Kuruppo, a town coin, is part of Kanagawa Prefecture’s “SDGs Tsunagari Point Project” and was created in September 2019 as a tool for residents, stores, and businesses to connect through points to solve social issues. It is currently spread across 13 areas, including Tokyo, Nagano, Osaka, Okayama, Tottori, and Fukuoka prefectures, as well as municipalities in Okinawa Prefecture.

Kamakura City introduced the program in January 2021, and 5411 citizens and 197 businesses and organizations (as of January 21, 2022) have participated and used the program.

Alpe Refugee Center is also utilizing “Kuruppo” to help refugees in the center connect with the local community.

* Machi no Coin Management Company “Funny Corporation Kayak” wrote a cartoon episode and an introductory article.

■Episode Cartoon: “Smiles Brought Back by Machi no Coin” (Omoshiro Corporation Kayak)
A heartwarming episode about a Sri Lankan refugee who got his smile back after encountering the community currency “Machi no Coin” (Kayak Inc.)

■“A Connection and the Significance of Existence” given by Machi no Coin – The Case of Arrupe Refugee Center

NHK News October 2021 Initiatives Using Kurrupo

I believe that the expression of an opinion on refugee policy by a local assembly is a groundbreaking event. We hope that this movement will spread nationwide. The full text of the opinion letter is posted here.

Click here for the PDF file

Opinion Regarding the Need to Review Refugee Policy from a Humanitarian Standpoint

Although Japan is a signatory to the Refugee Convention, the reception of refugees is extremely low compared to other developed countries. The recognition rate has not reached 1% for a long time: in 2019, Japan recognized 44 people (0.4%) out of 10,375 applicants for refugee status, and in 2020, due to entry restrictions caused by the Corona disaster While the number of applicants plummeted to 3,936, 47 (1.2%) were granted recognition.

As a result of the strict interpretation of the Refugee Convention and that only “refugees in the limited sense” are eligible for protection, foreigners fleeing civil war and persecution, who should be protected, are in a difficult situation without being saved. For example, while many Kurds fleeing persecution in Turkey and other countries have been granted refugee status in other countries, not a single Kurd has been recognized as a refugee in Japan.

The United Nations and other organizations have long demanded that Japan’s immigration administration correct this situation. One criticism is the low refugee recognition rate. Another is the “detention of all cases” policy, which, in principle, detains foreigners who do not have the status of residence and are suspected of having grounds for deportation in immigration facilities, and the long-term detention without a maximum period of stay in these facilities, as well as the treatment that ignores human rights.

The Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act Amendment Bill submitted to the recent 204th session of the Diet was effectively scrapped due to criticism that the truth about the death of Wisima Sandamari, a Sri Lankan woman detained in an immigration facility, has not been clarified. The bill was criticized by many for such reasons as the bill facilitates the repatriation of foreigners who are unable to return home due to persecution or fear for their lives and may cause serious disadvantages and human rights violations to those targeted; the supervision measures to be introduced to correct long-term detention in immigration facilities will preserve the immigration bureau’s large discretionary authority, and the bill will be used as a means of preventing the death of foreigners who have been detained in immigration facilities for a long time. The supervision measures to be introduced to correct long-term detention in immigration facilities will lead to the preservation of the immigration bureau’s large discretionary authority. Japan’s immigration administration, which has been repeatedly pointed out for its lack of consideration for human rights, must be fundamentally reformed.

Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, has approximately 500 provisionally released Kurds residing in the city. The city takes the impoverished situation of its Kurdish residents very seriously and submitted a written request to the Minister of Justice in December 2020, requesting work permits and health insurance coverage for those on provisional release. We understand that this is a realization of the philosophy of regional coexistence by the local government.

The city of Kamakura is also committed to regional symbiosis and aims to realize a society in which “no One is Left Behind,” which is also linked to human security, which the Japanese government has positioned as a major pillar of its foreign policy. In the city, there is also a facility of the NPO Arrupe Refugee Center, where refugees live, which has started to serve as a center for regional symbiosis, connecting refugees and the local community.

The Kamakura City Council believes that a country or society that is cold to refugees who are persecuted and seek asylum in fear for their lives is a country or society that is cold to all people, and requests that the following items be promptly implemented by the government.

1 Refugee Recognition

The Immigration Bureau should establish an independent organization in charge of refugee recognition, clarify the criteria for recognition, and create a system in which attorneys are present during the recognition process, in order to change the situation in which refugees who should be protected are not recognized.

2 Detention in immigration facilities

The current situation in which, in principle, all foreign nationals without a status of residence are detained in immigration facilities should be promptly changed, and indefinite detention at the discretion of the Immigration Bureau should be eliminated. The supervision measures introduced in the revised bill should be changed to those that position detention as an exception.

