 150 Syrians as exchange students after criticism of harsh refugee policy Japan will accept 150 Syrians over five years, treating them not as refugees but as exchange students. Japan Times, 20, 2016
Japan to speed up refugee screenings The Justice Ministry will speed up the screening process for determining refugee status in response to a sharp increase in applicants in recent years, according to informed sources. This article also looks at some reasons for the increase in applications for refugee status. Japan Times, 16 Aug 2016.
A review of assistance programmes for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan by Naoko Obi, UNHCR, Tokyo, Japan, July 2013. A longer report with lots of useful information. It looks at the process for judging applications for refugee status and the use of detention for asylum seekers, as well as the support for asylum seekers and refugees from the national government (state), civil society (for example NGOs) and from municipalities (local governments) and the situation for asylum seekers and refugees in terms of employment, language training and education, health and other issues.
Syrian Asylum Seekers Sue Government of Japan for Failure to Recognize Refugee Status by Sarah Alsaden Third Year Law Student of the Program of Refugee and Asylum Law, University of Michigan Law School. This article looks at the Japanese government's approach to wards asylum seekers from Syria and at the situation for people denied refugee status but allowed to stay in Japan with temporary 'humanitarian status', as some Syrian asylum seekers are.
Scant welcome for refugees in Japan This story looks at the experiences of asylum seekers [people wanting to be accepted as refugees by another country] in Japan, especially the financial difficulties they face, as well as at why Japan accepts so few refugees and whether this may change with the election of a new government in 2009. BBC News, 18 November, 2009.
Abe touts immigration, but refugees get shunned This article by Jeff Kingston focuses on the fact that although the Japanese government is considering a large increase in immigration, it has reduced the numbers of asylum seekers already in Japan that it gives refugee status to and allows to stay permanently. The article considers why the numbers of asylum seekers in Japan are rising, why the government is accepting fewer refugees and the effects of this on civil society groups supporting asylum seekers and refugees. Japan Times, 7 Jun, 2014.
Nation fails to make most of refugees: Driven to excel, asylum seekers key to economic growth, journalist says Refugees in Japan are acutely underutilized and the nation should stop turning a blind eye to their skills and potential if it wants to generate economic growth, according to freelance journalist Kaoru Nemoto. She used to work at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and argues that Japan must change its traditionally insular mindset and unwillingness to accept asylum seekers. Japan Times, May 10, 2013.
Japan is obliged to accept refugees, so why so few? As a signatory to international conventions on the acceptance of refugees, Japan is obliged to give refugees due recognition and protect their basic human rights. However, human rights organizations have long criticized the government for the low number of people Japan recognizes as refugees, and the lack of transparency and objectivity in its recognition process. Although quite old, this Q&A about refugees and refugee policy in Japan is still a good overview of the issue. Japan Times, March 13, 2007.
Prospects better for refugees in Japan, but still need support This article looks at the lives in Japan of some refugees and asylum seekers who have entered universities or have started working at companies, as universities and companies like Uniqlo have started opening up to refugees. But refugees also continue to face problems and the article also looks at the work an NGO that provides educational support for refugee children. Asahi Shinbun, 14 Oct, 2012.
A review of assistance programmes for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan by Naoko Obi, UNHCR, Tokyo, Japan, July 2013. A longer report with lots of useful information. It looks at the process for judging applications for refugee status and the use of detention for asylum seekers, as well as the support for asylum seekers and refugees from the national government (state), civil society (for example NGOs) and from municipalities (local governments) and the situation for asylum seekers and refugees in terms of employment, language training and education, health and other issues.
Japan to curb asylum seekers' right to work from Monday This article looks at new regulations which are designed to prevent what some see system of 'back door' immigration in which people apply for asylum as a way of being able to work in Japan, and at criticism that they will mean more people being sent to detention centres, and will affect the livelihoods of asylum seekers, and that the real source of the problem is the lack of an immigration system to meet shortages of unskilled labour in Japan. Reuter, 12 Jan 2018.
Calls to Reform Japan's Immigration System This article has information on conditions in detention as well as about provisional release (which is a kind of alternative to detention) and an organisation calling for more provisional release and better conditions for it. NHK News, 30 Aug 2016.
Asylum seekers find help at JAR This article reports that application for asylum in Japan are rising but acceptance is falling, so more and more asylum seekers are in Japan without the right to stay or financial support. It looks at the work of Japan Association for Refugees to support these people and some individual case studies of asylum seekers in need. Japan Times, Dec 5, 2013.
Banned from working, asylum seekers are building Japan's roads and sewers "Even as authorities insist they leave, Kurdish migrants are working without permits on government projects. Japan’s strict immigration rules combined with a shrinking work population has spawned a black market in labor." Reuters Investigates, 8 August 2016.
