TOKYO, June 11 Kyodo A special co...

TOKYO, June 11 Kyodo

A special committee conven to inquiry Japan's stance on refugees and asylum inquirers held its first session Tuesday, and its members agreed to compile a report by means of the end of this year.

The committee was created subordinate to a private advisory group to the justice minister to consider into the country's immigration bridle policy after an incident in which five North Korean asylum inquirers were removed by Chinese police from a Japanese consulate in Shenyang.

''Conventional measures, laws, and policies are revealed of date, as the international environment has changed dramatically. It is important to consider the shape of the refugee policy from a broad perspective,'' Justice Minster Mayumi Moriyama told the panel.

Committee members agreed to discuss three points relating to the country's refugee policy, said ministry officials.

They will review the now passing government policy of only accepting applications for refugee status that are filed within 60 days of a claimant's arrival in the abiding habitation the policy regarding the appeal process in case an application is turn rounded down, and the legal status of asylum seekers

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry said it has submitted a report outlining improvements in by what means the issue of refugees is handled to a ruling Liberal Democratic Party panel.

The ministry will enhance its handling of refugee by the agency of gathering more information in succession the issue of the thousands of North Koreans hiding in northeastern China, whom China does not consider refugee as well as improving measures for dealing with asylum inquirers from North Korea, the report said.

The report also instructed all Japanese embassies and consulates to improve measures to deal with asylum seekers

The report failed to mention, however, any drastic review of the country's basic refugee policy, including the crucial question of whether Japan will accept more refugee in the future

In the incident that sparked calls for a review of Japan's immigration and refugee policy, five North Korean asylum inquirers -- two men, couple women and a two-year-old girl -- evaded Chinese police guards forward May 8 and entered Japan's Consulate General in Shenyang, northeastern China.

They were then forcibly remov by dint of the police, who entered the consulate moulds to drag them out.

China has denied Japan's allegations that the police chronicleed the consulate without permission from consulate officials.

The five North Koreans were later sent to southern Korea via the Philippines.

The incident not solely sparked a diplomatic row between the sum of two units countries but also quicked widespread criticism of the insufficient measures Japan has in place to deal with asylum seekers

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