Hundreds of asylum-seekers from Myanmar have come to Japan to escape persecution since the 1980s, including those belonging to ethnic minorities like the Rohingya and Kachin, and dozens have so far been recognized here as refugees.

However, one ethnic group -- the Chin -- whose members have arrived in large numbers, only recently began contemplating refugee status.

According to Chin National Community-Japan, a group set up in 2001 to help fight for minority rights, there are about 150 Chin in Japan.