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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will settle for Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s ongoing invasion, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated Wednesday, in a break with the nation’s common reticence to simply accept humanitarian arrivals.
Japan usually accepts just some dozen refugees a 12 months out of 1000’s of candidates, and its borders are at present closed to nearly all overseas guests to stop Covid-19 infections.
However Kishida stated the nation would now “proceed with a plan to welcome individuals from Ukraine who’ve fled to 3rd international locations” in a bid to “show our solidarity with the Ukrainian individuals at such an important second.”
Kishida’s remarks got here after he held talks with the prime minister of Poland, which is internet hosting lots of the greater than 800,000 refugees who’ve fled Ukraine because the invasion started.
Kishida stated Japan anticipated to first settle for these with family or associates within the nation, “however past that, we’ll reply from a humanitarian perspective,” he added with out setting a selected cap on arrivals.
He stated refugees can be processed outdoors of the present border regime that bars overseas vacationers and limits abroad arrivals.
There have been no quick particulars on how lengthy refugees would possibly be capable to keep.
In 2020, Japan accepted simply 47 refugees and 44 individuals on humanitarian grounds out of practically 4,000 candidates, and rights teams have lengthy accused Tokyo of doing too little to assist these fleeing battle.
Kishida stated he had knowledgeable international locations neighboring Ukraine which are at present receiving refugees of the choice.
Japan has additionally backed worldwide strikes to sanction Russian and Belarusian people, exports and monetary establishments whereas providing Ukraine loans and emergency humanitarian assist.
© Agence France-Presse
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