The morning after her arrival to Japan, Natalia was on the balcony looking out over the greenery surrounding the Arrupe and shedding tears. She was filled with unspeakable grief and sorrow, thinking of the forests of her hometown and the friends she had lost. That evening, after the rain, a large double rainbow appeared in the sky. It was a rainbow that seemed to heal wounded souls and broken hearts and pour hope into the divided land.

Alexei and Natalia have obtained residency status and have begun their lives as citizens of Kamakura. They have become accustomed to life at Arrupe and have started learning Japanese. Natalia, who honed her skills as a chef in Ukraine, sometimes serves us borscht, piroshki, brinchki (crepes), etc. We communicate with her using gestures and a translation app while living together.

We have been greatly encouraged by the growing circle of people who have learned about Arrupe for the first time through our support for Ukraine and have joined our network. At the same time, however, it is very complicated to think about the feelings of the residents from Asia and Africa who have been waiting for a long time to obtain residency status, during which time they are unable to work, their freedom of movement is restricted, and they have no access to health insurance. We strongly hope that the same treatment as the Ukrainian displaced persons will be applied to refugees and displaced persons fleeing from the rest of the world so that all can walk in dignity. May the rainbow of hope reach all!

We were featured in an article introducing our activities on the front page of the evening edition of the Tokyo Shimbun.

We call each other by name.

Think of it as your own thing. 

Support Shelter in Kamakura Gives a Boost to Japan’s Refugee Policy

September 18, 2021 (Saturday) Tokyo Shimbun evening edition, front page

The online article can be found here.

The opening of Japan’s largest shelter for foreigners applying for refugee status, the Alpe-Nanmin Center, in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, has led to increased interaction between the foreigners living there and local residents. The director of the shelter says, “When people call each other by name, they begin to think of refugee issues as their own business. We would like to convey from Kamakura the absurdity of Japan’s refugee policy. (Maki Ishihara) 

At a multigenerational exchange event in July, a Sri Lankan man, when asked what his favorite food was, replied in fluent Japanese, “If it’s Sri Lankan food, it’s curry, and if it’s Japanese food, it’s gyoza.” 

He came to Japan in 2016, fearing for his life due to political strife, but was repeatedly detained in immigration detention facilities because he was not recognized as a refugee. After coming to the shelter in June, “I finally relaxed,” he says.

◆Providing food, clothing, shelter, and a place to learn Japanese to those who are applying for refugee status

　Three people from the shelter participated in the event. A Ugandan man said, “There are many delicious foods in Uganda, but the best is banana.” 

The participants showed the location of their home country on a world map and enjoyed a performance by a local music group together, deepening their friendship.

　The shelter was built last April. It is a Jesuit facility in the mountains, rented free of charge. It has about 30 private rooms and currently houses 10 people from Asia and Africa. The shelter is operated by the Arrupe Refugee Center, a non-profit organization established by people involved in refugee support groups. The center provides food, clothing, shelter, and a place to learn Japanese to those who have been provisionally released but are unable to work while applying for refugee status. Kenji Arikawa, 59, secretary-general of Arrupe, regrets that “the public does not have a high level of interest in refugee issues.” Japan’s refugee status is extremely low, and human rights abuses by the Immigration Bureau have become an issue, such as the death in March of Wishma Sandamari, then 33, a Sri Lankan national detained at the Nagoya Immigration and Resident Management Bureau.

　According to Mr. Arikawa, what is needed to change such a situation is to create a relationship in which people can call each other by their first names. “If people wonder why “〇〇-san” is not granted refugee status, they will realize that Japan’s refugee policy is wrong.”

◆Local exchange little by little…and sending out messages to the whole country

　Some of the children in the shelter attend the same kindergarten as their own children, or are treated to dishes from their home countries as a thank-you for teaching them Japanese. After seeing each other many times, local people can become more familiar with the refugee issue. Those who are in the process of applying for refugee status can gain a foothold to live in Japan after their status is approved.

　Despite the COVID19 pandemic, local children sometimes come to visit and work together in the fields on the premises. Local organizations are donating food, and exchanges are gradually beginning to take root.

　In July, the city council passed an opinion piece calling for the government to review its refugee policy, including refugee recognition and institutionalization. Mr. Arikawa hopes that the community he fostered in Kamakura will spread throughout Japan. 

Kamakura City Council, “Kamakura City Council Urges the State to Review Refugee Policy” (July 2, 2021)

Refugee Shelter in Kamakura: To Restore Closed Hearts and Minds (Asahi Shimbun, July 28, 2021)
*available only in Japanese

YouTube “Arrupe Channel”
You can see our activities and videos of World Refugee Day events.

