
TOKYO: “Kurds are causing all sorts of trouble in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture,” a report in the Daily Shincho states. Kawaguchi, just north of Tokyo, is home to around 3,000 Kurdish people and the report says they have not adapted to Japan’s lifestyle and social rules.
While there are some Japanese who have defended the Kurds, many people have criticized their behavior.
“They ignore government rules when dumping garbage, persistently pick up local women, drive trucks and modified cars recklessly, and hold loud raves (music parties),” the report states. “Trucks driven by Kurds who work in the demolition industry often carry loads that exceed the maximum load capacity set by the Road Transport Vehicle Act.”
In July 2023, about 100 Kurds caused a riot at Kawaguchi Municipal Medical Center after two men were accused of adultery. In January last year, a junior high school student was sexually assaulted in a car parked in a convenience store parking lot by a 20-year-old Kurdish man, who was also accused of assaulting a 12-year-old girl.
In September 2023, an 18-year-old Kurd was driving a passenger car without a license and caused a fatal crash after hitting a motorcycle with two people on it.
About 9,700 Kurds have come to Japan to apply for refugee status, but only one case has been approved. Japan does not recognize most of the Kurds as refugees. Many of them came to Japan on Turkish passports and were granted tourist visas. Kurds often work illegally in the demolition industry, an occupation that is not popular with Japanese.
“They claim to be refugees, but they don’t fit the UNHCR definition,” Kawaguchi City Councilman Seiichi Okutomi said.