Applicants for Refugee Status in Japan Drop in 1st Quarter

May 29, 2018

Tokyo- The number of foreigners who applied for refugee status in Japan in the first quarter of 2018 dropped 13 pct from a year earlier to 3,015, its first quarterly decline in eight years, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tuesday.

The annual number of applicants has been increasing since 2010, exceeding 10,000 for the first time in 2016, when it reached 10,901. Only 28 applicants were accepted as refugees in 2016.

Foreigners seeking refugee status used to be allowed to work in Japan for six months after applying for such status with no exceptions.

In January, the ministry abolished the rule in the belief that most applicants simply wanted to work in Japan.

As a result, the number of applicants from the Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka plunged more than 60 pct, respectively.

The rule change has helped to restrict groundless applications to a certain degree, Kamikawa said at a press conference. Jiji Press