• Eight Ukrainian evacuees have entered Japan

TOKYO: Japan has started to accept people evacuating from Ukraine, which is facing Russia’s military invasion, it was learned Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno revealed at a press conference on the day that eight Ukrainian evacuees have entered Japan. They are relatives of Ukrainian nationals in Japan or of Japanese citizens.

Japan’s plan to accept Ukrainian evacuees was mentioned by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his telephone talks on March 2 with Mateusz Morawiecki, prime minister of Poland, which has seen an influx of over one million people escaping Ukraine.

Kishida said Japan will not only welcome Ukrainian people who have relatives and friends in the Asian nation, but also respond from a humanitarian point of view to other Ukrainians hoping to come to Japan.

The Japanese government has simplified visa application procedures for evacuees and started issuing 90-day visas at its diplomatic establishments in countries including Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary.

After evacuees’ short-stay visas expire, the government currently plans to grant them residency status lasting six to 12 months, which allows holders to work, and extend their status until the Ukrainian situation improves, according to government sources.

The government is also planning to flexibly allow an extension of residency for Ukrainians who are already living in Japan, including those who are facing deportation.

Meanwhile, the government is working to create a support system for Ukrainian evacuees, especially for those who have no relatives or friends in Japan. The government could need to offer employment and education support for evacuees if they are unable to return to Ukraine for a prolonged period.

How far Japan will accept applications for refugee status, if any, from Ukrainian evacuees is another focal point.

Since the current refugee recognition system was introduced in Japan in 1982, there has been 85,479 applicants for refugee status, but the country has given the status to only 841 people.

While Japan is criticized by some for its strict interpretation of the UN refugee convention, the government maintains its stance of granting refugee status “in an appropriate manner,” including for evacuees from Ukraine.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, over two million Ukrainians have so far fled the country since Russia started the military invasion. The number could reach four million in a few months, people familiar with the situation said.

In Japan, there were 1,915 Ukrainian residents as of the end of 2021. The government still cannot grasp how many relatives and friends of them would potentially come to Japan, government sources said.

JIJI Press