Japanese government to accept Myanmar nationals living in third countries as refugees - Mainichi Daily News

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/archive/news/2008/08/25/20080825p2a00m0na018000c.html

Gov't to accept Myanmar nationals living in third countries as refugees
The Japanese government has decided to accept refugees who have fled from their own countries and reside in other countries, and will receive about 30 Myanmar nationals living in Thailand as early as fiscal 2010, it has been learned.

The government is also considering increasing the number of Myanmarese refugees it accepts in the future, and expanding its measure to cover refugees from other countries.

Up until now, Japan has refused to accept refugees living outside their own countries other than those accepted under special measures covering Indochinese refugees. Accordingly, the new decision could be regarded as a change in Japan's policy regarding refugees.

Under the current Immigration-Control and Refugee-Recognition Act, screening for refugee recognition is carried out in Japan, and there are no presupposed conditions for accepting refugees living overseas. But with the new measure on refugees living in third countries they can apply in the places where they are living.

In 2007, 816 people applied for recognition as refugees in Japan. Five hundred of them (about 60 percent) were Myanmarese living under the military junta. It appears that the government singled out Myanmarese refugees in its latest decision because there were many wanting to immigrate to Japan. The government is reportedly considering accepting groups of families. If Japan does accept them it will be the first country in Asia to do so.

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(Mainichi Japan) August 25, 2008