Japan Court Finds Rohingya Ethnicity Grounds for Refugee Status

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Teppei Kasai
Program Officer, Asia Division
February 8, 2024 

Asylum Seekers Still Risk Being Returned Home to Harm

Rohingya asylum seekers disembark from their boat upon landing in Ulee Madon, North Aceh, Indonesia, November 16, 2023. © 2023 Rahmat Mirza/AP Photo

The Nagoya High Court last month ordered the Japanese government to grant refugee status to an ethnic Rohingya asylum seeker from Myanmar. A lower court had previously ruled that 44-year-old Khin Maung Soe was a Rohingya, but that his ethnicity was an insufficient basis for considering him a refugee. The high court found that because the Myanmar military had “committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya” since the February 2021 military coup, there “exists objective fact to feel fear of persecution.”

Tokyo wants dignified return of Rohingyas to Myanmar

Dhaka Tribune
UNB
Publish : 08 Oct 2023,

The undated image shows the view of the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar. Photo: Collected

 

Japan wants a dignified return of forcibly displaced Rohingyas, now sheltered in Bangladesh, to their homeland, Myanmar.

Pro-army Myanmar delegates visit Japan to lobby for junta-planned election

Myanmar Now
September 28, 2023 

Ex-NLD member Sandar Min, Rakhine politician Aye Maung, and a pro-junta lobbyist meet with two Japanese MPs in Tokyo

A group of Myanmar pro-junta individuals, including two well-known politicians, lobbied Japanese parliamentarians to support the regime’s planned election during a trip to the country earlier this month, an inside source told Myanmar Now.

Sandar Min, an ousted member of the former ruling National League for Democracy (NLD); Aye Maung, chair of the Arakan Front Party; and Kyaw Myo Min, who runs the pro-army news outlet Neo Politics, met with two opposition lawmakers in Tokyo on September 19, according to the source, who did not disclose the identities of the Japanese MPs.

Japan to consider increasing aid to Rohingyas

The Daily Star
Staff Correspondent
Mon Sep 4, 2023 

National Diet delegation set to visit Cox’s Bazar camps 

Rohingya camp. File photo

Japan will consider increasing its humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, a prominent Japanese lawmaker said yesterday.

"We are planning to visit Cox's Bazar tomorrow. We would like to see the situation and provide some humanitarian assistance based on the actual needs there," said Nakanishi Yusuke, director of the committee on general affairs, House of Councillors at the National Diet.

Japan continues its support to Bangladesh on Rohingya issue

Bangaldesh Sandbad Sandstha (BSS)
26 Apr 2023

TOKYO, Apr 26, 2023 (BSS)- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida today reiterated his country's support for Bangladesh in repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar.

"Bangladesh has sheltered over one million displaced persons from Myanmar and we will continue to support its endeavour," Kishida said

Japan will continue working to resolve Rohingya issue: Outgoing ambassador

Prothum Alo------ 

Prothom Alo English Desk

Published: 02 Dec 2022, 

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito NaokiBSS

Outgoing Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has said he sincerely hopes that the “safe, voluntary and dignified” repatriation of the Rohingya people to Myanmar will happen soon, reports news agency UNB.

“As the crisis is turning into its sixth year, it is essential to keep the attention of the global community, while multiple emergencies have been taking place in different parts of the world,” he said.

The envoy said Japan will continue to work towards the resolution of the Rohingya issue.

 

Japan: Rohingya repatriation possible upon democracy resumption in Myanmar

Dhaka Tribune  

BSS
November 23, 2022

File photo of a Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters

Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs TAKEI Shunsuke said sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas would be possible after resumption of democracy in Myanmar.

He said this while paying a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official Ganabhaban residence on Wednesday evening.

Japan: Myanmar situation preventing full-scale Rohingya repatriation

Dhaka Tribune

UNB
November 14, 2022 

Myanmar needs to halt violence, release detainees and restore democracy, says Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki

File photo of a Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki on Monday said it is unlikely to see a full-scale Rohingya repatriation anytime soon due to the situation in Myanmar at this moment.

"It'll be very difficult to see repatriation of Rohingyas on full-scale soon. Unless you see the improvement of the situation in Myanmar, it'll very difficult for us to see their repatriation to Myanmar," he said.

