What is UNHCR’s role in Japan?
Japan is a member State to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees has undertaken to adhere to the international standards in protection of asylum-seekers and refugees. The Japanese Immigration Services Agency (ISA) of Ministry of Justice is responsible for receiving and making decisions on asylum applications.
UNHCR in Japan:
- does not receive or process applications for protection
- does not receive or process resettlement requests (into Japan or to third countries from Japan)
- does not issue refugee certificate or other documents (including travel documents)
- does not provide direct counselling services and is unable to accommodate in-person visits to the office for counselling.
- does not provide assistance including referral to lawyers or housing, social or financial support
On the page for “Helpful services” of this website, you can find the relevant authority/organization that may help you with the above queries.
The main protection and statelessness activities of UNHCR in Japan are:
UNHCR assists the government, parliament, courts, and the civil society in Japan with regard to the implementation of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and in addressing statelessness in Japan.
In particular, UNHCR assists the government, parliament, courts and/or the civil society in
- enact policy and legislation in accordance with international refugee and statelessness laws by providing guidance;
- implement laws and policies in accordance with international standards by providing advice on access to asylum, non-refoulement, adequate reception conditions, alternatives to detention (ATDs), integration of refugees, better identification/protection of stateless persons, and the prevention/reduction of statelessness in Japan;
- build capacity by providing training and briefing sessions on refugee status determination;
- expand educational opportunities for refugees in Japan through UNHCR’s Refugee Higher Education Program (RHEP) and Refugee Vocational Education Program (RVEP)
- assist refugees in Japan integrate into the Japanese society
As stated above, please note that UNHCR in Japan does not provide direct counseling services and does not accommodate in-person visits for counselling.
UNHCR Japan however provides counselling to refugees and asylum seekers through its project partner, Japan Association for Refugees (JAR). JAR provides legal counselling on the procedures available in Japan and assists asylum seekers in submitting an asylum application with a Regional Bureau of the Immigration Services Agency.
Please call JAR between 10 am- 5 pm Mon-Fri （Except national holidays）
TEL: 📞 03-5379-6003 / Email: [email protected]
(Toll-free number is usable from certain telephones – TEL: 📞 0120-477-472)
For more information on helpful services available in Japan, please visit Helpful Services.
