immigration

In 2018, the Prime Minister responded to the Diet, "The government is not considering adopting a policy of maintaining the nation by accepting foreigners of a certain size relative to the national population, for example, by family members, without setting a time limit, because it is incompatible with the current policy of actively accepting foreigners in professional and technical fields. This policy is incompatible with the current approach to accepting foreigners in specialized and technical fields, and we do not consider adopting it.

Japan is known for accepting very few refugees compared to other major developed countries, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has pointed out that the criteria for refugee status are stricter than in other countries, and has urged Japan to improve its refugee status.

While expressing gratitude for Japan's generous support to date, High Commissioner Grundy also noted that Japan, once the world's second largest donor country, is now the fifth largest, and that more support is needed from Japan in response to the increasing number of refugees. On the other hand, he also cited the example of Fuji Megane Co., Ltd. which has been involved in refugee assistance for more than 35 years, and noted that the support from the Japanese private sector has been a major source of support.

In addition, he noted that Japan still has room for improvement, with welcome initiatives such as the establishment of the Immigration and Residency Management Agency, the expansion of third-country resettlement, and scholarships for Syrian refugee students, and that the criteria for refugee status are stricter than in other developed countries, and called for the establishment of domestic legislation regarding asylum.

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