(Nanmin Shien Kyoukai)

Organizational Profile:

1. Background

Since 1981, when Japan acceded "The 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees," the environment surrounding refugees and asylum-seekers in Japan has not significantly improved. Among a hundred of refugees, only those from Indo-China were given accommodation and other social services such as education, health, and vocational training.

It is probably due to the too small number of refugees and asylum-seekers in Japan, that social care as well as legal assistance for them, has been so inadequate. Except for few organizations such as UNHCR, the parties concerned, including governmental and non-governmental organizations, have also not had enough resources to deal with this issue. In addition, because very few organizations and groups have been interested in the issue of refugees and asylum-seekers in Japan, help from the public, in general, as well as from public administration, has been kept at very low level.

Under these circumstances, the Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) was established to advocate and implement activities to improve the situation of refugees and asylum-seekers in Japan.

2. Activities

A. To deal with individual cases; to support refugees and asylum-seekers in Japan and providing proper information to them.

• To build up cooperative relationship among refugee supporting organizations.
• To scout capable talents of refugee assistance work and bring them up.

B. To suggest policies for improving the assistance and refugee recognition system in Japan.

• To collect information and research on systematic issues concerning refugee issues and disseminate it to governmental bodies, local authorities, NGOs and media. To collect information and research on systematic issues concerning refugee issues.

C. To raise public awareness.

To build an active and effective network among organizations which are involved in assistance and protection toward asylum-seekers and refugees in Japan. Currently, to chair the PARinAc working group on protection, called "Refugee Assistance in Japan - RAJA," established in April 2000.

(as of February 2002)