3 Problems of Poverty

Under the current system, individuals under provisional release are unsure about when they will be reincarcerated, and they are also unable to earn a living on their own. The government should make it possible for such persons to work if they are guaranteed by a support group, and provide administrative services such as health insurance on the responsibility of the government.

We submit our opinion in accordance with Article 99 of the Local Autonomy Law.

July 2, 2021

I thought I would be at ease once he arrived in Japan, but life in Japan has been a series of hardships.

I spent 10 years on parole in Japan, once living homeless in a park for two weeks with no money to live on and no place to live.

I’ve done many dangerous jobs.

In his home country, I was a teacher and held an elite position, but in Japan, I have no prospect of making a day’s living, and my pride has been shredded.

I can’t tell my family, who believe in my success in my home country, very much about my current situation.

By Ugandan, B.

*B is not able to have his picture taken due to his job search after becoming independent, so this picture is an image only.

At one point, he alerted the police to a location used as a hideout for members of the armed group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

A few days later, while I was away from home, a member of the LTTE came and threatened my parents, saying, 

“You reported the location of our people, didn’t you.” 

“Where is he? I will kill him if I find him.”

After hearing this, I realized that I was being targeted, and I was horrified that the threats had reached my family.

I could not rely on the police, so I fled by leaving my house, but the LTTE attacks did not end.

While working as a bodyguard, I passed through an unpopular wasteland when the car I was riding in came under fire.

It was obvious that I was the target since the dozen or so cars driving in front of and behind me were safe.

A few years later, the village mosque was bombed.

Six people who were waiting for the results of an election vote died, including my own uncle.

After years of these events, I decided to flee to a foreign country because I felt it was no longer possible to escape domestically.

Many years have passed since I came to Japan, but I still have deep scars from Sri Lanka.

The wound on my arm is painful during the cold winter months and hurts every day when I go to bed.

I have trouble sleeping because of the trauma and sometimes I feel in a daze during the day.

I am sure that terrorists will kill me if I return.

I want to do my best here.

Please help me, people of Japan.

Mr. F is unable to have his photo taken due to attempts on his life, so the photo here is an image. Please note that this story was transcribed by our staff based on Mr. F’s story.

Worldwide Refugee Population Now 79.5 Million, Nearly Double the Number 10 Years ago

By the end of 2019, there will be 79.5 million refugees worldwide, a nearly twofold increase from a decade ago (41 million in 2010). More than 1% of all humans, or 1 in 97 people, are affected by forced displacement, and the number of people able to return to their countries of origin is decreasing yearly. (UNHCR, June 2020). In refugee camps, many people are at risk of explosive transmission of the new coronavirus without adequate medical care.

Refugees Denied Entry and Deported

More than 10,000 refugees come to Japan each year with hope. Japan is a country of economic prosperity, a country of peace, the country of Madame Sadako (the late Sadako Ogata, former UN High Commissioner), and a country of hospitality. They land at the airport, hoping that they can escape persecution and regain a more human life if they go to Japan.

More than 10,000 refugees come to Japan each year with hope. Japan is a country of economic prosperity, a country of peace, the country of Madame Sadako (the late Sadako Ogata, former UN High Commissioner), and a country of hospitality. They land at the airport, hoping that they can escape persecution and regain a more human life if they go to Japan.

However, their expectations are quickly betrayed. When asylum seekers apply for asylum at the airport, they are preceded not by the refugee status application process but by the “Application for Temporary Asylum Landing Permit” process, a procedure to determine whether or not they will be allowed to enter Japan for refugee status application procedures. In the 38 years between 1982, when Japan joined the Refugee Convention, and 2018, there were 836 applications for temporary asylum landing permits, but only 66 were granted.

When they appeal for protection as refugees at the airport, they are denied entry and sent back without even being able to apply for refugee status. If they continue to appeal for asylum, deportation proceedings will be taken against them “if they do not leave the country promptly,” and they will be detained in an immigration facility for an extended period of time.

Mr. R, Denied Entry Intro the Country

He left Japan because he feared for his life due to physical persecution by the authorities when he was engaged in political activities in his home country. He chose Japan because he had the opportunity to learn about Japan in high school. He said he had an image of a developed and peaceful country and that getting a visa would be a smooth process. After four plane rides, he finally arrived in Japan, where he sought asylum from an immigration official. On the third day, he was asked to leave the country, and when he refused, he was kept in an airport facility for another two days. Finally, he was transferred to an immigration facility.

After being informed by other detainees that there is a procedure for provisional release in which the detainee is temporarily released from detention, he consulted with visiting volunteers and support groups about the provisional release. However, he learned that provisional release requires a guarantor, housing, and a security deposit (the legal limit is 3 million yen, but the operational limit is between 10,000 and 300,000 yen). However, he did not have the money to pay the deposit, nor did he have any acquaintances to ask for a guarantor or a place to live, and only time continued to pass by. 

