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Japan considers detaining some asylum seekers to curb abuse of refugee system

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By Minami Funakoshi

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That said, does the Immigration system in Japan work ? For example, there is an every increasing imbalance between young and old here, which will eventually impact the relative luxurious lifestyle of "@Kiyoshimukai" to those that he would have barred from the Country.

What is needed, is a way to distinguish a "Wolf in Sheep's clothing" from a genuine Refugee, whom I believe the Japanese, given their Generous displays of Humanitarian efforts, would gladly accept amongst them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

So how many Refugee related Terrorism (or Crime) cases are there in Japan compared to other Countries who've accepted them en-masse without what "in hindsight" appears to be due diligence ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan does not want immigrants at all. That should be most apparent to you by now, and although I'm Japanese and have mixed feelings about it, I at least know what the agenda is

Is it Japan does not want immigrants or the Japanese people don't want immigrants?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'd like to know what Masayuki intends to do when he tires of Sally. Will she turn to glue sniffing? Will she be passed around from man to mannequin ? Low paying modeling jobs? Are there any support groups out there? Well, she at least should be eligible for palimony.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

...immigration without correct integration.

There are the keywords. If a society doesn't allow immigrants to integrate, that's where the dangers lie - keeping minorities on the fringe of society. Not allowing them even a snippet of social mobility or a feeling of being accepted. It is unhealthy all around and a tremendous waste of manpower and international relations.

Not treating valuable immigrants (when you think about it, immigrants have contributed to Japan in a massive way) like 2nd class citizens is what citizens should be educated about as opposed to just creating and maintaining stereotypes.

In other words, stop the ignorance. Japan is notorious for this when it comes to people of a foreign background because of their own narrow gamut of life experiences.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I am ok with immigration, although I think it should be done better and safer than other places and that we should learn from the countries who had immigration without correct integration.

Because of the climate of the country I dont think Japan should accept immigrants en mass as I dont think its prepared enough to do so.

I say this because I still am given a hard time when I do legal work, change addresses or things like that. Not because I am not Japanese or illegal, but because I have brown eyes and hair.

So I think that there should be some real changes before immigrants are accepted in mass, because sometimes people dont even want to rent me an apartment, and I have a pretty good job and the right passport and name too.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Zichi you never offended me, and Im glad you live in and enjoy Kobe, my city of birth.

I have to day that in my experience from dinner table talk, to school discussions, to speaking to ur average guy...I found that around 70%-80% of older Japanese people and about half of people from my generation are anti immigration.

It is usually from the "Japan is safe" POV with its various intangibles and takes. Personally I find this angle to be quite uneducated and ignorant but whatever.

I'm not talking about whats correct, I am talking about whats the most common and popular opinions here.

My original comment was that Japan is not a good place for refugees and that they arent wanted.

I feel like the government will kinda chew em up and spit them out. And I dont feel there will be any public outrage, as many people think outsiders are kinda dangerous.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

You are right though, my statement that "Japan doesn't want refugees at all" is false.

Obviously Japan does want them and welcomes them. What was I thinking?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Zichi

I am Japanese, born here too and live here as well.

I have a full Japanese name (Not Ayaka Smith), but my parents lived abroad and grandfather married a Hawaiian.

Funny how you (a foreigner) feel you can state to me (a Japanese) that if I don't currently reside here my opinion doesn't count.

Perhaps your opinion should count less regarding matters of your own nation since you no longer reside there either.

I told you I get what you are saying cause I'm mixed, because in Japan most people still treat me like a foreigner because I look like one.

About immigration, I'm simply saying what I have heard from most people here in Japan my entire life. MOST are averse to immigration ( I didn't say all ).

I personally am for it, but I'm in the minority here.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Automation can only take you so far.

Automation that eliminates the need to have young healthy workers on a construction site, or general staff that can clean tables, wash dishes and serve customers in an izakaya - we're not going to see this level of automation in our lifetimes. The technology is not even remotely close to being there yet.

But Japan already has a problem with staffing these unskilled labor positions. There aren't enough young people willing or able to do this kind of work. The Abe government has been filling the gaps by importing more and more foreign students to Japanese schools, but Japanese school students have a 2 year visa limit - it cannot be extended past 2 years. Note that the "trainee program" the Abe government has created (And is universally panned as being indentured servitude by developed nations) has the same 2 year cap and also has no renewability. Pattern here?

