Arab News Japan

TOKYO: About 500 Kurds, joined by 150 Japanese, protested in front of Japan’s parliament on Tuesday as lawmakers discussed revisions to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act that will strengthen measures to deport foreign nationals without a valid status of residence.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering amendments that would effectively limit people to making a maximum of two applications for refugee status in Japan. From the third application onward, the asylum seekers would not have protection from repatriation.

Concerns about the bill have been raised both in Japan and abroad. Last year, just 202 people were granted refugee status by Japan, which was a record high.

The immigration bill has highlighted the difficulties faced by Kurds and their children, who are without visas but would face difficulties returning to where they came from, usually Turkiye. The Turkish government may not allow them to return, and many Kurds believe they would be in danger if they did return.

The protesters on Tuesday included many women with colorful headscarves who held up signs calling for the new immigration law to be abolished.

Many of their children were born in Japan and do not speak their parents’ language. Some are not being educated because they cannot legally benefit from social security since their parents no longer have residence visas despite living in Japan for decades in some cases. On Monday, a meeting took place between nine Kurdish children and opposition parliamentarians in the House of Councillors.

At the protest, an elderly Kurd told Arab News that he had no visa and therefore no unemployment insurance, no pension or any possibility of having health insurance.