In 1981, Japan signed the U.N. 1951 Conventions Relating to the Status of Refugees and in 1982, it inked the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees and enacted the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law. Signatories are obliged to give refugees due recognition and protect their basic human rights.

However, human rights organizations have long criticized the government for the low number of people Japan recognizes as refugees, and the lack of transparency and objectivity in its recognition process.

Here are some questions and answers about refugees in Japan: