J@pan Inc Newsletter<br>The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 459 Wednesday April 2, 2008, Tokyo<br><br>------------------ HOW PBXL IS DIFFERENT ------------------<br>
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More about PBXL: <a href="http://www.pbxl.jp/aboutus2">http://www.pbxl.jp/aboutus2</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Japan and Refugees<br><br>On May 12, 1975, a boat full of deracinated Vietnamese arrived <br>
east of Tokyo, in Chiba. Having declined signing the 1951 <br>Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the Protocol <br>of 1967, Japan was legally and politically unequipped to deal <br>with the problem. Facing pressure from the US and others to <br>
allow Indo-Chinese refugees shelter, Japan slowly started to <br>develop its legislative framework to accommodate them. According<br>to a report from the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), <br>between 1978 and 2002 Japan accepted 10,941 Indo-Chinese <br>
refugees and has gradually been taking a friendlier stance <br>towards asylum seekers. Most recently, in February this year, <br>Japan agreed to help dozens of refugees from Myanmar. <br><br>However, Japan's record on recognizing and providing for <br>
refugees is still singled out for reproach — the UNHCR rank <br>Japan 48th out of 50 industrialized countries for the number <br>of refugees accepted per 1,000 of the population. Recent <br>research in the Journal of Refugee studies (Dean & Nagashima <br>
vol.20 no.3) notes that of the 3,544 applications for asylum <br>that Japan received between the years 1982 and 2004, in only 330<br>cases was a form of humanitarian status granted. Countries such <br>as the UK, France and the US accept more than double this number<br>
in most years. On the other hand, in terms of financial <br>assistance to the UNHCR, Japan has long ranked in the top five <br>countries and its overseas aid and assistance budget, a <br>significant proportion of which goes towards funding refugee <br>
related issues, also stands higher than most other nations – <br>just this month Japan donated US$2.5 million to facilitate UNHCR<br>repatriation programs for Liberian refugees in Guineau. As Dean <br>& Nagashima put it, 'The contrast between Japan's willingness to<br>
donate vast sums for the protection and support of refugees <br>overseas and its narrow and ungenerous protection regime at home<br>is stark.'<br><br>This line of criticism brings up an important question: would it<br>be of more benefit to refugees worldwide if Japan were to put <br>
away its cheque book and start opening its doors? Jane Best, CEO<br>and President of the non-profit organization, Refugees <br>International Japan (RIJ - <a href="http://www.refugeesinternationaljapan.org">www.refugeesinternationaljapan.org</a>) <br>
argues that, while of course it is a good thing if Japan allows <br>more refugees asylum, 'RIJ focuses on assisting refugees who <br>hope to go home. Our theme is helping refugees to return home, <br>rebuild communities and establish peace. There is a commonly - <br>
held myth that refugees want to live in other countries, but the<br>majority do want to return home. As a small organization it <br>makes more sense for RIJ to concentrate on this rather than <br>trying to spread ourselves too thinly.' While lobby groups and <br>
NGOs are better placed to persuade the government and <br>bureaucracy to prepare the legal and political environment for <br>Japan to be a safe haven for those fleeing oppressive regimes <br>and humanitarian disasters, groups such as RIJ raise funds in <br>
order to assist projects for refugee care and repatriation <br>projects across the globe. <br><br>Jane Best told us that in Japan, both the government and its <br>citizens 'are interested in helping refugees around the world, <br>
but there is a lack of knowledge about the issues and media <br>coverage is limited.' RIJ thus focuses on raising awareness and <br>funds that are then distributed to local NGOs on the ground 'who<br>are working to improve conditions for refugees and empowering <br>
them - we fund sustainable solutions with an emphasis on <br>rebuilding, training and education.' While government money is <br>often dispersed via larger organizations affiliated to the UN or<br>the World Food Program, RIJ's projects are not tied to any <br>
political inclination. Neither is it limited as the government <br>often is, to working on only high profile, widespread <br>humanitarian catastrophes. For example, in south Senegal, south<br>of Gambia, RIJ funded a group building irrigation systems for <br>
