TOKYO — A book for teenage readers in Japan describing the reality of people applying for refugee status and migrants living in the country has been published.
Author Karin Amamiya has many works on the theme of the hardships of life and on poverty issues. Her latest book “Nanmin, imin no watashitachi: korekara no kyosei gaido” (About Us, Refugees and Migrants: A guide to the future of living together) was created as a volume in the publisher’s teen-oriented “worldly wisdom for 14-year-olds” series.
Some 3.41 million foreigners currently live in Japan. Amamiya said, “Young people will be living with more foreigners than ever before. I hope this book will give them a chance to think about coexistence.”
Amamiya’s interest in refugee and migrant issues was sparked by her support activities for the needy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many foreigners, along with Japanese people, flooded into the support sites where food was distributed and medical consultations were provided. Originating from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world, many had children with them, some of whom had lost their homes and were living outdoors. When she interviewed them together with support groups, she found that many had applied for refugee status after coming to Japan due to persecution in their home countries.
If their application for refugee status is rejected, they are detained in immigration facilities, and even when released, it is provisional. Under the circumstances, they are not allowed to work, and they need permission from the immigration agency to move across the prefectural border. Many such people have lost their income and are struggling to make ends meet.
The book introduces what kind of persecution they suffered in their home countries, how they fled to Japan, and what kind of burdens their provisional release situation has placed on their minds and lives.
Applicants who have been in Japan for a relatively long time sometimes have children who were born and raised here. At one meeting in November 2022, the recorded voice of a then 16-year-old female high school student on provisional release was played back. In the audio, the girl said, “I learned that I am totally different from my friends around me and that I do not have the right to live.” Even after graduating from high school, she cannot work, has no health insurance, and is not free to travel.
The book tells the real lives of these children and describes the activities of support groups that help those who have been displaced. It also discusses the immigration authorities in Japan, which have a low refugee recognition rate compared to much of the rest of the world. The final chapter introduces what can be done for refugees and migrants.
Amamiya said, “It is important to know and meet refugees and migrants in order to coexist with them. I hope this book will provide an opportunity to do so.”
The book is published by Kawade Shobo Shinsha, and costs 1,526 yen (roughly $10) including tax.
(Japanese original by Satoshi Tokairin, Tokyo City News Department)
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