A lot of people keep throwing around the word "home country" but have they ever stopped to think about those of us whose home country is Japan? I've lived here 10 years and have started a young family. Japan is my home just as much as it is to any Taro or Hanako.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for fake economic asylum seekers but I absolutely disagree with putting former students in jail because they have no other options left to survive. If these desperate students were given a chance to normalize their lives in Japan they would likely become very productive and important members of the society. These students are able to speak Japanese (Because they went to Japanese school for 2 years) and they are far, FAR more likely to open new small businesses than the average Japanese person is. The future of this country depends on immigrant entrepreneurs and the families they will create.

Also note that many if not most people who go to Japanese schools for 2 years end up marrying Japanese nationals if given the opportunity, so they end up integrating with the community quite well.

Why is it a good idea to throw these people into unsanitary jails with constant deaths and other serious human rights violations, when if given more time they could help restart the economy and stop the labor shortage?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Put them on and island, Sado or somewhere. Give the free education, culture lesson and job trading, all in Japanese. If they truly have a desire to intergrate and make a big positive effect for their lives, family and Japanese society, let them be part of this great nation.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Zichi

The "international community" is a community forged by westerners.

Secondly, there's all kinds of interpretations to things.

Such as Turkey supporting IS but still being a NATO member, China being China, but still being China, Japan being itself regardless of what Europeans think it should do (whaling, immigrations etc) The USA waging war or striking anybody it wants /dares.

The international community is full of hypocrites.

Whether I prefer a robot or not has nothing to do with anything, but the answer for me, is a person sometimes (I'm cool with my local vending machines).

As a extremely mixed (USA/Hawaiian/Japanese) I feel you on a lot of things, but people (I'm not referring to you at all) that come here and then try to say that because the policies here aren't like they are at home and thus Japan is racist and should change are, in my opinion, in need of enlightenment themselves.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@paradoxbox

You aren't supposed to compare everything to your western home and assume that your home policies are the right way and that the local policies are wrong.

Japan does not want immigrants at all. That should be most apparent to you by now, and although I'm Japanese and have mixed feelings about it, I at least know what the agenda is.

Japan will turn to robots and automation before they turn to mass immigration.

In your home country you may see it as racist to not accept immigration, but that's not fact, and it's not going to sell here in Japan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Of course people claiming persecution in their home country and yet visiting same country is ok while their application is processed.

Get real.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Even genuine asylum seekers are not granted asylum status in Japan. That is the trouble.

Also note that immigration is considering to put in students who are using the system as a way to stay in Japan - presumably because they have no other options left available to them.

Anyone who has been a student in Japan should know that the system is rigged to make it completely impossible for people from undeveloped countries to attend, and even students from developed countries with help from their parents will struggle to survive in this environment.

The immigration requirements are 80% attendance rate for the entire duration of study, and the grades must be kept above 70-80% as well, depending on the type of school. This might seem fair until you look at the costs of going to school in Japan and the reality of scholarships for foreign students.

The average Japanese language school has only 1 full scholarship slot per year available for students. Each school might have 500-2000 students per year. So the reality for students is that they must work. A single year of school costs approximately 1,200,000 to 1,500,000 yen when you include registration fees. The second and later years are cheaper by about 300,000 to 600,000 yen per year. So students must be able to come up with about 125,000 yen per month just in order to be able to continue studying legally.

But wait, there's more. Immigration only permits students in Japan to work AFTER they have been here 3-6 months. They are also limited to between 24-30 hours of work per week. If you calculate that a student works 30 hours a week at 1000yen an hour, they take home 144,000 before taxes, or maybe just barely 125,000yen a month after taxes and insurance and pension deductions.

Where's the money for rent?

You can see why people become desperate in this situation. They save up as much money as they can to pay the initial costs and rent, but after a year or two, they are no longer able to afford to stay. By the end of two years I am sure many students have people they want to marry but cannot due to their economic situation, and many probably want to continue to a university or technical college but again, cannot because there are no scholarships available to foreign students.

So they either overstay or they turn to the asylum system as their last ditch effort.

And it is not like Japan doesn't need these people - if you've been to an Izakaya, konbini, construction site, etc. in the last 5 years you KNOW that a good portion of the staff there consists of foreign students. There are not enough young Japanese people to do these jobs anymore.

The government should be doing everything in its power to keep these students in Japan, supporting them through scholarships or loan forgiveness programs, easing work restrictions and reducing full-time study requirements (So that students have enough time to work, study AND exist for a few hours a day outside of work).

