Which countries do they come from and what are the reasons behind this?
There are refugees from Asia, Middle East, Africa and many other countries globally who seek refuge in Japan. In many cases, they did not specifically choose Japan and they come here, out of the limited number of countries they can go, by chance as their Japan visa got approved. For those refugees fleeing from their country of origin in fear of persecution, it is a major challenge for them to obtain a legitimate passport and in some instances, they had to pay brokers in order to obtain a "fake passport" and leave the country.

The history of refugee acceptance in Japan
Japan has always taken a passive approach towards allowing refugees to enter their country, but there was a time when they opened up their doors to refugees. In the late 1970’s post the Vietnam War, Japan took in over 10,000 refugees widely known as the ‘Boat people’ from the 3 countries in Indochina (refugees who fled from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia). This opened the doors of Japan further and in 1981, Japan became an affiliate of the refugee treaty. In 2010, Japan established its Resettlement Program and started taking in refugees. There are approximately 30 refugees taken in by Japan, annually, from areas such as Refugee Camps.
Why is it so hard to obtain a refugee status in Japan?
In 2019, 10,375 applied for Refugee status. However, only 44 people were accepted.
In Japan, all applications are handled by the Japan Immigration Bureau, and it can be said that they have a stronger stance on ‘controlling’ rather than protecting refugees. When compared to international standards, there is little transparency regarding the decision-making behind refugee acceptance, which also includes fairness on how they are determined. Another factor is that the refugee situation is still rarely known in Japan society.
There are also misconceptions about refugees that connect them to the growing fear around public safety and the risks to society, hence making it a challenge for them to be accepted into society.
Living conditions whilst refugee status is in submission
When arriving in Japan, there are refugees who become homeless, scrambling for basic daily necessities such as food, clothing and shelter. The refugee application process can take up to an average of 3 years, and in some instances, 10 years. Whilst waiting for the results, refugees are eligible to receive support funding from the government but this can take up to several months and the amount that they will receive is 2/3 that of the social welfare fund.
In usual cases, the refugee applicants will be granted status to work 6 months after they submit the application hence they can be employed whilst waiting for the application to be accepted. However, it is not easy to receive medical treatment on such a small income. Those who do not have the status of resident and are seeking refugee status may be seen as an illegal (undocumented) immigrant and they may be detained.

- Homeless Refugees

- "I haven't eaten anything yesterday" "I cannot find a place to stay today" Why refugees are becoming homeless after they arrived Japan?

- Detention of Refugees

- A detention facility said to be "prison-like" where 5-6 people in a room with a latticed window.
This is to explain the detention problems such as long-term detention over 1 year and inadequate medical system.

- Misunderstanding of Fake Refugees

- What is the problem of non-refugee people applying for refugee status for work purposes? The background is about the lack of immigration policy which is indispensable for the Japanese economy.
