Japan begins accepting war-fleeing Ukrainians without need for a guarantor

Japan started on Friday granting entry to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion even if they do not have a relative or acquaintance in Japan who can act as a guarantor, the government said.

The change to the original policy of requiring displaced people to have a guarantor was made at a meeting of relevant ministries and agencies given the humanitarian crisis that has led millions of Ukrainians to flee the country due to the ongoing war.

As of Wednesday, Japan had accepted 73 evacuees with a guarantor since March 2, when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that the country would open its doors as part of its humanitarian response, according to the government.

Under the new measures, visa application procedures have been simplified for Ukrainian evacuees, and they are not required to provide negative COVID-19 test results upon entry.

“We will make considerations so that they will be able to enter (Japan) without problems, including in relation to our entry cap,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at the gathering.

Japan currently limits the number of people entering the country to 7,000 a day as an anti-COVID-19 step, but the evacuees will not be counted toward the cap.

Other support measures for people fleeing Ukraine include securing accommodation, supplying them with daily necessities, and helping them to get jobs and study in Japan.

“I ask that sufficient support will be provided to those who have fled to our country under harsh conditions,” Matsuno told members at the meeting.

A government task force set up the same day will further review what support is needed to enable the displaced people to stay in Japan with a sense of security, according to Matsuno.

The government has already said evacuees who are granted short-term residency for 90 days when entering Japan will be permitted to later change their visas to “designated activities” status for one year. The change will give them residency and the legal right to get employed.

Tokyo also intends to administer COVID-19 vaccine shots to the evacuees.

The United Nations estimates that more than 4 million people displaced by the war will need assistance in the coming months. Many of them have fled to Poland and other neighboring countries.

People fleeing conflicts have long found a narrow path to attaining refugee status in Japan, with the government recognizing only around 1% of asylum seekers, earning criticism from human rights organizations.

The Ukrainians arriving in Japan after fleeing the Russian invasion have not been granted refugee status and are called evacuees by the government.

In the latest Justice Ministry figure for 2020, out of 3,936 asylum seekers, 47 people were recognized as refugees under Japan’s immigration control and refugee recognition law. Another 44 were permitted to be in Japan for humanitarian reasons even though they were not granted refugee status.