Applicants from Afghanistan made up the majority of those recognized as refugees by the Japanese government last year, similar to 2022.
Still, it was a jump from the previous record of 202 people in 2022.
Two other foreign nationals were granted quasi-refugee status — a new category for those fleeing from countries in conflict — while another 1,005 were granted permission to reside in Japan on humanitarian grounds despite not qualifying for refugee status.
According to the Justice Ministry's report, there were 13,823 asylum-seekers who applied for refugee status last year — more than a threefold increase from 2022. Among them, 303 were recognized by the Japanese government as being refugees who had to flee their home countries due to threats of persecution.
As in 2022, the majority of those recognized as being refugees last year — 237 people — were from Afghanistan, where the return of the Taliban regime to power in 2021 has led to continued instability. Refugees from Myanmar and Ethiopia made up the next biggest groups.
Comment: The Taliban has actually brought a modicum of stability to the country, it was the West's illegal wars that wrought the instability.
Last year's applicants for refugee status made up the second-largest number that Japan has ever received in a single year, with those from Sri Lanka (3,778), Turkey (2,406) and Pakistan (1,062) accounting for the largest nationality groups.
Japan received its highest-ever number of applications in a year in 2017, logging 19,629.
Following a revision to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law made in 2023, the government introduced a new status of "subsidiary protection" that grants asylum to those fleeing from areas experiencing ongoing conflict, even if they do not fall into Japan's narrow definition of a refugee.
Since its implementation in December, 1,110 applications have been made for this special status, with almost all of them (1,101 applicants) hailing from Ukraine, where a war with Russia is ongoing, according to the Justice Ministry's report.
By the end of February, 647 applicants had been granted the quasi-refugee status, with 644 of them being evacuees from Ukraine.
In Japan, applications for refugee status are made to the Immigration Services Agency, and are then evaluated by an immigration inspector.
Individuals recognized as refugees are granted the status of long-term residents and are accorded benefits including Japanese language education and job placement services. Those who meet specified conditions can enroll in the national health insurance and pension systems, and be eligible for the government's child-rearing allowance.
Unsuccessful applicants can appeal, though the process can take several years, in addition to the initial application process that takes several months to begin with. There have been cases in which asylum-seekers whose residential status had expired were subject to detention while they were applying for refugee status. For those granted refugee status, they are recognized as long-term residents and under certain conditions can apply for permanent residency.
Comment: It's not a coincidence that Japan is renowned for being a high trust, and relatively low crime, society. It's also proof that if a government wants to, it's more than capable of regulating migration. As other countries in Europe, such as Belarus, Hungary, and Russia, have also proven: