TOKYO: The number of asylum seekers in Japan grew 80 per cent to a record 19,628 in 2017 – but only 20 were accepted, the government said on Tuesday. Although a major donor to international aid organisations, Japan has been reluctant to relax asylum policies or allow in migrant blue-collar workers. Of the 19,628 applicants in 2017, Filipinos accounted for a quarter, followed by Vietnamese and Sri Lankans, the preliminary data showed. Of the 20 people who won asylum last year, five were from Egypt, five from Syria and two from Afghanistan. Japan accepted 28 people as refugees in 2016.

Source: Pakistan Today February 13, 2018 11:37 UTC