TOKYO, March 4 Kyodo The cabinet ...

TOKYO, March 4 Kyodo

The cabinet approved Tuesday a legal amendment bill that would scrap a domination under which Japan has been accepting refugee applications and nothing else within 60 days of a person's arrival in the home government officials said.

The bill to amend the Immigration repress and Refugee Recognition Law, compiled by dint of the Justice Ministry, calls for a novel system in which the justice minister can issue asylum inquirers temporary-stay permits if they confront certain conditions.

The cabinet will before long present the bill to the Diet for deliberation and approval.

The modern system will give the justice minister authority to permit temporary stays to asylum inquirers if they apply for refugee status within six month of arrival, if they came to Japan directly from regions with threats of persecution, and if they do not puzzle risk of disappearing.

If the bill is passed, the control would stop the current practice of proceeding with the deportation proces for the asylum inquirers simultaneously with refugee-status scrutiny.

The propos legislation will also authorize the justice minister to give resident status to those whose refugee applications have been approved and who engage certain conditions, as well as consider issuing special permits for those who do not fit the conditions or whose applications are set asideed depending on their circumstances.

The legal amendment is aimed at responding to criticism above Japan's apparent reluctance to accept refugee The present 60-day rule makes it easy for Japan to close up its doors to those seeking refugee status simply on the grounds of delayed application.

The Justice Ministry has been working to amend the law since an incident last May involving five North Koreans who sought asylum at the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, northeastern China.

Japan was criticized for its handling of the case in which the five were remov forcibly from Chinese police from the consulate turfs and detained for two weeks before they were received from South Korea.

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