Photo/Illutration Protesters oppose revisions to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law in front of the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Feb. 15. (Ari Hirayama)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) on April 20 agreed to discuss a bill that would allow the government to deport asylum seekers while their applications are being processed.

The parties are trying to pass the bill amicably by reaching out to other parties. But getting the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on board may be difficult.

Currently, foreign nationals staying in Japan illegally are not deported if they have applied for refugee status. Proponents of the bill said repeated applications have led to crowded detention facilities and a logjam in paperwork.

The revision bill will allow the government to deport them after two rejected applications.

Takashi Endo, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of Nippon Ishin, held talks with Tsuyoshi Takagi, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of the LDP.

Endo asked that the bill to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law include clauses to ensure the proper handling of applications for refugee status.

“I will instruct those in charge to respond (to the request) appropriately,” Takagi said.

A senior Nippon Ishin official said, “We must not push the ruling parties and the government too hard to get them to agree to the (revisions.)”

The official believes the party’s requested revisions should pose no problems and will be accepted.

In 2021, the government failed to pass a similar revision bill that had the same framework due to a strong public backlash.

The LDP and Nippon Ishin are set to hold talks with the LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito, as well as the CDP and the Democratic Party for the People as early as on April 21.

But an agreement is not expected with the CDP.

The CDP is compiling a counter-proposal that includes the establishment of a third-party organization to examine applications for refugee status.

The CDP proposal would affect a fundamental part of the government bill, so the LDP will likely not easily accept the opposition party’s suggestion.

The CDP said at a party meeting on April 20 that Nippon Ishin’s revised proposal is close to the exact opposite of what the CDP is aiming for.

Akira Nagatsuma, chairman of CDP’s Policy Research Committee, told reporters after the meeting that his party may consider taking part in the talks “only if other parties accept its counter-proposal and revisions.”

He also suggested the CDP would join the discussions only if its proposal is the base for the revisions.

The CDP and Nippon Ishin have been cooperating on some issues in the current Diet session.

But the two opposition parties could be divided if the LDP rejects the CDP’s proposal. The CDP could become the only party excluded from the talks.

Given these circumstances, some CDP members are urging the party to join the negotiations.

“If we just keep talking about scrapping the government bill, it will be passed almost unchanged,” one CDP member said. “We should get the bill close to our revisions as much as possible.”

(This article is written by Tomoya Takaki and Ryuhei Tsutsui.)

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