Japan Allows Ukrainian Refugees to Have Residence and Work Visas

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH/Tokyo Tower/Louie Martinez

JAKARTA - Japan's Immigration Agency said on Tuesday that foreign nationals fleeing conflict zones such as Ukraine are eligible for long-term residence status with work visas under changes to immigration law, starting December 1.

The new system was created to allow residence approval for individuals from conflict zones whose circumstances do not meet the requirements of refugee approval.

The 1951 UN Convention on Refugees defines a refugee as “a person who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”

Japan is a signatory to the convention, which requires member states to provide protection to refugees, but Ukrainian and similar refugees do not meet the criteria.

A total of 2,091 Ukrainian refugees have been in Japan since September 20, of which 1,931 resided in Japan on "prescribed activity" visas for one year, according to the Japanese Immigration Services Office as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, September 26.

Residence permits for them in Japan are granted at the discretion of the Minister of Justice.