By YURI MURAKAMI/ Staff Writer
March 15, 2022 at 18:20 JST
Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa speaks about how the government will accept Ukrainian evacuees at a news conference in Tokyo on March 15. (Yuri Murakami)
Ukrainians who have evacuated to Japan following the Russian invasion of their country will be allowed to switch to a visa that permits them to work in Japan for one year.
Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said in making the announcement at a news conference on March 15 that the government will allow the extension of the visa until the situation in Ukraine improves.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on March 2 that Japan will accept Ukrainian evacuees fleeing their war-torn country.
Under the government’s policy, it will accept family members and acquaintances of the roughly 1,900 Ukrainians who currently reside in Japan. As of March 13, 47 evacuees have entered Japan and have been issued visas for short-term stays.
These 47 people and other Ukrainian evacuees who come to Japan can switch to a “designated activity visa” if they want to remain in the country longer, Furukawa said.
With this visa, they will be allowed to work in Japan for up to a year and also apply for refugee status, which makes it easier to gain permanent residence.
Furukawa said at the news conference that the government will take a flexible approach when it comes to accepting Ukrainian evacuees and considering their individual situations.
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