Asylum seekers break record as stricter screenings leave some homeless This article looks at the financial assistance and help with housing that asylum seekers can receive from the Refugee Assistance Headquarters, and how the rules for receiving assistance, especially with housing, have been made stricter and may lead to some asylum seekers becoming homeless. Japan Times, 11 Dec, 2012.
Asylum Seekers In Japan Face Difficult Obstacles "Japan received just 1,200 applications — and approved 400, almost all of them from a single country: Myanmar. The few refugees who reside in Japan say they are treated poorly and are detained for long periods of time." You can read and listen to this story from National Public Radio, 01 Jun, 2011.
Refugees forced into streets due to Japan’s stricter screenings Foreigners seeking asylum in Japan might soon find themselves homeless and without money as the government implements a stricter screening process in an attempt to curb the surge in the number of refugee requests. Japan Daily Press, 12 Dec, 2012.
Asylum-seekers facing destitution: Long wait for processing, lack of funds forcing many refugees into grim survival game An article that looks at the lack of support for asylum seekers from the government-supported Refugee Assistance Headquarters (RHQ) and at how NGOs have had to step in to provide support for refugees. Japan Times, 6 Aug, 2009.
Open the Door-- Japan ’s Policy of Exclusion of Refugees (Part 1) By Iwasaki Atsuko. This longer article looks at the harsh treatment of Kurdish asylum seekers from Turkey and a an asylum seeker from Afghanistan. One of the Kurdish asylum seekers was deported, a move which was strongly criticised by the United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees. Japan Focus, 19 Feb, 2006.
Asylum seekers find little refuge in Japan Despite being the third largest donor in the world to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Japan admits only a tiny number of asylum seekers compared to other industrialized nations, and often appears reluctant to grant refugee status to those who do come. Japan Today, 26 Jul, 2009.
Two decisions of Japanese court on detained Afghan asylum seekers A short article in a medical journal that looks at the treatment of asylum seekers from Afghanistan in Japan and that argues there is the possibility of mental harm, especially in asylum seekers who are in detention, since they are at great risk of psychological trauma. The Lancet, Feb, 2002.
>>> See below for more on asylum seekers in detention >>>
Graduate student aids asylum seekers in Nagoya "Maho Hadano, a 23-year-old student of the Graduate School of International Development at Nagoya University, is busy offering asylum seekers advice on everything from how to fill in application forms and where to receive medical treatment to finding a place to live." Japan Times, 6 Feb, 2013.
Show a fashion statement on asylum seekers Dismayed by Japan’s low acceptance rate for asylum seekers, a student group organized a fashion show spotlighting ethnic clothes to raise awareness among their peers of the harsh reality facing the underprivileged worldwide. Japan Times, 22 Jun, 2013.
Grim toll mounts in Japanese detention centers as foreigners seek asylum This article looks at the conditions in detention centres in japan, especially relating to medical care of detainees, focusing on the story of Niculas Fernando who died in a cell in a detention centre in Tokyo. The story also mentions the work of the committee that monitors detention centres, some problems with it, and its comments on medical conditions in detention centres. Reuters, 8 Mar 2016.
Vietnamese killed himself in immigration center, community leader says A Vietnamese man held in a solitary cell at an immigration detention center in Japan committed suicide, a Vietnamese community leader said, raising fresh questions over conditions in the country’s detention facilities. Japan Times, 27 Mar 2017.
Vietnamese who died in Ibaraki detention center killed by stroke: official The death of Nguyen The Hung raised the death toll in Japan’s detention system to 13 since 2006. The deaths have provoked criticism from activists and a watchdog overseeing the centers about the quality of medical care provided to detainees and how they are monitored. Japan Times, 3 Apr 2017
Kleptocracy to ‘freedom’? This article reports the experiences of two asylum seekers from Burma, both of whom were held in a detention centre. Japan Times, 8 Jul, 2007.
Detention Profile Japan Information on the use of detention in Japan, for undocumented migrants as well as asylum seekers, from the International Detention Project.
Detention center staff fail to aid dying asylum seeker: NGO A Myanmar asylum seeker collapsed and died after staff at a Japanese immigration center refused other detainees’ requests to summon a doctor, allegedly because he was on his lunch break, a pressure group has said. Japan Times, Oct 27, 2013.
System ‘failing asylum seekers’ The recent death of a Myanmar detainee at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau underlines the inadequate medical treatment asylum seekers face nationwide from chronic staff shortages, experts say. Japan Times, 2 Nov 2013.
Two men die at immigration center Two detainees at an immigration center in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, died over the weekend, an official said Monday, just months after the death of another man at the same facility. Japan Times, Mar 31, 2014.
