This page has the following sections:
Rohingya family in Japan praying for better days in face of COVID-19 The article tells the story of Mohammed Salim, a Rohingya man, who arrived seeking asylum in Japan in 2003, later got long-term resident status, and is now married and living in Ichikawa City, Chiba with his children and parents, and runs runs a halal grocery and kebab restaurant. It also explains how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the family. Asahi Shimbun, 21 May 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.
African asylum seeker defies hardship to graduate from Japanese university The story of an asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo who arrived in Japan in 2018 and has managed to graduate with a Masters Degree from Kanagawa University of Human Services Graduate School of Health Innovation as well as set up an NGO to help people in the country he came from, but has not yet been accepted as a refugee by the Japanese government. It explains the difficulties he has faced as an asylum living as an asylum seeker in Japan and the support from various organizations that he received. NHK World, 2022.
Status Denied: Kurdish Asylum Seeker Speaks from His Holding Cell This article explains the situation of Mehmet Colak, a 38 year old Kurdish asylum seeker who has been in Japan 14 years after coming to join his brother in Kawaguchi City. His wife and oldest child also joined him in Japan and he now has two children born in Japan but is being held in immigration detention in Tokyo. The article also has information about Welgee, a group supporting refugees and asylum seekers, and the views about asylum seekers on provisional release of former Minister of Justice Kamikawa Yōko. Nippon.com. 17 Aug 2018.
Japan’s immigration policy under scrutiny This article has information about two Kurdish asylum seekers including Mehmet from the story above, who have been in Japan for many years but can't get refugee status, and who have been held in detention centres. Mehmet is in Japan with his Kurdish family and Deniz who suffered violent treatment in detention is married to a Japanese women. NHK World, 2020.
Video showing beating of Turkish national by immigration submitted in trial, Explains Deniz's story in Japan (see also the story above) as well as his experience of beating treated violently in detention. Tokyo Reporter, 2020.
Japan gov't ordered to pay damages to Kurdish asylum seeker An article about Deniz, a Kurdish asylum seeker, winning a court case against the japanese government in which he argued violent treatment whilst in detention was illegal and amounted to torture. See above for more on Deniz's story. Kyodo News, 2023.
Rohingya activist in Japan shines light on Rohingya, refugee issues This article tells the story of Zaw Min Htut, the first Rohingya asylum seeker in Japan to be granted refugee status, from arriving in Japan and being held in detention, having his application for refugee status being rejected twice and having to fight in court for four years, to being accepted as a refugee and setting up a waste recycling business in Saitama. The article also considers some of the problems with Japan's refugee acceptance system. Kyodo News, 25 Dec 2017.
Evacuees from Ukraine embark on new lives in Japan About Maria Dovbash, a 71 year old evacuee from Ukraine, who come to Japan to join her daughter who lives here but hopes she can return to Ukraine sometime. NHK World, 13 Apr 2022.
A Sri Lankan's tragic death in Japan casts a harsh spotlight on controversial refugee system The story of Wishma Sandamali, a Sri Lankan woman fled to the authorities in Japan in August last year hoping to escape from domestic violence, only to end up dying in detention in Nagoya last month. Straits Times, 2021.
Japan is young Kurd's only home, despite challenges of 'illegal resident' status This article tells the story of Ramazan, a young Kurdish man who came to Japan with his family of asylum seekers when he was 9. He talks about the difficulties he faced as a child growing up in this situation and now as an adult who is on provisional release, and doesn't have legal residence status and so cannot work. Mainichi Shimbun, 6 Jul 2021.
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 during the pandemic and reports on the very difficult conditions that asylum seekers on provisional release face. Japan Times, 25 Dec 2020.
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, an asylum seeker from Myanmar, both of whom have experienced discrimination in work and other aspects of life in Japan. Japan Times, 5 May 2017.
Oikawa Izumi: Japanese University Student on the Front Lines of Refugee Aid in Japan The majority of asylum seekers in Japan have their petitions denied by the government, leaving them with nowhere to go and no way to earn a living. Many turn to refugee shelters run by humanitarian NGOs for help while their cases are decided. We follow Oikawa Izumi, a Japanese university student who assists residents of a refugee center in Kamakura. nippon.com, 2022. Japanese version here: 「自分の人生を生きてほしい」―行き場のない難民の支援に奔走する、ある女子大生の青春
Elizabeth Aruoriwo Obueza, escaped female genital mutilation in Nigeria and has been seeking asylum in Japan since 1991, she is an activist for others in detention
Nigerian activist held in solitary in Japan, prompting calls for her release An article about Elizabeth when she was being held in solitary confinement in the Shinagawa Detention Centre in Tokyo, which attracted international attention. Reuters, 2016.
