特別ポスト: Leaving Home, Going Home (Part 2)

Hello! 

How are you? As promised, here is Part 2 of the samples for the Leaving Home, Going Home collection. If you would like to see Part 1, click on here. 

In this post, there will be some longer writing - all excellent, and all reflective of your heartfelt effort on this theme. Let's go!

What we can do for refugees

Most Japanese will approve refugee acceptance. Of course, I think so too. But my opinion doesn’t mean that we should accept many refugees. To accept refugees we must cooperate throughout Japan. That’s a difficult problem.

Today, many people think that refugees in Japan are problems of other countries when they hear the word refugee. If the government wants to protect refugees, it must first provide information to the people. If it doesn’t the problem will never be solved.

I think that there will be many difficulties if refugees are to live in Japan. For example, it takes time for them to master Japanese, and it will be difficult to find jobs. The Japanese have never lived with foreign people for a long time. So I don’t know if we can get along well with refugee people. I’m warried about refugee people who come Japan feel no alienation.

I believe the government’s support is to create opportunities to give them jobs and learn about Japan. What we can also do is to look at the international situation and to make Japan easy for foreigners to live in. Refugee acceptance must be careful, it takes time and arguments are also necessary, because people live are taking. To be honest in Japan now I think that preparation for accepting refugees is not enough yet, so it will be difficult to accept refugees a lots. Therefore, I think it’s a method that doesn’t fail to accept from a small number of people.

The Current Situation of Refugees

I’ve never ever thought about it, because media does not bring up the issue of refugees. But on examination, I found out that there were a lot of problems. I would like to think about the current situation of refugees.

People are under pursuit their hometown that it extends half of the population of Japan. It terms of number, it has reached 65.3 million people. In recent years, dangerous things and humanity problem are increasing in Syria and Southern Sudan by prolonging it. For example, the life of Afghan refugees who got away to Iran in a conflict that began in 1978 have stretched over 30 years. They have not got back to their hometown over 30 years. In addition, Pakistan is the most place of refuge of Afghan refugees. It is said that the world’s largest refugee recipient country. But Pakistan government announced that it is a policy to voluntarily return Afghan refugees last year. The deadline was extended until the end of this year. Besides, between Pakistan and Afghanistan was accepted that relatively free to come and go, but it is expected that will be restricted immigration in the future. Living of Afghanistan, there are mostly no work and it appears to be a lot of inconvenient things. So their life cannot say a comfortable. Neither infrastructure nor government in there. There is only a war. They continue to live there say that. They might live a brutal life than, had imagined. The United Nationals and NGO are beginning for support action of their, but that is quite difficult. Because we cannot help everyone because there are too many people.

We are accepting refugees in Japan. There are about 10,000 people who application for refugee status to Japan last year, but it was authorized only 28 people. Japan was inadequate that accreditation criteria and the acceptance of refugees system. The refugee problem is not often known at Japan. Not a few people have misunderstanding and prejudice. However, we accepted Indochinese refugees, about 20,000 Indochinese refugee people live in Japan. It is necessary to solve the problems about them living in there and think about better acceptance. It is important for us to learn about this problem, to have a generous heart to accept the difference.

The Lack of Awareness of Refugees in Japan

Japanese do not know war refugees too much. It is because Japan does not study refugee problems and is the country which does not have its own army. Why are these reasons related to the lack of awareness of refugees? To know this, we first need to gain knowledge about wars.

Refugee problems always result from wars in any age. Historically, the country which is most deeply related to refugees and immigrants is Germany. Before the 2nd World War, many Jewish people were in Europe, and they work very well. When Nazis came to power and Adolf Hitler became der Führer (der Führer means that one person who has all political power in a country in German.), very many Jewish people were killed. At the same time, some of them escaped from Germany. After the 2nd World War, some German became refugees and many them went to the other European countries and America. Because of these reasons, German has studied refugee problems and Nazis since they are young, and Germany accepts many war refugees who escaped from civil wars. On the other hand, Japanese do not study refugee problems. Why? During the war, Japanese do not kill many immigrants, and did not become refugees. Therefore, refugee problems are regarded as unimportant in Japan.

