Pondering the plight of refugees

Easing the homesickness, isolation, and suffering

We spoke with the U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Japan about current issues involving refugees. Hajime Kishimori, 43, was born in Hiroshima and he shared the following information with us.

In the 霑ｭefugee Convention,繝ｻadopted by the United Nations in 1951, refugees are defined as people who stay or reside outside the countries where they hold nationality out of fear of persecution due to race, religious beliefs, or other factors.

Burundi children carrying water at a refugee camp in Tanzania. (photo from UNHCR)

As of January 2007, there are about 10 million refugees in the world. In addition, another 13 million are "internally displaced," having fled their homes yet unable to escape their countries, and 2.6 million are "returnees," those who have returned to their homes but lack a secure foundation for their lives. In total, the UNHCR estimates that 33 million people are in need of support.

The country that has produced the most refugees is Afghanistan, with about 2.1 million. Iraq, where the number has been rising sharply due to religious conflict and deteriorating security conditions, currently has about 1.45 million refugees. And Africa has many refugees, too, including 690,000 in Sudan.

The first refugees came to Japan in 1975. They arrived from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the political chaos of that time. Refugees from these three countries are believed to total nearly 10,000. After this first wave of refugees, another 4,900 people, including many from Turkey and Myanmar, have applied for Recognition of Refugee Status, based on the "Refugee Convention" ratified by Japan in 1981. To date, however, only 410 have been approved.

If a person obtains Recognition of Refugee Status in Japan, this makes it possible to acquire resident status. With resident status, there is no longer the fear of forced repatriation and the holder is then eligible to receive public assistance in the form of rent and living expenses.

Compared to Europe, where the applications of thousands of refugees are approved at a time, only 34 refugees were granted Recognition of Refugee Status in Japan in 2006. Obstacles appear to include the island geography of Japan and language barriers involving Japanese. The number of applications, too, was relatively few: only 1000 refugee applications were filed that year. On the other hand, approvals for Recognition of Refugee Status have nevertheless increased threefold since 2004 when the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was revised and the provision that refugees must apply within 60 days after their arrival in Japan was eliminated. (Risa Kushioka,16)

Afghan man pursues refugee status for nearly 10 years

Fled from persecution by the Taliban

Lack of evidence makes status difficult to acquire

Khodadad (right) relates his experiences in Afghanistan and Japan. (photo by Rikako Okada)

We spoke with an Afghan man, Khodadad, 48, who lives in Osaka and has been pursuing Recognition of Refugee Status for almost 10 years.

He belongs to the Hazara tribe, a minority in Afghanistan, and he was persecuted by the Taliban in 1998 because of religious differences. He fled from Kabul, where he lived, to Mazar-e-Sharif, but the Hazara there continued to experience harassment. He then sought refuge in Pakistan and, in September 1998, came to Japan, which he had visited before on business.

Just before he left Afghanistan, there was a massacre in Mazar-e-Sharif and 6,000 people were believed to be killed, including one of his brothers. Two other brothers have gone missing.

Khodadad has experienced many difficulties after his arrival in Japan. To apply for Recognition of Refugee Status, he must present evidence of persecution, but any evidence he had was lost with his old belongings. And without this Recognition of Refugee Status, he cannot obtain a visa or receive public assistance. He raised this objection in court, but it was rebuffed because he comes from "a country suspected of harboring terrorists" in connection with the terrorist attack in the United States on September 11, 2001.

After this, he was held by immigration authorities and a deportation order was issued. When he protested, the court again denied his request. He is now appealing this ruling for the second time.

A new government is now in place in Afghanistan, but Khodadad says, "I can't return while the country is still so dangerous with terrorists and their suicide attacks." Although he has received permission to leave the custody of immigration authorities, he is prohibited from moving outside the bounds of Osaka Prefecture. He has not seen his wife or five children in 10 years and, as long as he cannot obtain the Recognition of Refugee Status, he cannot bring them over to Japan.

Khodadad feels that Japan is cold towards refugees. He hopes more people will become interested in the problems they face and support them in appealing to the Japanese government for greater assistance. (Aoi Otomo, 13)

Click to watch our interview with Khodadad

Interview with Yukie Osa, Chairperson of Japan Platform - Making the best use of relief aid We interviewed Yukie Osa, 44, who serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Japan Platform, an organization engaged in supporting refugee camps overseas. With a wealth of experience working in Cambodia and Afghanistan, she feels that the use of relief aid should be improved. For example, some places lack clean water and when powdered milk is mixed with dirty water the baby may die. Although donors provide their support with the best of intentions, it can sometimes have the opposite effect. Another problem involves a glut of certain resources becoming concentrated in one area. Ms. Osa stresses that "Plans must be carefully made, based on an analysis of need, to coordinate appropriate aid." And when refugee camps are crowded with many people in a small location, the danger of fire and contagious disease is a serious concern. She added, "It's important that people are aware of the reality of life in these faraway places." (Rikako Okada,17) UNHCR Youth demonstrate in Tokyo in support of refugees in November 2007 UNHCR Youth, changing the image of refugees Members of UNHCR Youth explain their activities to junior writers. "UNHCR Youth" was established in July 2007 by university students and graduate students working in support of refugees alongside the UNHCR Representative in Japan. The group currently has 130 members in the Tokyo area and another 40 members in the Kansai region. Last November, UNHCR Youth assembled in the heart of Tokyo and demonstrated on behalf of refugees. The aim of this activity was to raise awareness of their plight and promote a more positive image of refugees. This year they plan to visit refugee camps overseas. One member of the group, Kai Obi of Waseda University, told us "I want to find out what we can do for refugees by interacting with young people at refugee camps." (Yuki Sakata,14) Click to watch our interview with Ms. Osa and members of UNHCR Youth

Impact awareness and government policy

At first, we thought that issues involving refugees had little to do with Japan, but our investigation revealed the need to raise awareness of this problem among Japanese citizens, too. After all, there are 10,000 refugees in Japan, including a number of difficult cases where official recognition has been hard to obtain.

Many people involved in working with refugees told us, "Indifference is the greatest obstacle." As Yukie Osa remarked, the government's cold attitude toward refugees may simply "reflect the Japanese mindset." Thus, awareness of this issue must be advanced and government policies must be amended.

Interacting with refugees at community events in Japan, and experiencing their traditional customs, cooking, or sports, might be helpful in understanding their lives. (Masahiro Mikoshi, 15 and Ryota Matsuda, 14)