UNHCR chief expresses hope for Japan's success in resettling refugees

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TOKYO, Nov. 20 Kyodo -
Visiting U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said Friday he
hopes Japan will successfully resettle 90 refugees from Myanmar and other
countries through its planned pilot program and become a ''resettlement
country.''

While the number of the refugees Japan is set to accept is small, Guterres, a
former prime minister of Portugal, said the significance is not in the figures.
''For us, the numbers do not matter. What matters is the symbolic nature of
this initiative,'' he said at a press conference in Tokyo, adding that Japan
will be the first Asian country to become a refugee resettlement country and
the program's success could make resettlement an effective solution to the
refugee issues.
Starting from fiscal 2010, Japan is set to annually accept 30 refugees who have
fled the suppression of human rights by Myanmar's military government and
currently live in border camps in Thailand under the resettlement program.
The program is designed to help such people who have fled but find it hard to
settle there or return home.
Guterres also said he has discussed issues surrounding Japan's asylum system
with Japanese officials during his two-day visit since Thursday, and that he
was ''extremely encouraged'' by their attitude and the progress made so far.
The UNHCR is now working with the Japanese government to review and revise the
Japanese asylum system, mainly over refugee status determination, possible
alternatives to the detention of asylum seekers and assistance as well as
protections to be extended, Guterres said.
Critics have said the system is too slow in determining refugee status and
keeps hundreds of asylum seekers detained.
==Kyodo