Request for your support
The activities of Arrupe Refugee Center are supported not by government or official support but by your donations. We appreciate your support.

Arrupe News Letter No.2 (July 2021)
*available only in Japanese

Among the entities involved in these activities is the “SDGs Promotion Team,” a team consisting of elementary and junior high school students.

On Saturday, September 4, a study session was held with the children of the SDGs Promotion Team.

Although the event was held online, it was the first time for the refugees at Arrupe Refugee Center to speak about their experiences and thoughts to elementary and junior high school students. 

Although they were nervous, they seemed to experience fresh excitement and joy when they received greetings in the local language from behind the screen in response to their calls, and when questions they had worked so hard to come up with were posed to them.

“What can I, an elementary school student, do for you?” 

To which Myanmarese, M. responded, “Will you be my friend?” 

“Tell your mothers and fathers that there are people like this,” replied B, a Ugandan.

“When you grow up, will you make Japan an easy place for foreigners to live?” 

Such were some of the answers.

The questions from the hard-working elementary school students and the answers from the hard-working refugees were heartwarming.

It was a day that gave us a feeling that a good future, even though it will take time, will come if we continue to interact with the younger generation in this way. 

Kenji Arikawa, Executive Director, will be speaking at a lecture hosted by “Learning Peace as a Christian” at Yukinoshita Catholic Church, which will be simultaneously streamed on Facebook Live. Please come and watch.

The number of refugees in the world exceeds 80 million and is increasing every year with the increase of civil wars and conflicts.

Japan also receives more than 10,000 applications for refugee status every year, but only 0.4% are approved, and there is no end to the number of refugee applicants who are detained by the Immigration Control Agency for long periods of time.

The proposed amendment to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, which has been debated in the current session of the Diet, would further raise the bar for applying for refugee status and, conversely, make it easier to deport refugees back to their home countries, where they may face harsh conditions.

Last year, the “Arrupe Refugee Center” opened in Kamakura, where 10 refugees are currently living. We would like to take this opportunity to think together about what we can do to address the refugee problem.

Lecturer: Mr. Kenji Arikawa, Director and Secretary-General, NPO Arrupe Refugee Center 

Director, NPO National Network in Solidarity with Migrants

Date: Saturday, May 22, 13:00-15:45 (Registration starts at 12:30)

Venue: Rebek Hall, Catholic Yukinoshita Church

2-14-4 Komachi, Kamakura City (5-minute walk from JR Kamakura Station East Exit)

Advance registration is required to attend the venue. Please note that those who do not apply in advance will not be admitted to the venue.

E-mail address for on-site registration: catholic.peace.kamakura@gmail.com

Online live-streaming: Please access the following with your smartphone, computer, etc.

Facebook “Learning Peace as a Christian”.

When I stepped out of the Shinagawa immigration detention facility, I did not open my eyes wide because the world outside was so bright.

The rooms in the immigration detention facility had no windows, and I was only allowed outside for 30 minutes a day, so I had hardly been exposed to the sun during my five years at the immigration facility.

When I arrived at Arrupe, the staff offered to give me a tour of the facility, but I declined without a second thought.

Because my legs were already too tired to walk.

At the immigration office, four people live in a four-mat room, and except for free time, the room is locked from the outside so you cannot leave.

Therefore, my legs and back had become weak because I had been sitting all the time for five years without walking on a daily basis.

After that, I was allowed to rest for a while in my room. It had been five years since I had rested in such a quiet place. I am a Muslim, so I pray five times a day, and I was so happy to be able to do so quietly without worrying about other people’s eyes that I almost cried.

When I was called to the dining room for dinner, delicious-looking rice was waiting for me with steam rising from the bowl.

The main dish of dinner was fried chicken made with halal meat, out of concern for my being a Muslim.

The words that came out of my mouth after taking a bite of the fried food were, 

“The batter is thin, it’s delicious.”

M, a Myanmarese who was sitting next to me said, 

“That’s right, the fried food served at the Immigration Bureau is all batter,” to which everyone else replied, 

“The fried food at the Immigration Bureau, I eat batter, and the fried food at Arrupe, I eat meat!” 

“Arrupe’s fried food is the real thing!” and they laughed.

At the detention center, there were no raw vegetables and no fruits, so we all laughed and had a happy time eating delicious fried food, vegetables, and fruits for the first time in a long time.