It took a week just to call the Refugee Services Headquarters (an affiliate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), a public support office for refugee applicants in financial need, to make an appointment for a consultation. He had to wait another week for the application form to be mailed. However, more than a month passed after sending the application back, and there was still no word. Just like during his detention, the days of anxious waiting continued. 

Refugees Who Become Homeless

If you are granted permission to enter the country successfully at the airport, you will apply for refugee status at the immigration office. If you are granted the status of residence, you will not be eligible to work until eight months after your application, although there are some exceptions. Until then, you are expected to survive on the money you have in your possession, protection money from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and support from civil society organizations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides protection money several months after the application is submitted. It is reviewed every four months and may suddenly stop being paid. The number of emergency shelters is limited, and some refugees are forced to live on the streets because they no longer have enough money and cannot receive protection money. Some refugees have been homeless for over a year.

Even under such circumstances, they must appear regularly at the immigration office, undergo lengthy interviews, and submit documents to substantiate their refugee status. In many cases, with their fragile livelihoods, they cannot adequately prepare for the documentation and other requirements, resulting in the denial of refugee status.

2011: Realization of the Resolution in the Diet

In November 2011, on the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 30th anniversary of Japan’s accession to the Convention, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors unanimously adopted a resolution on the protection of refugees and continued efforts to resolve the refugee problem.

While strengthening cooperation with international organizations and civil society groups that support refugees, we will strive to establish a comprehensive domestic asylum system and further enhance our third-country resettlement program. At the same time, we will continue to provide assistance to refugees and displaced persons externally through our country’s foreign policy, and we will play a leading role in Asia and the world toward a permanent solution to the global refugee problem and qualitative improvement in the protection of refugees”.

Unfortunately, many of the resolutions have yet to be realized. The number of refugees worldwide, which was 42.5 million at the time of the parliamentary resolution, became 70.8 million in 2018. The number increases yearly, and the situation surrounding refugees is becoming increasingly serious.

Arrupe Refugee Center Opens

In April 2020, Arrupe Refugee Center opened in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. The Jesuits, a congregation of the Catholic Church, provided the building site and made this possible. The center will engage in the following three activities: The first is to provide shelter, to improve the situation of refugees who come to Japan with hope but are forced to live on the streets, and to provide alternatives to detention at the Immigration Bureau. The second is to provide a venue to connect refugees with Japanese society; the Global Compact on Refugees, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018, requires the participation of a diverse range of stakeholders in supporting refugees. We will strive to enable diverse stakeholders to meet with refugees and, through these encounters, enable refugees to live a secure and independent life in the community. The third is international collaboration and solidarity. The center’s name “Arrupe” comes from Father Pedro Arrupe, former president of the Jesuits, who founded the Jesuit Refugee Center JRS in response to the devastation of the Indochinese refugees. Through its network, JRS will explore the possibility for long-term parolees to start a new life outside Japan.

Due to the new coronavirus, international migration will be restricted, and new refugee applications are expected to decrease dramatically. In the meantime, we would like to promote the “establishment of a comprehensive domestic asylum system” with various stakeholders.

Reprinted from the June 2020 issue of M-Net

Resolution on the Protection of Refugees and Continued Commitment to Solutions to the Refugee Problem

The year 2011 marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 30th anniversary of Japan’s accession to the Convention. In particular, Japan, as a member of the international community, has supported refugees and displaced persons around the world for 30 years since joining the Convention, emphasizing the concept of human security and focusing on humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding for refugees. In 2010, the program began accepting refugees from Thailand to Myanmar, making it the first Asian country to accept refugees through third-country resettlement.

In Japan, efforts have been made to improve the transparency and efficiency of refugee status examinations to enhance and develop the asylum system.

Respecting these past achievements, international law, and basic international principles of refugee protection, Japan will strive to establish a comprehensive domestic asylum system and further enhance its third-country resettlement program while strengthening cooperation with international organizations and civil society groups that support refugees. At the same time, Japan will continue to provide assistance to refugees and displaced persons in accordance with its foreign policy and will play a leading role in Asia and the world in permanently solving the world’s refugee problems and improving the quality of protection for refugees.

(Resolution No. 2 of the 179th House of Representatives, approved on November 17, 2011, and Resolution No. 1 of the 179th Senate, approved on November 21, 2011)

There are 79.5 million refugees worldwide, an increase of 11 million new refugees in one year.

One percent of all humans, or one in 97 people on the planet, are refugees.

UNHCR – Global Trends 2019: Forced Displacement in 2019

79.5 MILLION FORCIBLY DISPLACED WORLDWIDE at the end of 2019 as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously distur…

www.unhcr.org