The number of people who applied for refugee status in Japan last year reached a record high of 19,628, up 80 percent from the previous year, the Justice Ministry announced Tuesday.
The ministry attributed the surge in refugee applications to a rise in economic immigrants — what the government calls those who apply for refugee status to land jobs in Japan.
The latest figure was an increase of 8,727 from 2016, when the number stood at 10,901 — the first time it topped 10,000.