Too many people look at this problem from their privileged positions as people born in rich countries. They never stop to think about how that kind of thinking is destroying Japan's chance to capture brilliant foreign minds and keep them in Japan for the future. Students who want to immigrate cannot do so under the current system unless they're funded by wealthy families or connections overseas. What is the point of having them here in that case? It is such a waste of talent and money.

Right now students are being used in the same way Japan is using foreign tourism - Come to Japan, spend your money and get out, we don't want you here.

Hopefully now that Koike has won Tokyo, it will help dethrone Abe and kick his Nazi-Tojo idealizing government out. A centrist government could restore some sanity to this system.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Illegal asylum claims undermine the legitimacy of genuine asylum claims, so in order to prevent a complete shutdown of all immigration, this may be for the best. The only ones who shouldn't mind that much are the genuine asylum seekers

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Considering the very high mortality rate in these immigration centers, does it seem wise to put people who have not committed a crime in there?

You're going to end up with dozens of innocent people murdered by the government because of a lack of medical care, and because immigration does not observe WHO or CDC protocol, you'll end up with a lot of innocent people contracting hepatitis and HIV - this happened several years ago and appears to be ongoing.

I don't think people should support this. Regardless of whether or not you think refugees are full of it, if they are not criminals they don't deserve to be killed by an institution that has a track record for treating people worse than zoo animals.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Detaining those who overstay their visas is all well and good, but we knew people who applied for "asylum" who snickered about how easy it was. A couple of White Lies expressed with sincere emotions and bam, you're in.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

The government doesn't want you and nor does the populace have much sympathy or compassion for accepting you.

Exactly. Never expect sympathy or compassion from Japanese society. It's just not a cultural trait.

On the other hand, all those millions of Japanese that emigrated to other countries have been enjoying a level playing field in society and the good, free life ever since they left... I'd wager most of them are better off financially, too. And are more happy than they ever were here.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The country needs more workers. It has people already here with jobs lined up, who obviously haven't caused problems if their employers still want them. Perhaps if they were to just give these people a legitimate channel through which to get working visas, which would benefit everyone involved, they wouldn't be going through the asylum channel?

No, wait, I see what I did there. I used logic to analyze the problem. Big mistake. No way that will sell with anyone running this system.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Very good move. Good for this country's future.

Myself foreigner (gaijin) but I support Japanese Immigration System and government on this.

Most of the asylum seekers are not genuine cases, almost of them are fake. I personally know many asylum seekers but none of them are genuine. They just want to be in Japan easiy.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

This whole refugee thing is a scam.

Back home refugees applied for asylum, later were discovered to get new passports(on the sly) and vacationing in the country they are fleeing from.

They got kicked out fast back to their country of origin.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Just a user

Classic posters blaming Japan for whatever they do.

Classic trolling by the right wing.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

So what if other countries allow immigrants. If Japan doesnt want to let in refugees its there God given right. The way I see it, they are doing the best thing possible for their people. There is a reason these people suffer in their 3rd world country, their culture is a failure and should be allowed to wither away, no need to allow it spread and put roots down elsewere. I applaud you Japan, continue to do the best possible for the Japanese citizens sake.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

Anyone who tries to come to Japan as a refugee needs to get some research and reading in, and then make another (better-informed) decision.

The government doesn't want you and nor does the populace have much sympathy or compassion for accepting you. There will not be much in the way of policies to help or protect you, and not much punishment if you are even killed while in custody.

I recommend you look elsewhere.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

This doctrine by an oppressive Govt. In the Likes of Donald Trump and the way of saying Only Japanese need to apply all others not welcome. Today we live in a world of mass immigrations as other nations and regimes reign horror on others. racists and Populists as a disease instead of welcoming and encouraging them to become part of a lawful well integrating PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY and the mixing of all to form a better society for all not just being a racist and protectionist society steeped in past intolerances and racial inequality.

We are ONE RACE and its called the HUMAN RACE.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

@Yubaru

Japan does not have a work visa per say, and many of those who are working here under some trainee or apprentice programs are getting screwed big time, as they have limited legal resources available to them, and if they complain too loudly would get deported or worse.

I agree this is a horrible program, but it's also the reason why so many 'trainees' end up applying for asylum. Under the trainee program they are tied to the employer who sponsored them and to the trainee wages, but once they apply for asylum, they are free to work for any employer they choose and they become entitled to earn at least the full minimum wage.

So, all this information is available over the internet today, and people coming here have to know it's not a permanent situation.

I think they all know that. They treat it like a working holiday where they can come to Japan, save up a bit of money, then get rounded up and put on a free flight back home.

