Japan's G7 refugee balancing act: door open for Ukrainians, but not many others

As much as she'd like to stay and help her people, she had to flee bombardment with her younger son who suffers from a mental condition to seek safety in Japan, 5,000 miles (8,000 km) away from her beloved hometown.

The 52-year-old mother said she didn't feel any joy coming to Japan at first, even though she was reunited with her older son who was already living in the country for several years before the war, working at a tech company. But progressively, her spirits lifted as she started working at the Ukrainian cafe "Kraiany" in western Tokyo, finding joy in the food she grew up with and the kindness of the customers.

"Because of the aggression, we were forced to come here. But Kraiany Cafe made us feel like we are at home. There are lots of people (customers) who study Ukrainian that come here, people who support Ukraine. And we are happy to help them. And when I’m occupied with my work, I have no time for sad thoughts about Ukraine,” said Yevtushuk who lives in a tidy two-bedroom apartment with her younger son.

She is one of 2,300 Ukrainians to whom Japan opened its doors after the Russian invasion, highly unusual for the refugee-averse nation. Upon arrival, Yevtushuk received warm-hearted support from the Japanese government and the local community, helping her and her son to start a new life in Tokyo. The district ward where she lives provides free housing with essential furnishings, and WiFi and pays for her utility and phone bills, while the private Nippon Foundation gives 1 million yen ($7,309) per person a year.

The local government also offered her free Japanese language courses, along with a job at a souvenir gift shop. To make her life more fulfilled, she's taken a second job at Kraiany since March 2023.

"It would be great if we continue receiving this support because even if we work, it is difficult to make ends meet. It makes me feel more comfortable and stable in Japan, having such great support,” said Yevtushuk.

The generosity Japan has shown, however, highlights the stark contrast against its acceptance of other asylum seekers, said experts and advocates.

Ukrainians enter Japan under a framework set up specifically for them and are referred to as 'evacuees' rather than 'refugees'. Meanwhile, Japan last year accepted just 202 asylum seekers as refugees and is almost certain to pass a bill in the coming weeks that would effectively make it easier to deport asylum seekers who apply for the status multiple times.

Refugee advocate Ayako Niijima from the Japan Association for Refugees, told Reuters that asylum seekers from Myanmar and Afghanistan weren't treated the same.

"I think there's a political motivation (in giving Ukrainian refugees special treatment). It's a gesture to show the international community that Japan is also supporting Ukrainians. It's an easy-to-understand picture that Russia, a great power, invaded Ukraine, and the fact that it was Russia means that it (accepting Ukrainian refugees) also gains support from conservatives in Japan," said Niijima.

While Tokyo may well highlight its solidarity with Ukraine at the G7 -- which kicks off on Friday --Niijima said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration is probably hoping to avoid questions about its dismal record with other refugees.

"It would be great if Japan could mention during the G7 summit that they would do the same as other countries by expanding the acceptance and protection of (all) refugees," Niijima added.

Meanwhile, like many other Ukrainians who fled the war to Japan, Yevtushuk hopes to return to her home country as soon as the tension eased, so that she could reunite with her husband.

"Only if my family were here together, I would love to spend some five years here, to have time to calm down, to get to a normal condition," Yevtushuk said, while she looks at photographs of her husband and twin sisters who are still Ukraine.

Reuters