Japan to recognize Turkish Kurd as refugee after appeals court ruling

There are about 400million refugees out there. He won the lottery. I hope he has lots of money and can speak Japanese. He would be better off in Syria, Iraq or Germany where there is very large Kurdish populations.

If you are a refugee and your life is in danger, you go quickly to the nearest country, do not take a plane and go to the other side of the planet to seek "asylum"..

Be careful Japan..

He would be better off in Syria, Iraq or Germany where there is very large Kurdish populations.

Exactly, why are they looking for Japan??..

Turkish president Erdogan is not going to like the Japanese court’s ruling. Now the door’s been pried open, we can expect a rush of Kurdish asylum seekers.

The Turkish national entered Japan in 2014 and later applied for refugee status, but it was rejected in 2018. He subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking revocation of the decision, according to the Sapporo High Court ruling in May.

8 years? Come on now.....8 YEARS! For one man? Heck by the time the rest of the people who applied for refugee status here get their answers, the government is going to have to find plots of land to place their ashes!

A refugee flees their own country because they are in danger. When they reach the first safe country, they should claim asylum. How many safe countries between Turkey and Japan? Come on, this man is an economic migrant, not a refugee.

@Rodney and Tokyliving -Turkish passport holders can enter Japan without a visa for a 3 month stay, There are about 2000 Kurdish people living here mainly living in Warabi, so maybe he already has family here, What brought you here from across the world?

Now Japan can brag that they allowed in *eleven** refugees this year!*

Good news for him, but he will be better off living in his homeland Kurdistan were he can speak read and write his own language, living in Japan is fine too but it take 5 times the efforts to sustain a living.

Wouldn't he be better off in Kurdistan?

There are about 2000 Kurdish people living here mainly living in Warabi,

From Turkey.. the nation which accepts the largest number of refugees. Something definitely wrong

Meanwhile Japan awaits China's response to this ......lol

I guess those saying he would be better off in Kurdistan are sarcastically pointing at the fact that Kurds are a people without a land.

Preparing to

Make the announcement after it happens !

A refugee not an evacuee ?

And Japan gets the international golden boner award for its gracious humanitarian generosity efforts

From Turkey.. the nation which accepts the largest number of refugees. Something definitely wrong

Turkey has been engaged in a slow motion genocide of the Kurds for decades. Inside Turkey their language is prohibited and their culture brutally suppressed. They and the Armenians were both promised independent nations when the Ottoman Empire was divided up at the conclusion of WWI. Kemal Attaturk however would not abide that and led a revolution against the WWI allies that resulted in the modern nation of Turkey. Ever since the Turks have been trying to force the Kurds to adopt Turkish names, language and culture while the Kurds want their own country. Kurdish politicians are arrested as "terrorists" and imprisoned routinely in Turkey. All of the nations in which Kurds live, Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq, heavily suppress Kurdish culture and language. You might recall Saddam Hussein infamously gassed the Kurds after very nearly losing the Iran-Iraq war. Even today Turkish forces are poised to mount a military operation in northern Syria aimed at driving the Kurds out of the Afrin region so the Turks can re-settle Syrian refugees there. At the same time the Turks are waging a military campaign in northern Iraq against the Kurds, and the Yazidis.

Here is a good primer explaining Turkey's barbarities against the Kurds and how we arrived at where we are today.

https://massispost.com/2019/12/the-kurdish-crisis-in-turkey-from-ataturk-to-sultan-erdogan/

@Mark

It takes 5 times the effort to sustain a living

There you go again over-generalizing and over-exaggerating

Quite simply not true for everybody.

I work fulltime and earn above average and not completely fluent or literate in Japanese.

Obviously he wants to live in Japan and how do you know if he's literate in Japanese?

Besides he has plenty of his own people to converse with

What brought you here from across the world?

Married to a Japanese woman, got a University degree so I can legally work and applied for visa outside Japan. Also have an interest in Japanese culture and try damn hard to integrate into my local Japanese community.

if I was an economic migrant, there are much better and easier countries to live in.

he might be a serious criminal or terrorist if Turkey wants to hunt him down and kill him.

I also spent a month in Syrian Kurdistan on the Iraq border, staying in strangers houses without paying money, many nice friends, so I am in no way racist against Kurds.

Human rights lawyers, activists and U.N. experts have criticized Japan's immigration and refugee policy for continuously failing to meet international standards, pointing to the fact that the country only accepts around 1 percent of refugee applications it receives and some people are detained at immigration centers for years.

These HR lawyers, activists, U.N experts never face fundamental cause except picking up easy targets.

he might be a serious criminal or terrorist if Turkey wants to hunt him down and kill him

No. Anyone who criticizes the Turkish government and in particular Sultan Erdogan is labeled a "terrorist", hunted down, arrested and imprisoned. The Turks have been oppressing the Kurds since the time of Mustafa Kemal Attaturk.

@Rodney So what came first? You came here to work or you married a Japanese national?

If he followed the procedures for refugee status and the Japanese government has recognized his claim he has every right to be here just like you!

