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Immigration in Japan: What Brings Refugees to a New Land?
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Why don't more refugees come to Japan? One key reason is simple. In many countries, Japan is far away and scarcely known. Immigration to such an unknown place is for the adventurous, not those fleeing the urgent problems that make them refugees.
Often, Japanese people assume that the world is familiar with their island homeland. But stepping outside Japan quickly reveals otherwise. While the internet has expanded global awareness and tourists from distant regions have increased in recent years, Japan remains unfamiliar territory for much of the world's population.
Sixth in the series.
Read the series: Immigration in Japan
Think about life in almost any other country. How often does Japan appear in their daily news? They might hear about anime, and Japanese pop culture has gained international fans. Those introduce a fictional image of the country and do little to raise awareness of today's Japan. If people have little or no knowledge of the country, why would they consider it a destination when fleeing for their lives?
Where refugees flee is often shaped by practical and personal factors: Whether they speak the local language Are family, friends, or acquaintances already living there Have they visited before and had a positive impression Are others around them fleeing to the same place How easy it is to obtain a visa
Naturally, each person's circumstances help shape their decision. So, how many would include Japan?
A quick online search will show where most refugees and displaced people are currently coming from, with Syria, Sudan, and Ukraine topping most lists. Now ask yourself: how familiar is Japan likely to be to them?
Refugees are often making life-or-death decisions under extreme pressure. In those moments, is Japan a place they would think of when reaching out? And if they do come, is it a place where they would consider rebuilding their lives?
In reality, for many refugees, Japan doesn't even enter the picture as a viable destination, and part of that stems from history.
Because few people have historically migrated to Japan, the necessary routes and networks for refugee movement were never firmly established. There are a few notable exceptions: After the 1917 Russian Revolution, some stateless refugees used "Nansen passports" issued by the League of Nations and passed through Japan on their way to the United States.
During World War II, Jewish refugees fleeing Europe received "visas for life" from diplomats like Chiune Sugihara. They enabled the refugees to travel through Japan en route to safety in the United States.
Vietnamese people fleeing after the fall of Saigon, where Japan provided refuge as they sought to restart their lives in new countries.
But these were isolated cases. Japan never became a major corridor or destination for those fleeing persecution. Chiune Sugihara (Wikimedia Commons)
By contrast, many Western countries were once colonial powers in the very regions that now produce large numbers of refugees. As a result, they developed long-standing migration ties with their former colonies and came to rely on immigrant labor to sustain economic growth. In these societies, the idea of accepting refugees has been historically and socially integrated into broader patterns of migration.
Japan, however, followed a different path. Until the 1970s, the country met most of its labor needs with its domestic population and had little reason to seek large numbers of immigrants.
This historical background helps explain why Japan remains relatively unknown in many parts of the world and why Japanese society has had limited experience with accepting and living alongside foreign populations.
Had Japan chosen to extend broader humanitarian protections to refugees at those times, the country's integration of foreign populations might have developed very differently.
Geography is another major factor. Japan is geographically distant from most refugee-producing regions. Also, as an island archipelago, the nation is surrounded by the sea. It can only be reached by boat or plane. Unlike much of Europe or parts of Asia, there are no land borders to cross on foot.
Look up the countries and regions from which most refugees are currently fleeing, such as Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, or South Sudan. Then consider how someone escaping those conditions might reach Japan. Unlike voluntary immigrants, refugees are often forced to flee with little planning or resources. What kind of transportation would you need?
How much would it cost?
Would a refugee even have access to those means?
The more you try to see it from a refugee's perspective, the clearer it becomes. Your circumstances are urgent, and you have no time to plan. Fleeing to Japan is logistically out of reach for many. Many people gather on the road after a strong earthquake hit central Myanmar on March 28 in Mandalay (©Reuters via Kyodo News)
That said, some people take these facts and arrive at the wrong conclusion. They say, "Japan is hard to reach, so refugees won't come anyway. There's no need for us to accept them. As long as we donate money or send aid workers, that should be enough."
I couldn't disagree more. Japan can't change its history or geography. But many of the other barriers that make it difficult for refugees to reach Japan are within our power to change. And those are exactly the areas where Japan should be doing better.
Continues in Part Seven : Rethinking Refugee Protection in a Changing World
Author: Fusako Yanase
In addition to being an expert on immigration, Yanase is an award-winning author and former Honorary Chair of the Certified NPO Association for Aid and Relief, Japan.
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