The ambassador said Japan is communicating with the Myanmar military and Myanmar needs to halt violence, release detainees and restore democracy there.

Japan to contribute $3.5M in aid to Rohingya in Bangladesh

 AA

SM Najmus Sakib
DHAKA, Bangladesh
21.09.2022

Partnership agreement with UN refugee agency signed to help persecuted people living in Cox’s Bazar, Bhasan Char camps with essential services

Japan will provide $3.5 million to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and on Wednesday it inked a partnership agreement with the UNHCR to help the persecuted people living in two camps with essential services.

Bangladesh currently hosts over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar's Rakhine State following a brutal military crackdown in August 2017.

Since the beginning of the emergency in 2017, Japan has been a steadfast supporter of the Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh, contributing over $170 million to UNHCR and other UN agencies and NGOs in Bangladesh, including through this new funding.

Danger Awaited in Myanmar. So He Made a Daring Bid to Stay in Japan.

The New York Times

By Ben Dooley and Hisako Ueno
July 3, 2021

After defying Myanmar’s military rulers at a soccer match, Ko Pyae Lyan Aung decided to seek asylum. But he was being watched.

Ko Pyae Lyan Aung at a practice field in Osaka, Japan.Credit...Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

OSAKA, Japan — The soccer player’s plane was at the gate. Ahead of him stood his last chance at safety.

The athlete, Ko Pyae Lyan Aung, had come to Japan with Myanmar’s national team. On the field, before the first match, he had flashed a gesture of defiance — the three-finger salute made famous by “The Hunger Games” — against the military junta that had ousted his country’s elected government. He was now afraid of what might happen if he returned home.

Could Japan draw Myanmar's military junta chief to a UN peace initiative?

THE HILL

BY CHARLES CRABTREE,
OPINION CONTRIBUTOR
06/24/21

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

© Getty Images

What should the Japanese government do about Myanmar? Since the military junta under commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing ousted democratically-elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, violence has erupted across the Southeast Asian nation. The new Tatmadaw regime has killed over 800 people, reportedly arrested more than 80 journalists, and detained thousands more politicians, pro-democracy protesters and human rights defenders without due process. In response to this and other abuses, mass protests have erupted across the country, often inciting further violence by state security forces.

Bangladesh, Japan agree to work together for tackling Covid-19, Rohingya crisis

The Daily Star
Star Digital Report
June 09, 2021

Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki calls on Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam at his office on June 8, 2021. Photo: Collected

Bangladesh and Japan have agreed to work together to tackle the challenges of Covid-19 and Rohingya crisis.

The consensus came when Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki called on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam at his office yesterday (Tuesday).

They comprehensively discussed the bilateral relations and issues of common concerns, says a foreign ministry statement today.

Japan should not follow the Western policy on Myanmar: Diplomat op-ed

Reuters
May 26, 2021,

Military troops and police go on patrol at Kayah state, eastern Myanmar, Sunday, May 23, 2021

Japan should play a bridging role to Myanmar's junta rather than following the Western policy of regime change, said a senior official at the Japan-Myanmar Association, which has strong ties with Myanmar's military.

"I argue that Japan must position itself as a bridge between the Tatmadaw and the United States and other democratic countries rather than blindly aligning itself with the Western policy of regime change," Yusuke Watanabe, the association's secretary general, said in an opinion piece for the Diplomat magazine.

On Myanmar, Japan Must Lead by Example

THE I DIPLOMAT

By Yusuke Watanabe
May 26, 2021

“Japan must position itself as a bridge between the Tatmadaw and the United States and other democratic countries rather than blindly aligning itself with the Western policy of regime change.”

 As the inimitable Shwedagon Pagoda blazed in the sun in all its glory, I blithely set about my morning stroll in Myanmar’s budding former capital, Yangon, scarcely expecting the impending cataclysm. It was the fateful early morning of February 1, when the country’s decade-long democratization progress screeched to a sudden halt. The sight of military vehicles inundating Yangon’s bustling morning traffic aroused in me an eerie sense of déjà vu vividly colored by the memories of Myanmar’s past crucibles.