Doctor hits immigration center health care: Long detention in packed cells spawns medical ills getting little attention An article about a report submitted by Dr Junpei Yamamura to the Justice Ministry’s Immigration Bureau on the health conditions of the detainees he saw between August 2003 and September 2004 at Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, that claims that foreigners without visas and people seeking asylum held at the center receive poor medical care, and some are suffering serious illnesses during their long detention. Japan Times, 16 Nov 2004. For a full report on medical conditions in detention centres, see below.
Persecuted Foreigners--- Human Rights Violation at Immigration Center under the Ministry of Justice --- by Yamamura Jumpei M.D. A detailed report on the medical treatment and health conditions of asylum seekers and people without visas in detention centres that argues: "At Japanese immigration centers, prolonged confinement deteriorates the detainee’s health, yet no adequate medical care is provided". Solidarity with Migrants Network Japan, 22 March, 2005.
Abuses of Refugee Women in Immigration Centers by Misaki Yagishita. Voices from Japan, 2008
Detainees’ families fighting for dignity — and hugs: No-contact rule targeted as part of wider bid to improve conditions at immigration center, Japan Times, 27 Mar 2012.
Firms giving refugees jobs instead of charity With applications for refugee status reaching record levels, a number of Japanese businesses are providing employment and training to people forced to flee their home country due to war and persecution, with emphasis on genuine vocational opportunities rather than charity. Japan Times, Oct 25, 2013.
Refugee groups slam Japan’s struggling resettlement plan This article looks at criticisms of Japan's refugee resettlement programme for Burmese refugees, which started in September 2010, as part of the U.N.’s third-country resettlement program, and also at the situation of refugees on the programme. Japan Times, 17 Jul, 2012.
Citing harsh conditions, Myanmar refugee families refuse farm work Two Myanmar families who came to Japan from Thailand last year under a U.N.-sponsored settlement program have refused to work on a farm in Chiba Prefecture due to the the long work hours and low wages paid by the agricultural corporation that is running the farm during the training period. Japan Times, 28 Sep, 2011.
Karen refugees snub farm, try luck in Tokyo This article discusses some problems with the running of the refugee resettlement program, including refugees being expected to work very long hours and insufficient support for them to learn Japanese. Japan Times, Nov. 3, 2011.
Forgotten and unattended: refugees in post-earthquake Japan Despite being a world leader in disaster preparedness, Japan paid scant attention to the needs of one of its most marginalised social groups after the 2011 earthquake. Refugees and asylum seekers suffered restrictions on movement, increased impoverishment and shortage of essential information. Forced Migration Review.
Suffering Of Ethiopians Asylum Seeker in Japan "The real life stories of Ethiopian asylum seekers in Japan are disturbing." This is a blog entry by an Ethjopian writer from 17 Feb, 2010.
Ghanaian’s dream ripped apart in Japan as he seeks asylum An article about an asylum seeker from Ghana who cannot work, has very little money, and has to sleep in a restaurant: "His knees ache when it gets cold, but he cannot go to a hospital, since he can't pay to see a doctor or get medicine." Asahi Shimbun, 4 Jun, 2013.
Refugee status denial puts family in limbo: Detained Myanmar activist fights to stay here with kin, avoid deportation Khin Maung Latt of Myanmar, his Filipino wife, Maria Hope Jamili, and their two daughters have no place to call home but Japan, and they are on shaky ground. The couple met and married in Tokyo, speak to each other in Japanese, until recently had a steady income and witnessed the birth of their two girls here -- kids who speak only Japanese -- but like their parents are not legal residents. Japan Times, Nov. 13, 2003.
Decade-long wait takes toll on asylum seeker: Periods in detention, 10 years in legal limbo leave Iranian with mental, physical scars An article about Jamal Saberi, an Iranian asylum seeker who had spent 10 years waiting to get refugee status and the effects on his health of being held in a detention center, sometimes in solitary confinement. The article includes an interview with Dr Junpei Yamamura from the Minatomachi Clinic in Yokohama who regularly visits Yokohama Detention Center and says many asylum seekers have similar experiences and medical problems to Saberi's. Japan Times, 5 Oct, 2010.
Despair engulfs Pakistani asylum seekers Refugee family victim of Japan's politicized immigration policies? Nasir Qadri, his wife, Shaheena, and their five children are asylum seekers who arrived in Japan on Aug. 25, 2009. But although they have survived the March 11 quake and months of hand to mouth existence, they are in despair and threatening suicide because the money they received from the Refugee Assistance Headquarters was stopped suddenly, leaving them effectively destitute. Japan Times, 25 Mar, 2011.