「Elizabeth love for the world/エリザベス この世界に愛を」A long NHK documentary (in Japanese) about Elizabeth, her situation and and her work to support other migrants and asylum seekers.
Special Permission to Stay for Elizabeth! / エリザベスさんにビザを！A campaign to get permission for Elizabeth to stay in Japan that explains her reasons for coming to Japan as an asylum seeker and her experiences living in Japan since 1991. Change.com
Yukie Osa and Shogo Watanabe: "Refugee Crisis and Japan" This 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. 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 Corespondents Club, 2 Oct, 2015.
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 asylum seekers in Ushiku Detention Center who went on hunger strike (stopped eating) in 2019 to protest against their situation, explaining the desperation of their situation. It describes how the government gave provisional release to some detainees who became unwell because of their hunger strikes, but then returned them to detention after a few weeks. It also explains, in the “Here There Is No Future” section, that detention is used to try to force asylum seekers whose applications are rejected to agree to be deported to the country they escaped from. The Diplomat, 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.
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.
Refugees in Japan / 難民を知る Explains: Who are refugees?, What is the Status of Refugees in the World, Refugees Fleeing to Japan, and Accepting Refugees into Japan Japan Association for Refugees
Japan accepted 74 refugees in 2021, highest on record While the number jumped from 27 in 2020, it remains significantly lower than in the West, where some countries accept more than 10,000 refugees annually. Kyodo News, 2022.
Why Japan accepts a staggeringly low number of refugees The New Daily, 16 Feb 2017
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. Japanese version here: 日本の難民政策：受け入れは「狭き門」
Japan’s Refugee System on Trial: Treatment of Ukrainians Belies Refugee Protection Principles In this article, refugee expert, Associate Professor Naoko Hashimoto (Hitosubashi University), gives her views on the differences in Japan's treatment of Ukrainian evacuees, which has been relatively generous, and other refugees especially those from Afghanistan and compares the use of the terms evacuee and refugee. She also comments on the proposed new law on refugees and migrants (reintroduced in 2023) and suggests that Japan needs new criteria deciding who to accept as a refugee, a new independent organization to oversees refugees applications, and a bigger resettlement programme that accepts people recognized by the United Nations as refugees. nippon.com, 2022. Japanese version here: 日本のウクライナ避難民対応と難民政策を検証する
No country for refugees? Japan and South Korea's tough asylum policies This article looks at refugee acceptance policies in Japan and Korea from an Australian perspective and argues that these wealthy East Asian countries have put economic development ahead of protecting human rights in their policies on refugees and immigration. DW, 4 Nov, 2014.
Scant Hope for Japan’s “Illegals” Under Proposed Reforms Immigration scholar and advocate Suzuki Eriko of Kokushikan University explains criticisms of the Japanese government’s proposed refugee immigration law reform, first introduced in 2021 and re-introduced in 2023, which seek to make it easier to deport foreign nationals, including refugees, who have no residence rights. She considers problems with using detention for these people, the situation of those issued with deportation orders, the way that provisional release works, and the history of 'illegal' migrants in Japan who were accepted as migrant workers through the 'back door' by the government until the 1990s because they were needed economically but treated more strictly after that. It also explains the story of Miracle, a 17-year-old Ghanaian, who has lived in Japan all her life, but still has no legal residency status. nippon.com, 2021. Japanese version here: 入管難民法「改悪」から問い直す外国人労働者の受け入れと排除
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 towards 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.
Website for the film 牛久 / Ushiku about conditions in the detention centre there.
Trailer for 牛久 / Ushiku, filmed secretly about the situation of people in detention at Ushiku Detention Centre in Ibaragi.
“Ushiku” Director Thomas Ash Discusses His Covert Reporting on Immigration Detainees Explains the conditions for detainees at Ushiku detention center; the director explains how he secretly filmed at the center and talks about the situation of detainees. nippon,.com, 2022: Japanese version here: 映画『牛久』：入管潜入ルポを敢行、被収容者の明日なき現実を訴えるトーマス・アッシュ監督に聞く
Death at immigration facility raises questions about medical care The death of a Sri Lankan woman at a Japanese immigration facility last month highlights what experts fear is a systemic failure to provide proper medical care, including for asylum seekers kept in detention. NHK News, 2021.
Dozens of detainees go on hunger strike at Japanese immigration center This article explains about the protest by detainees at the detention centre in Ushiku, Ibaragi, after an Indian detainee there committed suicide. It reports on criticisms of detention in Japan, including the cases of other detainees who died in detention, as well as the government's argument for using detention. Kyodo News, 2018.
