Japan looks to offer enhanced support to help Ukrainian refugees settle

The government is considering new measures to support Ukrainians who have fled to Japan — such as assistance with finding work, accommodation and education for their children in order to help them settle in the country — as dozens arrive in Japan to be with their families and friends.

Officials said Tuesday they are arranging to grant entry to Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion even if they have no relatives or acquaintances in Japan who can act as a guarantor. The government plans to weigh each case on its merits and issue short-term stay visas on a case-by-case basis as exceptions.

According to the Immigration Services Agency (ISA), 47 Ukrainians who fled their home country arrived in Japan between March 2, when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his intention to accept Ukrainians, and Sunday.

“The government is considering what kind of measures are necessary to help them,” Hirokazu Matsuno, the government’s top spokesman, said in a regular news conference Tuesday.

Making use of help offered by firms and municipalities, the measures would include providing accommodation, daily supplies, language education, job-hunting support and education for children, Matsuno said.

In a separate news conference, Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said the government will start accepting applications for visa changes from Ukrainians who have arrived in Japan on a short-term basis. A switch to a more stable, one-year residential status would allow them to work in Japan.

“We will consider the situation that these evacuees find themselves in and take flexible measures on their residential status,” Furukawa said.

The ISA has already said Japan will grant longer-term residential statuses to Ukrainians fleeing the Eastern European nation.

Ahead of Tuesday’s shift to allow entry without the need for an acquaintance or a guarantor, the government had primarily been accepting those who have friends or family in Japan, prompting lawmakers to argue that they should be accepted without conditions.

Yuzuru Takeuchi, policy chief of junior coalition partner Komeito, submitted a proposal to Matsuno urging the government to issue such visas to all Ukrainians who flee the country.

The proposal also called for Japan to provide financial support to local governments offering free accommodation and other assistance to the refugees. The government calls them evacuees since they have not been granted refugee status in Japan.

Tokyo, Osaka Prefecture and Yokohama are among a rising number of local governments that have said they are prepared to provide comprehensive support to Ukrainians who flee to Japan.

Tokyo on Friday began operating a hotline to offer consultations to Ukrainian refugees, with the service available in four languages — Japanese, English, Russian and Ukrainian — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 03-6258-1227. The capital will also provide 100 housing units run by the metropolitan government, a number that could be increased to 700.

Information from Kyodo added