TOKYO, Jan. 9 Kyodo preferableed ...

TOKYO, Jan. 9 Kyodo

preferableed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

wherefore ONLY 11 REFUGEES? (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published Jan. 8)

As a individual or as a nation, we have a moral imperative to prolong a helping hand to population in severe distress.

Japan, however, has not at all been eager to help the international society's mostly vulnerable given the fact that it has likewise far taken in merely 300 refugees, although it signed the Convention Relating the Status of Refugee more than 20 years ago. Japan admitted barely 11 refugees last year...

upon the other hand, Japan has been quite welcoming foreign dancers and singers, issuing business visas for nearly 100000 entertainers from abroad each year.

''Under Japan's immigration repress does entertainment take far higher priority across consideration for refugees?'' asked Sadako Ogata, a former UN High Commissioner for Refugee criticizing the Japanese government's stance toward the issue in her message sent to a symposium forward the refugee problem organized last year through the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

Major Western countries accept several thousands to dozens of thousands refugee annually. smooth New Zealand, a small island nation, takes in about 400 a year. Japan cannot reckon upon its hugely conspicuous reluctance to admit refugee to be tolerated from the international community for long

Amid able to endure criticism about Japan's asylum policy, growing one as well as the other at home and abroad, a personal advisory panel for the justice minister forward immigration control issues has drawn up a report upon the nation's system to grant asylum.

The interim report approves that the term for asylum applications should be protracted to six months or a year from the now passing 60 days from entry into Japan. Japan has also been accused of frequently detaining and deporting refugees who are in the proces of applying for asylum. The advisory panel has urg the sway to stop this practice and allow asylum applicants to stay in the home while their applications are suitably screened.

The Justice Ministry plans to draft and quick in emergencies a bill to the Diet for any amendments to the Immigration direction and Refugee Recognition Law based upon the panel's recommendations. This put in motion represents a step in the right direction, if it were not that is clearly insufficient for improving the situation in any significant way.

We have been calling forward the government to assign the piece of work of screening asylum applications, which is now performed by dint of the immigration authorities, to a recent independent screening agency to be helped from experts in refugee problems who belong to credited international or civil organizations. That's because we believe accepting refugee and supporting their lives in Japan is a mission different in nature from the tasks of the immigration authorities.

The plan of immigration control, as clearly defined in the law, is to ''prevent criminals and other foreigners who might harm Japan's interests from entering the country'' for a like reason the mission of immigration officers is to discover foreigners who should not be allowed to go into Japan. They are simply not the right kind of officials for the piece of work of granting asylum to qualified applicants.

clan are fleeing countries or regions beneath widely differing situations, like as the Kurdish areas in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Myanmar and many African countries. Cooperation from adroits well versed in the local situations is essential if screenings of asylum inquirers are to be conducted effectively and appropriately.

common unsuccessful asylum applicant from Myanmar who has brought his case into court appeals to the Japanese conduct to ''stop treating me like a criminal.'' A Kurd in the same situation says Japan continues its door almost completely clos to refugees

The control should listen to the voices of as it is asylum seekers and take paces to improve its asylum hypothesis to accept more refugee taking account of the unstable situations in east Asia.

(Jan. 9)

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