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.
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.
Japan Detention Data Profile 2020 Information on the use of detention in Japan, for undocumented migrants as well as asylum seekers, from the Global Detention Project (downloads as a pdf file). See also A Missed Opportunity in Japan criticizing Japan's proposed new Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act which strengthens the ability to detain indefinitely (without time limit) asylum seekers and migrants. Global Detention Project 2023.
Detention monitoring newly established in Japan by Naoko Hashimoto Forced Migration Review
Asylum Data CDR, The Project of Compilation and Documentation on Refugees and Migrants, The University of Tokyo.
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.
Subaru’s secret: Marginalized foreign workers power a Japanese export boom This article looks at the use of foreign migrant workers, who get paid much less than Japanese workers, by companies supplying the car-maker Subaru in Ota City, Gunma. Many of these foreign workers are asylum seekers on provisional release from immigration detention. The article looks at these workers from paragraph 16 onwards, explaining their working conditions, harsh treatment by employers and health problems. Reuters, 28 July 2015
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.
UNHCR-Refugee Higher Education Program (RHEP) is a program implemented by fourteen universities in Japan which supports refugees who live in Japan, to complete a undergraduate or graduate degree program, through scholarships from the universities.
Q&A: Japanese clothing retail giant helps refugees in unique ways An article about Uniqlo's internship program for refugees who are students in Japan, as well as a project to provide clothes to refugees in co-operation with UNHCR. 18 Mar 2012.
Refugee Assistance Headquarters This is the government affiliated organisation for providing support for people who have been accepted as refugees in Japan, including Japanese language instruction, help with adapting to Japanese society and employment guidance for refugees.
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.
Employment information for refugees in Japan from Japan Association for Refugees.
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. Includes the story of Mohammad Mawaheb Seraj Eddin, a 26-year-old refugee from Syria who found work as a computer programmer. Japan Times, Oct 25, 2013.
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. They work with Social Venture Partners Tokyo.
外国人の戦略的雇用： 難民雇用を通じた自他共栄 Information about a project to employ foreign migrants in good working conditions, starting with refugees, at Sakae Foundry in Hachioji.
Fast Retailing Co. offers an internship at UNIQLO Japan Store to help refugees become self-reliant and employs some refugees at it's stores in Japan.
Japanese nail salon firm, Arusha offers career opportunities for refugees in Japan, and has a 難民支援ショッピングサイト.
Refugee Assistance Headquarters This is the government affiliated organisation for providing support for people who have been accepted as refugees in Japan, including Japanese language instruction, help with adapting to Japanese society and employment guidance for refugees.
Banned from working, asylum seekers are building Japan's roads and sewers This longer article looks at the situation of Kurdish asylum seekers who are on provisional release from immigration detention and who work illegally to support themselves because they are not allowed to work legally and receive no support from the Japanese government. It also looks at community of Kurdish asylum seekers in Kawaguchi and Warabi cities, at the approach of the Japanese government to applications by Kurdish asylum seekers and at the health problems these asylum seekers face. Reuters, 8 August 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 about the support for asylum seekers and refugees from the national government (state), civil society (for example NGOs) and from municipalities (local governments). It includes information on employment rights and the employment situation asylum seekers and refugees.
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.
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. Kyodo news, 26 Jun 2020.
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)
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.
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
Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) This is an organization that helps refugees to live in Japan safely and independently.
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. They work with Social Venture Partners Tokyo
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.
Catholic Tokyo International Center (CTIC) includes a support center for migrants and refugees including visits to detainnees in Shinagawa and Ushiku detention centers.
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 for Migration (Japan) / 国際移住機関 日本
Refugee Assistance Headquarters 難民事業本部 This is the government affiliated organisation for providing support for refugees. It runs the Settlement Support Program, which provides Japanese language instruction, help with adapting to Japanese society and employment guidance for "convention refugees" - people who the United Nations or Japanese government has accepted as refugees (not asylum seekers).
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.
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 supports people applying for refugee status and other migrants.
RAFIQ This is an Osaka-based organisation supporting refugees in the Kansai area and also organising educational activities about refugees.
Door to Asylum Nagoya (DAN) provides legal advice and information about social welfare services.
Japan Evangelical Lutheran Association (JELA) is a Christian organisation offers two types of support to refugees and asylum seekers currently residing in Japan: housing and scholarships.
Refugees Empowerment Network (REN) is non-profit organization building community and self-sufficiency among refugee and asylum seekers in Japan and Kenya through educational, economic, and social programs.
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."