A review of assistance programmes for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan by Naoko Obi, UNHCR, Tokyo, Japan, July 2013. A recent report which has lots of information about the situation of asylum sekrs and refugees and about the government's policy on them.
Japan: Refugees and Asylum Seekers A Writenet Report by Professor Meryll Dean, Oxford Brookes University, UK commissioned by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Protection Information Section (DIP). This report looks at the international legal framework, and Japanese polices and practices, for dealing with refugees and asylum seekers. It has sections looking at the work of the UNHC (p21) and civil society organisations (p23) supporting refugees in Japan, and considers the issue of detention of refugees (p25), saying a very high proportion of asylum seekers are detained and conditions are often poor. Feb 2006.
Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) This is an organization that helps refugees to live in Japan safely and independently.
Catholic Tokyo International Center (CTIC) includes a support center for migrants and refugees - services include medical assistance, food and clothes, Japanese language lessons and a refugee cafe - list of support services for refugees in English
牛久の会（牛久入管収容所問題を考える会) Ushiku no Kai. It is an organization which helps detainees in Ushiku detention center. It also has a BLOG
Provisional Release Association in Japan A group of former detainees, supporting both both asylum seekers and migrant worker visa over-stayers who are detained: "We are campaigning for a proper resident status in order to live a secure life in Japan. Also, what we fear the most now is re-detention. We strongly demand the Immigration Control not to violate our human rights by re-detaining us."
UNHCR Japan UNHCR is founded by United Nations to help refugees. This site has useful information about Refugees in Japan.
International office of Migration Japan has information in English on its Activities in Japan including support for the Japanese government's refugee resettlement programme. Also in Japanese.
Refugee Assistance Headquarters 難民事業本部 This is the government affiliated organisation for providing support for refugees. It operates RHQ Support Center, which provides Japanese language instruction, help with adapting to Japanese society and employment guidance for refugees.
Japan Lawyers Network for Refugees (JLNR) Lawyers’ network founded in 1997 to fight for refugees’ human rights.
Support 21 / さぽうと21 is an volunteer organisation based in Meguro, Tokyo, that provides counselling about living in Japan, scholarships for education, and Japanese lessons for refugees, nikkeijin (descendants of Japanese) and returnees, including those from China, living in Japan. It has developed out of the Association for Aid and Relief which was started in 1979 to help refugees to Japan from Indochina and which has now become an international aid organisation.
茨城県・牛久収容所（東日本入国管理センター）へ行こう！(Free JAMAL Campaign) This webpage has some photo Ushiku detention centre.
CLOVER (Care & LOVE for Refugees)～難民と共に歩むユース団体～ is an organization in Tsukuba Uni which supports detainees.
BRSA Civil organization consists with Burmese and Japanese that lend money and give information to Burmese refugees.
Refugee VoiceーAichi Association of Refugee / 難民の声ー愛知難民協会 'Giving a voice to the voiceless'. "A self-help group of Refugees seeking to increase public understanding of asylum seekers/refugees through workshops, events,volunteering and provision of information resources."
Forum for Refugees Japan / なんみんフォーラムFRJ Includes information on various support services for refugees in the areas of health, education, Japanese-language learning, legal procedures and a cafe for refugees and their supporters.
International Social Service Japan "ISSJ counsels refugee status applicants who come to ISSJ seeking assistance through the UNHCR and who are detained for long periods of time with the Japanese Immigration Bureau."
The Network Aiming at Coexistence with Refugees in Japan (RAFIQ ) This is an organisation supporting refugees and visiting asylum seekers held in detention centres which focuses on refugees from Afghanistan.
Christian Coalition for Refugee and Migrant Workers (CCRMW)
Door to Asylum Nagoya (DAN) provides legal advice and information about social welfare services.
Japan Evangelical Lutheran Association (JELA)
Refugees Empowerment Network (REN)
レインボー・アクション難民支援プロジェクト/Rainbow Action Refugee Support Project provides support for sexual minority refugees including visits to them in detention.
難民研究フォーラム / Refugee Studies Forum "was established in 2010, aiming to undertake interdisciplinary research that focuses upon domestic and international refugee situations and policies, the results of which will be shared among and utilized by various stakeholders to improve the lives and situations of refugees."
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network - advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia Pacific region
International Social Service Japan Works in partnership with the UNHCR to provide services for refugees and asylum seekers including: Counselling for Asylum Seekers in Detention, Counselling on Health, Welfare, and Social Integration, Medical Access, Supporting Refugee Communities, and Organizing events and workshops to promote better understanding of refugees (topics vary from mental health to family support, multicultural social work, etc)
ESPRE Employment Support Program for Refugee Empowerment / 公益社団法人難民起業サポートファンド The first organisation in Japan to provide microfinance support for refugees to start their own businesses