Japan has welcomed more than 1,800 evacuees since Russia's war against Ukraine began over six months ago, in an uncharacteristic move for a country with a typically poor record accepting people seeking asylum.
On March 1, just five days after the launch of the invasion, Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa told senior immigration officials and others in his office that Japan "has a responsibility to act in this historic moment."
Since then, the policy, announced by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the next day, has been spearheaded by the ministry's Immigration Services Agency.