INTEREST IN REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT GROWS IN JAPAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000418

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2019
TAGS: AORC PREF PHUM PREL SMIG JA
SUBJECT: INTEREST IN REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT GROWS IN JAPAN

Classified By: CDA James P. Zumwalt for reasons 1.4b, d.


1. (C) Summary: Japan's recent decision to accept some 90
Burmese refugees, makes it the first Asian nation to provide
third country resettlement. This cable summarizes two recent
symposia held in Japan on resettlement and the experiences of
other countries in dealing with refugees. Although Japan's
decision to accept third country resettlement is a relatively
modest step forward, its efforts could serve as a model to
others in the region. Note: Japan's acceptance of almost
11,000 displaced Indo-Chinese between 1978 and 2002 was not a
"third country resettlement program." End Summary.


2. (U) On February 5, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MOFA) hosted a "Symposium on Refugee Resettlement."
The event was an opportunity to highlight the pilot program
announced in December 2008 to resettle over the next few
years a total of 90 Burmese refugees from camps in Thailand.
Japan's decision to accept the Burmese makes it the first
Asian nation to provide third country resettlement. Daniel
Alkhal, Senior Protection Officer, UNHCR Japan, emphasized
the great potential of the program, explaining, "Almost half
of all refugees worldwide are from Asia, and Japan's
proximity and willingness to assist are significant."


3. (U) Dominique Collinge, Minister Counselor in charge of
Humanitarian Affairs at Canada's UN Mission in Geneva,
described his own country's refugee resettlement efforts at
the MOFA symposium and stressed the need to both "prepare the
recipient community and teach the refugees good skills,
particularly language skills." Ponnareth Kugo, whose family
was killed by the Khmer Rouge, underscored this point with
her own story. She was one of the few Indo-Chinese refugees
resettled in Japan, and described in fluent Japanese her
experience as a refugee, urging "Please don't look down on
us. Give us a chance to learn and we can contribute to your
society as equals."


4. (U) The Japan Association for Refugees also hosted a
"Workshop on Refugee Policy in Korea: Recent Changes and the
Role of Civic Society." Hoteag Lee, head of a South Korean
refugee NGO, described recent changes in Korean refugee law.
Although Korea has only accepted a total of 101 refugees
since signing the refugee convention in 1992 (including an
additional 71 granted humanitarian stay status),these
numbers are increasing. Lee said the newly revised Korean law
of December 2008 "is not perfect, but is an improvement. The
process will be streamlined a little, and refugees who
applied while out of visa status, but whose case is taking
too long, will be allowed to work legally," he added.


5. (C) Mr. Lee said he had talked with ROK officials and
others about the Japanese third country resettlement program.
"None of the people I talked to were opposed to the idea of
Korea doing something similar." Soo Jin Hyung, of the Japan
Association for Refugees explained, "Japan and Korea are
competitive in many areas. We hope to encourage the two
countries to compete with each other in improving their
programs for refugees." As Mitsuko Shino, Director of MOFA's
Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Division, told Embassy
Tokyo on the margins of the symposium, "it is often difficult
for homogeneous, traditional Asian cultures to accept
refugees." That said, "we hope to encourage other Asian
nations to do something similar to our program. Asia has the
largest percentage of refugees and we want to find a way to
cooperate with our Asian neighbors to find a regional
solution," she added.


6. (U) Comment: Although Japan accepted a total of 10,941
Indo-Chinese between 1978 and 2002, there are four reasons
this is not regarded as a "third country resettlement
program." First, before the CPA (Comprehensive Plan of
Action) was adopted in 1989, the "Boat People" did not
necessarily come to Japan from another asylum country.
Others among them had not been recognized as "convention," or
UNHCR refugees. Second, although Japan accepted the CPA, it
regarded the Indo-Chinese as "persons in need of humanitarian
assistance," not as refugees fleeing their country because of
persecution. Third, in a resettlement program, assistance
for purposes of integration normally starts in the country of
asylum. Fourth, UNHCR is the main player in resettlement
processes, and in the Indo-Chinese resettlement in Japan,
UNHCR played no role in the selection process and very little
in after-care programs. End Comment.
ZUMWALT