The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Justice Ministry plans to drastically restrict the work activities of people
who apply for refugee status in Japan but actually just want to stay here to work,
The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The ministry plans to scrap the current practice under the refugee recognition
system that allows all applicants for refugee status to start working six months
after filing their application. The new practice, which could be introduced as
early as in November, is expected to keep most of the applicants whose number
exceeds 10,000 annually from working, and to drastically curb the rapidly growing
number of submissions.

According to a source related to the ministry, it currently takes about 10 months

to screen an application on average. But under the new practice, all applicants
will undergo a simple screening within two months after filing and be classified
into one of four categories.

People categorized as highly likely to be refugees will be allowed to work soon,

without waiting six months. A senior ministry official expected that less than 1
percent of all applicants would be put into this category.

Those who are deemed to clearly not be refugees will be detained at one of the 17
immigration facilities across Japan after their period of stay expires. This
category will include applicants who hold the status of student or technical
intern, as well as people on short-term stays who give such reasons for their
application as, I was being hounded by a bill collector in my home country.

The ministry also will not allow work, in principle, by people who were not
recognized as refugees in an earlier application but filed again. They will be sent
to immigration facilities after their period of stay expires.

When it cannot be determined immediately if a person is likely to be a refugee, the

ministry will continue to screen them before deciding on a case-by-case basis
whether to give a work permit.

Changes to the refugee recognition system in March 2010 made it possible for people
to start working in Japan six months after making an application. In addition, the
government has eased the requirements for visas since 2013, aiming to increase the
number of foreign tourists.

In 2010, 1,202 people applied for refugee status, and the number has hit a record
high for six consecutive years since 2011. There were 10,901 applications in 2016,
and applications have drastically increased from Southeast Asia and other regions,
especially since the easing of visa requirements.

Since 2010, the highest number of applicants recognized as refugees in one year has
been 39. The ministry believes most applicants seek such status just to be able to
work in Japan