June 20 is World Refugee Day as declared by the United Nations in 2000. Various events are held every year worldwide, and this year in Japan, the following events will be held in Osaka, Nagasaki, and Tokyo. Take action, participate, and learn more about refugees in Japan!
JAPAN – still closed to refugees. People around the globe – from Burma to Turkey, Sri Lanka and nations in Africa – are forced to seek refuge due to political turmoil or human rights violations. In Japan, the number of asylum seekers grows over one thousand, and for the first time in history the total number has reached 1,599 in the year 2008 alone. However, due to severe immigration control and regulations, only 57 people were recognized as refugees. The door to Japanese society remains closed for people seeking asylum, who are marginalized without protection. Furthermore, the recent economic downturn forces them to live under harsher conditions.
●We call on● 1. Creating an independent body for refugee status determination 2. Video recording deportation and refugee inquiry interviews 3. Enhancing the expertise of refugee inquirers and judges by making refugee-assistance-training mandatory 4. Recognizing residential status of asylum seekers 5. Providing durable protection such as proper shelter and work permission for asylum seekers
● Time & place of each assembly ● 【Nagasaki Assembly】 Date: June 27th, 2009 (Saturday) 15:00~18:00 Place: Isahaya Festival Hall, Exhibition Room 1 (2nd floor) (10 minute walk from Isahaya station) http://www.city.isahaya.nagasaki.jp/b_kan/access.htm Admission fee: FREE Program: -Panel discussion featuring Eri Ishikawa ( Japan Association for Refugees), Makoto Teranaka(Amnesty International Japan), Akihiro Nonaka (ASIA PRESS INTERNATIONAL) on the theme of refugees in Japan
For more information, contact Ms. Nozaki 090-9779-8520