The number of people seeking asylum in Japan jumped 53 percent in 2014 from the previous year, hitting a record 5,000.

During the year, however, the central government recognized only 11 as refugees — the second lowest in a decade, the Justice Ministry's annual report showed Tuesday.

In another record, 2,533 of the 5,000 people were re-applying for asylum status after being snubbed during the first screening process.