For a while after arriving at Arrupe, I was in such a state of excitement…

The lush green environment of Arrupe also seemed to shine for me, having spent all my life surrounded by concrete walls, and I felt really happy to be able to meet various people and eat delicious food with happy friends.

After five years in the immigration office, where I could not do such natural things as seeing greenery, eating good food, and talking with my friends, I was able to get out, but there are still friends who are working hard in the immigration office to make such days go by.

For the sake of those friends and the supporters who helped me get out of the immigration detention center, I will first work with my friends at Arrupe and do my best here.

(This story is edited by our staff based on Indonesian H’s story)

Today, we planned a Myanmar lunch for the local residents at a guest house in Zaimokuza called “Kamejikan”, which is an old private house.

We believe that through food, people who have never thought about refugee issues or have never been involved with foreigners will be able to enjoy and feel free to participate…

This project is filled with such expectations!

This time, we decided to serve a dish from Myanmar, which we see on the news every day due to the current political instability, and decided on a noodle dish called “Nan Zi Thu”!

Using Japanese udon noodles, the seasonings are all familiar to the Japanese, such as soy sauce and dashi (Japanese soup stock)…

But what adds to it all is kinako (soybean flour)!

M from Myanmar, who was in charge of cooking this time, was so nervous about the idea of having Japanese people eat her food, that she repeated the prototype over and over again before the day of the event.

On that day…

It was refreshing to eat familiar ingredients in an unfamiliar combination, and the local people who participated in the event were very pleased with the results, which made Ms. M very happy!

During and after the meal, we talked about Myanmar and Japan from the Myanmar people’s point of view, and the participants were interested in hearing about refugees at the end of the meal.

It is a difficult issue, but it was wonderful that people could come to the event like this and listen to the conversation with interest, and both the staff and M, who cooked the Myanmar cuisine, were deeply moved.

We hope to hold another event like this and continue to do our best with everyone at Arrupe Refugee Center to get to know the community as well as possible and to make the community happy.

A member of Arrupe Refugee Center was interviewed, and the article was published in the evening edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on Monday, April 19.

The interviewee was Ms. Mundele from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the interview, she talks about the difficulties of living in Japan while applying for refugee status.

“Many refugee claimants are unable to show their faces and appear in the media for fear of persecution, so if I can show my face and be interviewed in this way and have many Japanese people read the articles, everyone will be happy, and I will be happy to be of service to everyone.”

Ms. Mundele was happy and satisfied, holding the completed article in both hands.

There is also a video version of the news available on the Internet.

People from completely different cultures, who lived in completely different environments and with completely different ages and personalities living together; that is what life is like in Arrupe. 

In addition, refugees have many things to deal with, all of whom have a variety of backgrounds. 

There are times when we are grouped together and have conflicts because of the differences between Asian and African cultures, 

we fight over food preferences even though we eat together, 

we argue over how to educate our children, 

we have disputes over the rules of Arrupe as a whole every time, 

there are constant disputes every day, there are arguments and complaints, 

there are outbursts by one person because he/she has difficulty speaking the language and cannot argue, and so on… 

Such is Arrupe! But, 

Everyone always says 

“Everyone in Arrupe is Family.” 

We may fight, we may argue, we may ignore each other, 

But it’s over before you know it, 

And we laugh with each other and say, 

“We are all family.” 

We cannot communicate what they want to say to each other due to language barriers, but somehow we are all laughing together, chilling with each other, teasing each other, and having a great time… 

“Everyone in Arrupe is Family.”

It’s like a real family. 

Even if we are having a bad day, we acknowledge, forgive, and support each other, and this is the watchword of everyone at Arrupe. 

One day, I heard this story. 

Everyone at Arrupe is always talking about family, not really family, but like a real family, it’s important. It’s the only place we have.” 

Everyone in Arrupe has a history of running away from their home country, having a hard time at the immigration office in Japan, and being kicked out of the place where they lived. 

We are not a real family, we are strangers to each other, but I believe that Arrupe is an irreplaceable place we have finally found. 

“If I leave here, I won’t have anywhere else to go, so this is no time to fight.” 

He laughed jokingly when he said that. 

“Everyone in Arrupe is my family.” 

Behind that phrase,

I could see the complex colors of the various circumstances that everyone is burdened with, mixed with the warmth of the friendly place they have found at Arrupe. 

But… 

“The Arrupe family is funny!” 

Loud laughter that blows away various circumstances is echoing in Arrupe today (^^)