Editorial: Japan's stricter refugee screening risks leaving the vulnerable unprotected
Repatriating people who have sought protection to countries where they may face danger would violate international law. There are growing concerns tha
Japan's harsher refugee screening process risks exposing vulnerable individuals to danger, potentially violating international law. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan is intensifying the assessment of asylum seekers, with a surge in cases being deemed as not facing persecution based solely on written submissions. This category saw a dramatic increase from 0.6% in 2024 to 14.3% in the previous year.
Those in this group undergo only a document review, lose residence status, and are barred from working. The government claims this aims to swiftly identify those unlikely to qualify as refugees, but the criteria for such categorization remain unclear, potentially leading to overlook of those truly in need. The revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act restricts applications to two attempts, leading to more deportations after multiple filings.
Critics argue this is part of the government's strategy to tackle what it calls "illegal overstayers," despite the reality that many genuine refugees might be overlooked. Japan's refugee recognition standards are notably stricter than many Western countries, with only 187 refugees out of 11,298 applications in the previous year.
As exclusionary sentiment grows, Japan's policies could undermine its international credibility if genuine vulnerable refugees continue to be overlooked.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
