Japan marked a fall in applicants seeking refugee status in 2018 for the first time in eight years amid stricter rules, government data showed Wednesday.
The number of applicants fell approximately 47 percent from the previous year to 10,493, with 42 people granted asylum — up from 20 — the Justice Ministry said.
Japan saw a sharp rise in the number of asylum-seekers following a reform in 2010 that granted work permits to applicants awaiting government screenings for longer than six months.