Japan has fueled protests from refugee support groups by sharply reducing the number of Afghans allowed into the country since the fall of 2000, according to government officials and aid workers.

Only 44 Afghans were allowed to enter Japan in the first half of this year, compared with 375 during the same period last year, Justice Ministry statistics show.

Since the summer of 2000, screening of Afghan entry applications has been carried out by the Foreign Ministry instead of overseas diplomatic establishments.

The ministry said the move was intended to ensure better screening and to avoid Afghans being refused entry upon arrival in Japan.

Afghans may choose not return to their homeland due to the internal strife there, and the increasing number of refugee claimants may use their status as cover for illegal employment, according to the ministry.

However, while Japan has urged that Afghan refugees be given help, it seems unwilling to do so on its own soil, said aid worker Kenji Iwata, a member of an Osaka Catholic church committee set up to assist Afghan refugees.

Japan can help Afghan refugees by providing them with a peaceful haven, he added.

Refugee supporters oppose the government-imposed limit on Afghan immigration because it can also keep out refugees wanting to escape the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban.

The number of Afghan refugees has been on the rise since the launch of U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan early this month in retaliation for the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes in New York and Washington.

The terrorist attacks are believed to have been masterminded by Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, who is being harbored by the Taliban.

On Oct. 3, a group including 11 Afghans was detained by the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau on suspicion of illegally entering Japan by cargo ship. The Afghans told their lawyers it was difficult to get travel documents.