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.
Japan to curb asylum seekers' right to work from Monday Japan will limit asylum seekers’ right to work from Monday, making changes to its refugee system that are likely to swell the numbers of those in detention centers, the justice ministry said, prompting refugee groups to raise humanitarian concerns. Reuters, 12 Jan 2018.
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. It looks at the situation of Laurent Kirobi, a West African asylum seeker who is not allowed to work. Japan Times, 6 Aug, 2009.
Employment information for refugees in Japan from Japan Association for Refugees.
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.
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 discusses the work rights of asylum seekers in Japan. Japan Times, 16 Aug 2016.
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.
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.
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.
Nation fails to make most of refugees: Driven to excel, asylum seekers key to economic growth, journalist says Freelance journalist Kaoru Nemoto who used to work at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has argued that Japan must make use of the economic potential or refugees. The article looks at Fast Retailing (Uniqlo)'s employment of refugees. Japan Times, May 10, 2013.
Welcoming refugees to fill labor shortages Michael Lindenbauer, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Japan asks if Japan should accept more refugees as an answer to its lack of workers. Japan Times, 18 Aug, 2014.
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.
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
Refugee reluctance clashes with labor realities as asylum seekers, banned from working, build Japan’s roads Another article about Kurdish asylum seekers on provisional release from detention, working without the correct documentation (visas) in Japan in order to survive. Japan Times, 9 Aug 2016.
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.
Employing Refugees Information about a project to employ foreign migrants in good working conditions, starting with refugees, at Sakae Foundry. Japanese here.
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. Fast Retailing Co. and UNHCR have also established a partnership to assist refugees and displaced people around the world through the distribution of recycled Uniqlo clothing - see Fast Retailing partners with UNHCR to clothe refugees, The Japan Times News, Feb 24th 2011.
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.