Newly appointed Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa says she has no specific plan to increase Japan's intake of refugees despite the number of applicants hitting a record high last year.
"Whether seekers are applicable for refugee (status) is judged based on the international treaty on refugees. Therefore, acceptance of refugees does not increase or decrease based on (our) policy," Kamikawa said Thursday during a group interview with media outlets including The Japan Times.
Last year, Japan accepted just 28 refugees, a tiny fraction of the 10,901 people who applied. The number of applications jumped 44 percent from the previous year, but the number of refugees accepted increased by just one.