I completely agree that Japan's immigration sysytem is a mess. They have miserably failed to plan for the future. They could have attracted the best and brightest from China and Korea back in the 1990s, but now that ship has sailed. No talented people from these countries would want to start their careers in Japan. However, this doesn't mean that people who come to Japan to make a mockery of the international refugee protection system should be given any sympathy.

Also, I'm genuinely curious to hear what sorts of solutions those complaining about the exploitation of cheap labour would suggest to deal with the problem? Should we: a) deny all asylum seekers the right to work until their claims are processed? b) ban asylum seekers from working in certain industries involving hard labour? c) force Japanese companies to pay thier asylum seeker workers more than the legal minimum wage? d.) ban companies from providing company dormitories or deducting the costs from salaries to prevent potential abuse? e) hire exponentially more immigration staff to process and evaluate asylum claims so that we can grant refugee status or deport people within weeks rather than months and years?

Some of these things could help but there doesn't seem to be any clear cut solutions to avoid exploitation as long as asylum seekers have the legal right to work and they are willing to work in jobs and wages that no Japanese person would ever accept.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The article explains why. They get a work permit, they have jobs lined up, it takes a long time for their claims to be processed and for them to eventually be deported.

It's temporary, at best, and at worst, they get stuck in the hell holes of detention centers. That is not an explanation, as Japan has something like 30K plus illegal refugees right now, and instead of going after people who are possibly true refugees and deserving of assistance, immigration should be getting the illegals out of the country.

Japan does not have a work visa per say, and many of those who are working here under some trainee or apprentice programs are getting screwed big time, as they have limited legal resources available to them, and if they complain too loudly would get deported or worse.

So, all this information is available over the internet today, and people coming here have to know it's not a permanent situation.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Oh yes, by all mean lock refugees up, because accepting 28 refugees a year is a national treat, What a ridiculous nonsense! To me they are simply in the process to make refugees becoming illegal migrant.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-asylum-idUSKBN15O0UV

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

The increase seems to indicate Japan needs an immigration policy that a) benefits the companies that need the cheap labor, b) benefits the politicians that for the policy (amakudari or outright cash 'donations', c) allows foreign workers both health benefits and the opportunity to stay long(er) term, create a life, help the Japanese economy grow, and educate their children.

I believe a) and b) are already in place. Now, if politicians care about other human beings, c) will take place. In other words, no change.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

But, Nepalese, Iranians and others are used and abused for cheap labor....

6 ( +7 / -1 )

The biggest threat to genuine refugees are bogus asylum seekers. They have soured much of the world on the idea of taking in any refugees at all.

9 ( +14 / -5 )

This has spawned a grey labour market, especially in the construction and manufacturing sectors, which hire asylum seekers from countries such as Turkey and Bangladesh, 

They punish the workers and not the companies that are exploiting human rights?

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Noakes and Rustom: Classic Japan-style "blame the victims" here. 

Classic posters blaming Japan for whatever they do.

-5 ( +8 / -13 )

Good. Look at the state of the UK and most of western Europe! The Japanese are going about this the right way.

-1 ( +12 / -13 )

Classic Japan-style "blame the victims" here.

exactly. standard operating procedure. Alfie, EXCELLENT post. Agree 100%

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Classic Japan-style "blame the victims" here. Parts makers for Subaru are desperate for workers and are more than happy to employ these people as paid-slaves with no human rights and no insurance. There are thousands of these people working in factories and on farms all over the country. Yet no mention at all of the myriad companies exploiting them as 'forced labour'?

http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/japan-subaru/

10 ( +13 / -3 )

I find it truly hard to understand why many of the people seeking refugee status do so here in Japan

The article explains why. They get a work permit, they have jobs lined up, it takes a long time for their claims to be processed and for them to eventually be deported.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Yubaru, the whole thing about tryng to get to Japan, usa or Europe is the economy. Undeveloped countries wont deport a refugee. Ecen in Europe they want to go to Germany or britain

-2 ( +11 / -13 )

Foreigners who want to work in Japan find out they're allowed to work while their asylum applications are reviewed, and this has led to the rise in abuse and misuse of the refugee system," Hishida said.

What "refugee" system? Have to have something first before it can be abused or misused.

I find it truly hard to understand why many of the people seeking refugee status do so here in Japan. People have to know that Japan is one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to taking in refugees, and yet they still come.

9 ( +14 / -5 )

I love the Japanese immigration system. It works

-13 ( +5 / -18 )

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