those displaced by civil conflict there. RIJ does not <br>participate in projects themselves, Best explains, 'that is best<br>done by the NGOs and experts on the ground,' but it strives only<br>to fund projects that are sustainable and go beyond an immediate<br>
injection of finite cash or resources. <br><br>Given the vast sums of money donated by the government for <br>overseas aid and development, it is perhaps surprising that <br>groups such are able to raise additional revenue. However, <br>
established in 1979 RIJ has been able to move with the times <br>and adapt its fundraising techniques. Last year, it raised <br>US$445,000 that was donated to 24 projects spread over 13 <br>countries. In 2006 Best became CEO, the first paid member of <br>
staff the organization has had, in a bid to add professionalism <br>to activities, increase transparency and ultimately raise more <br>money for the initiatives it wants to support. Best explains <br>that as well as individual donors, corporations are increasingly<br>
aware of their obligations to give back to communities – <br>corporate social responsibility as current jargon would have it.<br>RIJ has thus built relations with numerous Japanese businesses <br>and multinational companies working in Japan - sponsors such as<br>
Cosmo PR, HSBC, Shinsei Bank, Rolex and the law firm Herbert <br>Smith are among the impressive and expansive list of corporate <br>donors. <br><br>Meanwhile, there has also been a growth of activity and interest<br>related to the campaign to get Japan to open up to more <br>
refugees. For example, in 1999 the Japan Association for <br>Refugees was founded – it coordinates with the UNHCR to improve <br>the social and legal conditions for refugees in Japan. <br>Ultimately however, many reformers feel that the government need<br>
to stop passing the buck to NGOs and charities and do more <br>itself. On the other hand, a focus on repatriation and <br>rebuilding would help to tackle the root causes of tragic human <br>displacement.<br><br>Peter Harris<br>
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<br>++EVENTS<br><br>-- Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo-Monday, April 7th ----<br><br>Title: Vision to Venture<br>- 'From Consulting in Hi-Tech to Entrepreneur in Entertainment'<br><br>Speakers: Shinichiro Ishikawa, President and CEO of GDH Group<br>
<br>Don't miss this opportunity to hear Shinichiro Ishikawa talk<br>about the entrepreneurial adventure of forming the GDH Group,<br>a global organization that provides leading content for<br>traditional media and next generation platforms.<br>
<br>GDH serves as the umbrella organization for a number of<br>leading animation and online game companies worldwide with<br>offices/subsidiaries in Tokyo, LA, London, Paris, Seoul,<br>Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Shanghai.<br>
<br>Date/Time: Monday, April 7th, 7:00 pm<br>Location: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br>Language: English<br>Website: <a href="http://www.ea-tokyo.com">http://www.ea-tokyo.com</a><br><br>----------------------------------------------------------- <br>
<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Marcus Evans Events - Supported by J@pan Inc<br><br>-Customer Relationship Excellence<br>15th - 16th April 2008, Hilton Tokyo<br><a href="http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548">http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548</a><br>
This event features leading speakers from Daihatsu Motor,<br>Daimler Japan, General Motors, Honda Motor, Nissan Motor,<br>Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota Motor and Johnson Controls<br>Automotive Systems Corporation. Don't miss this out!<br>
<br>-Compensation and Benefits<br>27th - 28th May, Tokyo<br>This event provides Japanese firms the understanding and<br>'how-to' of investing in their employees for the purpose<br>of sustaining their businesses Corporations nowadays need<br>
to formulate a business-driven compensation policy that<br>leverages human capital to drive corporate growth.<br><br>'J@pan Inc readers are entitled to a 10% discount upon<br>registration with Ms. Esther Wong.'<br>
<br>For further details and brochures, please contact:<br>Ms. Esther Wong<br>Tel No: +603 2723 6736<br>Fax No: +603 2723 6699<br>Email add: <a href="mailto:estherw@marcusevanskl.com">estherw@marcusevanskl.com</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
++END