Since 1982, when Japan enacted its laws to accept refugees, 87,892 people have applied for refugee status, and just 915 have been accepted, according to the immigration agency.

he will be better off living in his homeland Kurdistan

It sure would be nice if such a nation existed.

Yan Kurdıstan yan neman!

Forced racial/religion/political mixing only cause tension and resentment.

Every continent/region on earth has a country rich in resources, how about setting up a safe heaven on every continent where people can share the same religion, belief, culture

Muslims and communists are ideologically very united so they should feel free to seek asylum in their brother nations.

Well, better a Turkish Kurd, than a Kurdish Turd.

@Rodney

Married to a Japanese woman,got a university degree so i can legally work and applied for a visa outside of Japan

Perhaps your description of how you came to be in Japan is backwards.

Because if you married a Japanese woman first then you wouldn't need a university degree to work or get a visa.

Looking at the numbers speed, etc..

It is an amazing contrast to see the speed at which Ukrainians are being granted refugee status compared to other groups ( Asian, Black, Middle Eastern, ).

I am not just talking about Japan ( who has already accepted more Ukrainians than it accepted refugees of all type in the past 2 years.

But I am also talking USA, EU, UK Australia, NZ, USA, NZ, Australia have already taken of approved more Ukrainian refugees than Syrians during the past 5 plus years, the USA took only a few thousand Syrians but have committed to take in 100,000 ukrainians.

Kurds are at the bottom of the barrel and don't expect them to get any better treatment from western countries especially NATO members because that will upset Turkey.

The fact Turkey is a member of NATO tells us a lot about the lack of moral high ground as Turkey violates human rights on a daily basis toward minorities.

Rodney

Today 09:45 am JST

I also spent a month in Syrian Kurdistan on the Iraq border, staying in strangers houses without paying money, many nice friends, so I am in no way racist against Kurds

I have my doubts on that?

Rodney

Today 09:42 am JST

if I was an economic migrant, there are much better and easier countries to live in.

I take as a vague attempt to suggest he is actually and economic migrant

he might be a serious criminal or terrorist if Turkey wants to hunt him down and kill him.

And o take this to be another attempt at suggesting he is something other than a refugee.

Two attempts at diverting attention to other reasons he is her in one comment.

Preceded by your first comment

I hope he has lots of money and can speak Japanese. He would be better off in Syria, Iraq or Germany where there is very large Kurdish populations.

Gives me the distinct feeling you don't like Kurds and would rather they be anywhere else but where you are.

How does a Turkish Kurd end up in Japan? Europe would certainly be a better option. Good for him that he was granted refugee status. But what will he do for money? The Japanese don’t allow refugees to work and a lot of them end up homeless with no food or shelter. There was an Arabic refugee at my local station a few years ago who went up to a bunch of Japanese in a smoking area asking for money. They all ignored him. Then he came up to me and said “I’m Iraq refugee. I don’t have food”. I only had 1,000 yen in my wallet at the time. I gave it to him. The guy looked emaciated. The Japanese give refugees absolutely no support network.

Gaijinjland

Today 03:11 pm JST

How does a Turkish Kurd end up in Japan? Europe would certainly be a better option.

Except that most EU/NATO countries are very scared to accept Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, etc ..as refugees in order not to anger Turkey and violence will happen if any of these groups protest publicly.

Turkey has a network of thugs that will "disrupt " any anti Turkish demonstration, any commemoration of the Armenian, Circassians or Kurdish genocides,

I have seen this personally in my home city despite having a very large Armenian community far outnumbering, Turks every time a Armenian genocide event is held, hundred if Thugs show up to disrupt it often armed with bats and sticks.

So in Europe it is worse. Not safe and not accepting of Kurds, Turkey makes sure makes sure it remains that way,

NATO adding new members needs Turkey approval, accept Kurdish as refugees, Ukraine can forget ever joining NATO as well as any other country if Turkey is unhappy.

@Gaijinjland He was granted refugee status so he has every right to work and receive social welfare if necessary just like any other permanent resident. The Iraqi you met had not received recognition as a refugee yet. He might have been appealing his case which is why he couldn't work.

Tom SanToday 08:58 am JST

Wouldn't he be better off in Kurdistan?

I don't know where it is but I'm pretty sure it's not a country.

The Kurds should've fought for nationhood when the Ottoman empire collapsed. Now the boat had sailed, Turkey is a NATO member, nobody will help their cause because it would get Turkey mad

Turkey is a NATO member, nobody will help their cause because it would get Turkey mad

Isn't that ironic seeing the EU, NATO are presently going ape over another place stating human rights abuse, etc...

@mountainpear

He was granted refugee status

they are preparing to grant him refugee status.

It hasn't actually happened yet.

In Japan they make announcements before they happen !

Warabi in Saitama has a huge Kurdish population.

It takes to Japan almost 10 years and much legal and immigration resources to take in 1 refugee.

It shouldn't be a 10 years process, countries in the G7 do it in a week average.

ooh! and if the refugee dies in the process there will be an Open trial in public view with all evidence publicly available.

It shouldn't be a 10 years process, countries in the G7 do it in a week average

Think again!

