For JAR’s response to the announcement, please click here.

Japan’s Ministry of Justice has announced on January 23, 2016, that it has granted refugee status to 27 people. There were 7,586 applicants in 2015. Eight of the 27 were granted refugee status in 2015 after an appeals process, according to the ministry’s Immigration Bureau. In addition, 79 people who were not granted refugee status were granted a special status to stay in Japan based on humanitarian considerations.
Compared with 2014, the number of people granted refugee status increased from 11 to 27, and the number of applicants surged by 52% from roughly 5,000 to 7,586. The number of people who were not granted refugee status but were granted a special status to stay in Japan based on humanitarian considerations declined by 31 people compared with 2014.
The breakdown of source nations of people who applied for refugee status in 2015 are as follows:
Nepal: 1,768 people; Indonesia: 969 people; Turkey: 926 people; Myanmar: 808 people; Vietnam: 572 people; Sri Lanka: 469 people; the Philippines: 299 people; Pakistan: 295 people; Bangladesh: 244 people; India: 229 people; other nations: 1,007 people.
The number of people granted refugee status in Japan in 2015: 27
The number of people granted special status based on humanitarian considerations: 79