Sharing the burden: The role of government and NGOs in protecting and providing for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan

This article examines the background to Japan's current refugee recognition and protection regime in the thematic context of burden-sharing. It considers recent legislative reforms and the role of local NGOs with the aim of setting Japan's domestic protection framework against the background of its international legal obligations. The analysis suggests that the policy and practices of the Japanese government have resulted in the exclusion of many who seek to enter the country and that for those in-country there is inadequate state social and welfare provision. The article questions whether Japan's significant financial contribution can adequately discharge its international burden-sharing responsibilities and argues that the government has effectively shifted responsibility for protection and support to local NGOs. It concludes that without further changes burden-shifting and not burden-sharing will remain a predominant feature of Japan's approach to protecting and providing for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan.