Japan has earned itself a reputation for turning away refugees and accepts only 1 percent of asylum-seekers who apply. Just 42 were accepted in 2018.
Today we speak with Hilmneh Tegegn Tesfaw, who for the last 11 years has battled Japan¡¯s immigration system as he¡¯s tried to claim asylum and earn refugee status. We hear about his love for the country, his troubles with immigration officials, where he thinks Japan¡¯s asylum system is heading and his longing to be reunited with his family. Interview by , hosted by .
Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out: .
Read/see more:
- Japanese society warms to asylum-seekers despite the government¡¯s cold shoulder (Jesse Chase-Lubitz, The Japan Times)
- Asylum-seekers in Japan are stuck in bureaucratic limbo (Philip Brasor, The Japan Times)
- Japan¡¯s refugee-screening system sets high bar (Chisato Tanaka, The Japan Times)
- Swe Myanmar: Sharing the flavors of home in Tokyo¡¯s ¡®Little Yangon¡¯ (The Japan Times)
- (RHQ)
- (JAR)
Special delivery! Hear all about it!
Sign up to be notified when we drop a new episode of the Deep Dive podcast.
No spam. Just the good stuff.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.