Canada takes 180 days at best if the refugee is sponsored (meaning processed outside Canada with a Canadian or NPO sponsor) a person arriving on there own and claiming refugee status takes a minimum of 24 months ( recently made on a Mexican arrived in 2018 a Filipino arrived in 2010 in CBC News).

The USA, UK and EU are similar with the USA and being more aggressive and deporting people under a system that does not recognize refugees from certain friendly countries.

The exception to the rules are Ukrainians they get automatic refugee status in Canada, USA, UK most EU countries and Australia, that was until a few weeks ago as Ukraine requested that men of fighting age be refused and returned to Ukraine, Canada has agreed as have most of the EU, USA and UK are still studying the request and put on hold granting refugee status to males over 18 under 60 as it is a crime for men between those ages to leave Ukraine.

So Japan's 8 years isn't as bad as you think the case of the Filipino in Canada took 12 years and is still not resolved.

So Japan's 8 years isn't as bad

LOL!!

Not as bad as the worst case scenario.

Nippon is greito! Banzai!!

bokuda

Today 10:10 pm JST

So Japan's 8 years isn't as bad

> LOL!!

> Not as bad as the worst case scenario.

> Nippon is greito! Banzai!!

I never said Japan was great!

It is abysmal when it comes to refugees.

But I pointed out the facts on western countries.

White refugees vs non white is a very different thing.

Refugee arriving in the country requesting asylum vs refugees accepted from Refugee camp with a sponsor.

Japan doesn't really have a refugee sponsorship system (by design to keep people our) so only people requesting refugee/asylum on arrival are processed.

Western countries have the same very long and often futile application process taking years and often ending in rejection.

Because countries like Canada, UK USA take in thousands from refugeesl camps, it looks like they are better as the rejection numbers look low.

But if taken in isolation and comparing the same type of refugees Japan and western countries are not very different.

99% of refugees taken by countries like Canada come in already approved via UN refugee services those just getting off a plane requesting refugee status rarely get approved.

Case in point the Mexican and Filipino reported on CBC 4 and 12 years in Canada and ordered deported ( reprieve after the news got involved).

Again Japan needs to start doing like the rest and taking in refugees from refugee camp, but it's on arrival refugee request system is no different than most other countries.

The Kurds should've fought for nationhood when the Ottoman empire collapsed. Now the boat had sailed

There were multiple rebellions against the Ottomans and later against the then new Turkish government. All of them were brutally put down by the Turks. Please read the article in the link I provided in my second post in this thread. It details the several attempts by the Kurds to throw off Ottoman or Turkish rule to establish an independent Kurdish nation.

Isn't that ironic seeing the EU, NATO are presently going ape over another place stating human rights abuse, etc...

There is no love of Turkey among the nations of the EU and NATO. The US Congress dislikes Turkey so much they have unofficially prohibited arms sales and transfers of sensitive commercial technology to Turkey for many years. Canada and many EU nations likewise restrict tech sales and weapons sales to Turkey. Turkey's new tank is without an engine and transmission because the Germans are refusing to sell them the MAN diesel the tank was designed for. The Koreans would maybe sell them their engine and transmission but it would force a major redesign of the tank. Those Bayraktar drones have a less capable Turkish made camera because the Canadians refuse to sell them their much better camera system. They use a less capable Turkish made air to ground missile because the US won't sell Turkey Hellfire missiles. One of the sticking points with Sweden's ascension to NATO is their refusal to sell arms to the Turks. Remember the US kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program because they bought Russian S-400 air defense missiles (the Turks wanted Patriot but demanded tech transfer and co-production, which Raytheon refused, Raytheon won't even share their tech with the US military, calling it "proprietary). The Turks thought the Russians would share their tech and allow co-production but so far that has not happened and the second lot of S-400s have never been delivered to Turkey. The Russians played them against the US. They are reviled everywhere.

Turkey must hold elections no later than the summer of 2023. I think the US and the rest of NATO are biding their time to see who wins the election before making any irreversible decisions about Turkey. They could be isolated within NATO by things like arms embargos and NATO removing their forces from Turkish bases, including the nuclear weapons at Incirlik. If the US were to move those nuclear weapons from Turkey to Aviano Italy or a base in Greece that would be a major diplomatic rupture and might even drive Turkey to leave NATO. For now everyone is just waiting out the next election.

Finally Rich,I hope you never come to the US most people of all culture get along,this disqualified you legally from entering the US ,being a foreign racist

He's won the lottery and Japans probably filled its quota. And can point to him and say, look we accept refugees.( please praise us).

The Turks are about to create a lot more Kurdish refugees as their army and their Arab proxy army prepare to attack Tel Rifaat in northern Syria. The Turks will never allow the Kurds to have any kind of independent homeland and attack them everywhere they try to establish some sort of regional autonomy such as they have in northern Syria. The Kurdish Regional Government in norther Iraq enrages them and they are attacking it as I type.

Redstorm...

The Kurdish community counts about 1,300 ethnic Kurds who have settled in Warabi.

Considering the size of Warabi... that is huge. Plus I don't think you have counted those that have visited on tourist visas and overstayed.