Four Nepalese asylum applicants had their refugee claims rejected in October after entering the country disguised as Buddhist priests and claiming they wanted to visit victims of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and others, an Immigration Bureau official confirmed Monday.
It was the first rejection under new refugee recognition criteria put into effect in September, the official said.
According to the official, the four rejected applicants were among 12 Nepalese nationals who entered the country via Nagasaki Airport last May.