A lack of planning for the protection and resettlement of refugees, as well as dysfunction in the system that processes asylum claims, is to blame for the low intake, says Mieko Ishikawa, director of Forum for Refugees Japan.
“There’s no comprehensive policy on the part of the government, and there are gaps in the system’s transparency, efficiency and independence,” says Ishikawa.
In contrast, Germany and the US were the largest destinations for asylum seekers in 2013, receiving 109,580 and 88,360 applications respectively, UN High Commissioner for Refugees data shows.
Perhaps it’s just not in the nature of Japan to be welcoming of outsiders. “No other developed refugee jurisdiction has such a consistently low rate,” says Brian Barbour of the Japan Association for Refugees.