Military junta removes two dissident diplomats stationed in Japan

AsiaNews.it
Francis Khoo Thwe
05/20/2021

Critics of the violence against the democratic opposition, the two envoys asked the Japanese government for help. Japanese companies present in Myanmar say Tokyo is too "weak" with the Burmese generals. The military has recalled about 100 rebel diplomats to their homeland since the coup.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - The military junta has removed two diplomats stationed at the embassy in Tokyo. The two envoys boycotted the mission's activities in protest against the coup that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy in February.

Their removal was reported this morning by Kyodo News, citing Burmese diplomatic sources.

The regime of General Min Aung Hlaing already sacked the ambassador to the United Nations in February, and last month dismissed the envoy to London.

Alarmed by inaction, lawmakers push Japan to embrace rights diplomacy

the japan times

BY SATOSHI SUGIYAMA
STAFF WRITER
Apr 6, 2021



Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi go to meet Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, and Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on March 16. | POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI

As Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga gears up for his trip to Washington late next week, one potential discussion topic could throw a wet blanket over his excitement: Japan’s role in advocating for human rights through diplomacy.

As much as Tokyo is elated over having the first foreign leader to meet U.S. President Joe Biden in person since his inauguration and reaffirmation of Washington’s commitment to national security cooperation, there are worries that the meeting could be used by Biden to compel Suga to augment the Japanese government’s contributions to defending human rights in Asia.

Japan to provide $10m in emergency aid for Rohingya, host communities

Financial Express

FE Online Desk 

March 18, 2021

The Japan government has said it will provide 10 million US dollars in emergency grant aid to support the displaced Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

Of the total grant, 5 million US dollars will be provided to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), 4.3 million US dollars to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and 0.7 million US dollars will be provided to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for humanitarian assistance, according to a press release of Japanese Embassy received today (Thursday).

Japan just talks the talk on Myanmar

ASIA TIME

By TEPPEI KASAI
MARCH 15, 2021

Tokyo's passive diplomacy will only embolden the Tatmadaw, which continues to commit grave abuses with impunity.

Myanmar people living in Japan and others protest near Shibuya Station in Tokyo on February 28, 2021. Protesters demanded the release of the nation's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and others. Photo: Taketo Oishi / The Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP

Since the Myanmar military seized power on February 1, the Japanese government has expressed its “grave concerns” over the coup. It has called on the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, to “swiftly restore Myanmar’s democratic political system,” and demanded the release of National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and all others arbitrarily detained.

Japan also expressed condolences for protesters killed by security forces, while “strongly” condemning the “violence against civilians.”

Such statements are important, but when compared with the concrete actions taken by other Group of Seven democracies, it’s clear that Japan is not yet using its full weight to pressure the Myanmar military. It has in effect taken a “wait and see” approach.

Japan to give $19 mil. grant aid to support Myanmar's Rohingya

The Mainichi

March 9, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)

In this Feb. 15, 2021 file photo, Rohingya refugees heading to the Bhasan Char island prepare to board navy vessels from the south eastern port city of Chattogram, Bangladesh. (AP Photo)

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan will contribute $19 million in emergency grant aid via international organizations to support Myanmar's Rohingya people who have fled homes in the country's Rakhine State to escape persecution and violence by the military, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Japanese officials said Tokyo will maintain humanitarian assistance to Myanmar even as it condemns the military coup on Feb. 1 that ousted a democratically elected government and saw State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders detained.

Japan's Myanmar Dilemma: How Hard To Push Against Military Coup Leaders? March 2, 202112:00 PM ET

npr

ANTHONY KUHN

March 2, 2021

Myanmar people and supporters march during on Feb. 14 in Tokyo to protest the military coup.Eugene Hoshiko/AP

SEOUL — The military's killing of at least 18 protesters on Sunday in Myanmar has increased pressure on foreign governments to use their influence to push for the release of the country's elected leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, from detention, and restore some measure of democratic rule.

ASIA

At Least 18 Killed By Myanmar Security Forces In Deadliest Day Since Coup

Among Asian countries, Japan is one of the most influential. How it decides to handle Myanmar's coup could have a major impact on the Biden administration's bid to put democracy and alliances at the heart of its foreign policy.