Japan accepted a record number of refugees last year but its refugee admissions program is still a far cry from international standards.

Japan has a long way to go to shed its image as a nation closed off to refugees.

In 2021, Japan accepted 74 people displaced from their countries, having fled war or a humanitarian concern, as refugees under the 1951 Refugee Convention, the largest number since the country joined the convention in 1981, according to the Immigration Services Agency.

But the uptick was due mainly to the situation in Myanmar, where the military grabbed power in a coup, not the result of any significant change in Japan’s refugee program.

With the world plagued by conflicts and humanitarian crises, many countries accept thousands or tens of thousands of refugees every year. But the number of refugees admitted into Japan each year did not surpass 50 in any of the 10 years through 2020.

Japan’s reluctance to open its door wider to refugees has been criticized both at home and abroad.

Under the program, the government scrutinizes each application for refugee status according to the definition of refugees under the convention to determine whether the individual “has a well-founded fear of being persecuted” because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinions.

In addition, the government demands that refugee claimants produce documents and other evidence to support their claims. But this rule has long been criticized as an impossible demand as it is a tall order for people seeking admission as a refugee to even find someone who can testify for their claims.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in contrast, has focused on responding to the realities of humanitarian crises occurring around the world and has occasionally revised the guidelines for recognizing refugees. It has, for instance, called for also applying the definition of refugees to people fleeing persecution due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

As many countries take actions in line with UNHCR’s guidelines, the gap between Japan’s refugee recognition policy and the international standards has only widened.

Last year, the death of a Sri Lankan woman detained at an immigration facility cast light on the closed culture of the immigration control authority, leading to the abandonment of a government-drafted bill to revise the immigration control law to make it easier to deport foreigners who have overstayed their visas and are in the process of applying for asylum.

In January, the Immigration Services Agency established an internal code of conduct to ensure that its employees behave properly to accomplish the agency’s mission.

The code stresses the importance of a “broad perspective,” “fair and unprejudiced eyes and awareness of the need of improvement” and “respect for human rights and dignity.” The approach to processing applications for refugee status should be fundamentally reformed in line with the code.

In addition to officially recognized refugees, Japan also allowed 580 displaced foreigners including 498 Myanmar nationals to stay in Japan last year due to “humanitarian consideration.” That represents a sharp increase from 44 in the previous year.

But they are treated as special cases based on “consideration” and the range of rights guaranteed to them is not adequate. It should be noted that this system cannot substitute for a formal refugee admissions program.

More than 900 Ukrainians have fled the war in their country and taken refuge in Japan. The government’s decision to admit Ukrainians fleeing the war into Japan as an emergency measure is totally reasonable.

But there are many people in other countries who also need protection and wish to take refuge in Japan, including Afghans facing persecution by the Taliban, which has surged back to power in the country. Adopting double standards for accepting refugees only deepens international distrust of Japan’s stance toward the issue.

Needless to say, it is vital to ensure that refugees admitted into Japan have decent job and educational opportunities and ready access to public counseling services. The government has a duty to offer broader protection and greater support to all refugees.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 19