Asked for his view on the U.S. president's executive order to ban the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's response was very disappointing. "We are not in a position to express the view of the Japanese government," he said in the Upper House on Jan. 30. Not surprisingly, he did not bring up the travel ban's issue when he met U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month.
In contrast to the clear disagreement with the travel ban expressed by other world leaders, the Japanese leader's response received criticism from the opposition and civil society. Many theorized that the prime minister had avoided criticizing the new U.S. president in order to protect Japan's national interests, in particular its economy and security. Yet others pointed out a more fundamental problem: Japan cannot point its finger at any other country's immigration policy.
Japan's record on immigration and refugees is not something that the country can be proud of. In 2016, Japan granted refugee status to only 28 people out of 10,901 applicants. In other words, 99 percent of applications were rejected. Seven Afghan nationals, four Ethiopians and three Eritreans were among those lucky 28 individuals. An additional 97 persons were given a permit to temporarily stay in the country based on "humanitarian considerations." Although this quasi-refugee status may sound "considerate," people with this status cannot use the government's shelters and allowances for refugees. As a result, they have to seek help from nongovernmental organizations to establish a life in Japan.