“Japan should

significantly
enhance refugee
resettlement” AE2A Q2 debate
topic 12/19/2022
 Agenda
1. Lecture purpose and disclaimer
2. The debate proposition explained
3. Refugees and Japan
4. Why Japan recognizes so few refugees
5. Arguments in favor of enhancing
refugee resettlement
6. Arguments against enhancing refugee
resettlement
7. Time for discussion

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 My goals for this lecture are to:

Lecture purpose 1. Help you understand the issue

and disclaimer 2. Narrow down the scope of the argument so that

everyone is clear what we are going to debate
3. Guide you through some of the finer points of the
arguments
4. Do 1, 2, and 3 above as objectively as possible
(try to keep my opinions and biases locked away
as much as possible)

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this topic. I have

tried to use a balance of sources, and to recognize
bias in those sources, when researching this lecture.
However, there may be some imbalance or errors.

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 Japan should significantly enhance refugee resettlement

What does the Q2 debate

proposition mean?
1. How would you define a
"refugee"?
2. What is meant by
"resettlement"?
3. What is meant by “enhance"?
Share your answers with your
partner.

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 What does the Q2 debate
proposition mean?
How would you define a "refugee"?
The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees defines a refugee as “any person
who…owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion , is outside
the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to
avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and
being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events,
is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” (my emphasis)
In other words: Someone who has left their home country because they have good
reason to fear the undeserved poor treatment they would receive if they returned to
it.
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 What does the Q2 debate
proposition mean?
What is meant by "resettlement"?
Resettled refugees are people who resettle from the country of first asylum to a
third country, which agrees to accept those refugees.
Find more definitions of key terms here: Key Migration Terms, Migration
Glossary | IOM, UN Migration and here: Key Terms About the Refugee Crisis,
Explained | Ben & Jerry’s (benjerry.com)

12/19/2022 Q2 DEBATE TOPIC LEC TURE 6

 Refugees and Japan

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 Timeline

Since 2010, when

From 1978 to Japan established
2006, Japan its Resettlement
accepted more Program, at least
than 11,000 Indo- fifty-five
Chinese refugees families of In 2022, Japan
(from Vietnam, refugees have has accepted
Laos, and come to Japan refugees from
Cambodia). from Myanmar. Ukraine.

In 1981, Japan joined In 2021, a proposed

the 1951/1967 UN amendment to Japan’s
Conventions relating to Immigration Control and
the Status of Refugees. Refugee Recognition Act
was rejected in the
aftermath of
Wishma Rathnayake's
death.

Sources: www.rhq.gr.jp, www.eastasiaforum.org, www.washingtonpost.com

12/19/2022 Q2 DEBATE TOPIC LEC TURE 8
 www.refugee.or.jp

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 “According to Japan’s Ministry of Justice (MOJ), refugee status
was granted to only 44 out of 10,375 asylum applications in 2019.
This translated to an annual recognition rate of 0.42 per cent. Since
2012, the success rate of asylum applications has remained below 1
per cent. Japan has consequently been criticised for its very limited
refugee intake.”
www.eastasiaforum.org (2019)

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“In 2020, an estimated 1.4 million refugees were estimated to be in need of resettlement, but
only slightly more than 2 percent (34,400) were relocated for protection in a new country.

While just a fraction of the world’s 26.4 million registered refugees are determined to need
resettlement (most are expected to either voluntarily return to their country of origin or stay
in their country of asylum), the gap between those in need and those who are resettled has
increased in recent years. The 107,800 refugees resettled in 2019 accounted for fewer than 8
percent of those determined to need resettlement.

Overall, the global refugee population has approximately doubled since 2011, with projected
resettlement needs increasing by nearly 80 percent.“

www.migrationpolicy.org

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 www.refugee.or.jp

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 "In 2016, 10,091 people sought refugee status in Japan and only 28
were recognized. The situation varies from country to country, and
it is not possible to make an easy comparison, but it is a fact that
Japan recognizes the fewest refugees in the world. If we take for
example the recognition rate of Syrian refugees in 2015, it was
99.8% in Germany, 94% in the US and 90% in Australia.
However, of the 69 Syrians who applied in Japan between 2011 and
2016, only 7 people were granted refugee status."
www.refugee.or.jp

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Why does Japan recognize
so few refugees?
Possible reasons:

• Japan has traditionally preferred to send aid

overseas.

• Some people argue that Japan does not have enough

political will to accept refugees proactively and that
people in Japanese society are not interested in
refugee issues.

• The Immigration Bureau takes control of the

procedures, meaning that the emphasis is on border
control rather than protection for the refugees. (It
can be argued that a separate, independent
governmenta l organization should review refugee
status.)
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 Overseas aid

“In 2021, the country was the 4th

largest government donor (USD 140
Million), and the 3rd largest global
private-sector contributor (USD 61
Million) to UNHCR responding to
needs worldwide.” (unhcr.org)

“Japan offers $410 million in aid to

support Turkey's hosting of
refugees.” (headline in The Japan
Times, 2021)

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 "I would say that before accepting immigrants or
refugees we need to have more activities by women, by
elderly people and we must raise (the) birth rate. There
are many things that we should do before accepting
immigrants" Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in 2015

12/19/2022 C ONF ERENC E PRESENTATION 16

 Immigration Bureau

According to the Japan Associati on for

Refugees, there are two problems in how
the Japanese refugee recognition system
determines who is a genuine refugee:
1. “Theory of individual recognit ion”
– You can only be considered a refugee
if you were individually targeted by the
country which you are escaping from.
2．The interpretation of “ persecution”
is too narrow – for example, forced
labor isn’t counted as persecution.

12/19/2022 Q2 DEBATE TOPIC LEC TURE 17

12/19/2022 C ONF ERENC E PRESENTATION 18
 Class activity
Now that we have a better idea
about the situation regarding
refugee resettlement in Japan, let’s
look at some of the arguments for
and against “significantly
enhancing” it.
Try to imagine what counter-
arguments could be used against
each of the arguments.
12/19/2022
Instructions:
1. Together, we will look at several
arguments for and against
significantly enhancing refugee
resettlement in Japan.
2. For each point, take about 2 minutes
(with your partner) to brainstorm as
many counter-arguments as you can.
3. Report some of your ideas to the
class.
C ONF ERENC E PRESENTATION 19
Arguments To improve Japan’s international reputation
for enhancing
resettlement To help refugees
(this is not meant to be
an exhaustive list) To share the burden with other countries more
equitably
To gain economic benefits

To help offset the effects of population decline

To increase diversity

To improve security by making other countries more

stable

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Arguments Japan is already meeting its legal responsibilities
against enhancing
resettlement There are financial concerns – it costs money to support
refugees, and to guard against fraudulent applications
(this is not meant to be
an exhaustive list) It is not easy for refugees to assimilate or integrate into
Japanese society

Refugees should go to countries which are closer to their

countries of origin

Implementing new laws is difficult to do

There are better ways to help refugees, such as donating

to organizations which protect and support refugees

Japan has a right to prioritize its own citizens and

residents

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 Do you have any questions?

1. Which of the claims you have heard

today do you think you would use if
you were on the affirmative side?

2. Which of the claims you have heard

today do you think you would use if
you were on the negative side?

This PPT is/will be available on Manaba and

OneNote if you want to look at any of the
arguments again.

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