histry of the refugee assistance headquarters

Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People

History of the Refugee Assistance Headquarters

Indo-Chinese Refugees and Japan

After the end of the Indo-China War in 1975, many Vietnamese people who were subjected to persecution, unable to adapt to the new system or were uncertain about the future of the country took to small boats to flee (boat people). There were also so-called land people, Laotian and Cambodian people who escaped overland into Thai territory. These people were collectively known as Indo-Chinese refugees, and the outpouring of these refugees came to be a major international issue as surrounding ASEAN nations where refugee camps sprung up became drawn into the issue.

The first boat people came to Japanﾕs shores in May 1975, and were permitted to stay temporarily. This was followed by wave after wave of boat people, resulting in the Japanese government allowing the resettlement in Japan of Vietnamese refugees (boat people) three years later in 1978 upon Cabinet approval. In 1979, a framework for resettlement of 500 people was established, with permission for resettlement in Japan given to Indo-Chinese refugees temporarily staying in refugee camps in the Asian region and people who had lived in Japan as exchange students prior to the political upheaval.

This framework was gradually expanded by the government, and in December 1994 the framework, which then stood at 10,000 people, was removed completely.

▲A boat full of refugees being rescued in the East China Sea

Establishment of the Refugee Assistance Headquarters and Centers for Refugees

In order to enhance and strengthen the measures for Indo-Chinese refugees, the Japanese government created in the Cabinet the Liaison and Coordination Council for Indo-Chinese Refugees and Displaced Persons in July 1979 for conducting programs to promote resettlement. The responsibility for this was entrusted to the Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Refugee Assistance Headquarters (RHQ) was established within the Foundation in November of the same year.

In order to provide Japanese language education, health care and job referral services to refugees wishing to resettle in Japan, the RHQ then set about establishing the Himeji Resettlement Promotion Center (Himeji Center) in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture in December 1979, and the Yamato Resettlement Promotion Center (Yamato Center) in Yamato, Kanagawa prefecture in February 1980. Upon Japan becoming a signatory to the Refugee Convention in 1981, the Omura Refugee Reception Center (Omura Center) was opened in February 1982 in Omura, Nagasaki prefecture, to provide temporary asylum for boat people. Boat people who had come ashore at the various ports around Japan stayed in this Center for several months where they received medical examinations and were interviewed by organizations such as the United Nations. In April 1983, the International Refugee Assistance Headquarters was opened in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo in response to the increase in boat people arriving and the lengthy time refugees were staying at privately run refugee camps.

With more and more of the boat people coming in search of work from 1986, and the increase in the number of long-staying people in refugee camps that did not fulfill third-country resettlement criteria, the Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) was adopted at the United Nations sponsored International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees in June 1989. This saw the introduction of screening of newly arrived boat people, with the voluntary repatriation of those not officially recognized encouraged. A dramatic reduction in the number of boat people ensued, and with the Indo-Chinese nations stabilizing the decision was taken in February, 1994, to discontinue the treatment of boat people as refugees. As of March that year, Japan also treated those persons landing directly in Japan without valid passports as illegal immigrants. Against this backdrop, the Omura Center was closed at the end of March 1995, the Himeji Center in March 1996, and the Yamato Center in March 1998. In the meantime, the Kansai Branch of the RHQ was set up in 1996 in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, to provide follow-up services to the many Indo-Chinese refugees who had settled in western Japan, and liaise and coordinate with relevant organizations.

Following this, the main focus was on bringing out family members left in Vietnam under the Orderly Departure Program (ODP). The International Refugee Assistance Headquarters provided these people with Japanese language education and job referral service, etc.

In August 2002, Cabinet approved new refugee measures and established the Liaison and Coordination Council for Refugee. Measures were also adopted for resettlement assistance for refugees recognized by the Minister of Justice under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act based on the Refugee Convention. Under these new measures, as of 2003, convention refugees and their families were entitled to receive the same assistance in Japanese language education and job referrals from the International Refugee Assistance Headquarters as the Indo-Chinese refugees. In July 2003, the Liaison and Coordination Council for Refugee Measures decided to terminate the intake of Indo-Chinese refugees as of the end of March, 2006. The International Refugee Assistance Headquarters was closed in line with this at the end of March 2006.

The RHQ, in the meantime, extended its assistance programs from 1995 to include people applying for refugee status as well as refugees and their families. It also was involved in coordinating overseas refugee assistance programs and volunteer development support. In 2003, the Emergency Shelter for Refugee Applicants (ESFRA) was opened as part of the activities assisting applicants for refugee status who were struggling financially and having difficulty finding accommodation.

Resettlement support programs continue with the RHQ Support Center being opened in Tokyo as of April 2006 to provide convention refugees with Japanese language education, guidance for Japanese life and job referrals.

▲Himeji Resettlement Promotion Center (Dec. 1979- Mar. 1996)

▲Yamato Resettlement Promotion Center (Feb. 1980- Mar. 1998)

▲Omura Refugee Reception Center (Feb. 1982- Mar. 1995)

▲International Refugee Assistance Center (Apr. 1983- Mar. 2006)