Japan only approved 11 of the 7,533 applications for refugee status in 2014, according to an AP report. The rules appear to be so tough that it is nearly impossible to relocate to the country as a refugee, with the report showing that less than one percent of applications were approved in the past five years.
In September, the prime minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan must improve the living conditions of its own people before considering accepting refugees from Syria. The insular nation did, however, pledge $1.6 billion in aid for Syrians and Iraqis caught up in conflicts in the region.
Eri Ishikawa, board director of the Japan Association for Refugees, noted that the Refugee Recognition Act in Japan does not include war refugees and thus excludes those fleeing the war in Syria. He expressed his desire for the rules to be changed, according to AP.
"The government understands that everybody in a war zone would be in danger," he said. "The Japanese interpretation of the refugee convention is unique and needs to be changed."
Those who make it to Japan and apply for refugee status are not always immediately kicked out when refused. Dozens every year are granted special protection, however they are unable to get necessities such as language tuition and health insurance, according to the report.
Japan’s policy has been hailed by the anti-refugee crowd in the West who seek to close the borders of European countries or the US. A popular Islamophobic meme exists which attempts to show that Japan is an anti-Muslim paradise, however it was quickly debunked.