Another reason is that Japan does not have its own army. Japan has the Self-Defense Forces and strong military power. If Japan had its own army instead of the Self-Defense Forces, international public opinion which requested Japan to intervene in civil wars might rise. In the case, Japanese might see F-15s bombing Syria on TV almost every day and know refugees, whether they like this or not.

The above is my thought, but Japanese awareness of refugees depend that whether they have interest in refugee problems and wars. I watched the news of the big refugee problem on BBC news every day in 2016, because I was very interested in international situation, but people who could talk with me about it were only my father and my teachers. In short, people who have knowledge about wars are only a few in Japan. So how know refugee problems more? On the video that is on the blog post, there are some hints for this question.

Ms. Sein, she came to Australia as a refugee, says that refugees have to start their own lives all over again from scratch and they need a kind and generous attitude of community.

Ms. Melika insists that immigrants do not succeed without consultations between central government and local government, refugee community and local community.

Mr. Ishii says that it is important for new refugees to be supported by experienced refugees in Japan as well as Australia.

Mr. Moriya insists that the most important things are that many people should discuss how they supply what kinds of service to refugees and accept what kinds of refugees.

Mr. Takizawa explains that Nagano prefecture started the support program which accepts refugees and revitalize the local community. He hops that this idea spreads out other prefectures.

Mr. Daniel Alkal asserts that refugees lost various things and need supports to regain these, and they also need supports which help them to become independents. In addition, he says that it is important to listen voice of them.

I do not think that Japanese can understand easily and agree with those opinions. However, this can be a good opportunity that Japanese know there are refugees in Japan. Besides if Japanese know refugees from civil wars, they can understand refugee problems more. I believe that Japanese are the kindest people in the world. By their kindness, refugees may be able to know the way of living in Japan. Therefore, I do not object to accepting refugees.

Refugee Issues

The refugee issues of all over the world aren’t still solved. There are a lot of issues. We cannot ignore. About sixty million people in the world are suffering because they have to move from hometown for a civil war, and deteriorating the peace. The country that more refugee live are Syria, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. There is a common point in this three countries. It is that they have a lot of civil war. I often watch in on TV and the Internet. If the civil war begin their country, they need to take refuge. Otherwise they can’t live. It is difficult for them to secure foods, drinks, and something to wear. In addition to they may lose their friends, family, and house. It feels bad very much. I think they should move to anywhere put the blame for country. They are not bad. The country made people suffer. Now, North Korea shoots a missile in Japan and increase the terrorism issues. I think it is large-scale issues. The world will be dangerous. If a missile fells on the mainland in Japan, we may become refugee. It will be difficult to live. Do you know where refugee immigrate? Most of them, it is said that move to Turkey, and Germany. Especially, Germany accepts many refugees. But, it is difficult for most of immigration to work because they can’t speak German. This is also large issue. We need to think this problems more seriously.

How do we take measures in Japan? In Japan, the term of accepting refugee is strict. There is authorization of refugee. Every year they come in Japan. But, it accepts very few people. The number of accepting refugee is few than other countries. So Chinese Internet user said “Japan is narrow-minded country.” Maybe I think Japan has priority to protect own country because we have a lot of problems. If Japanese peace is bad, we can’t accept them. I often heard about murder case, and arson on TV.  It should decrease such as a matter. I think my country should accept more refugee. But first, I want to be good peace, and solving a political problems. There are merits and demerits for accepting them in Japan. The merits are able to getting confidence of the world, and exchange between other cultural people. The demerits are that we have to use our tax for refugee and increasing a criminal and a terrorism.

According to UNHCR (United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees), about 50% of refugees are children. They don’t go to school, and they can’t receive adequate education. So UNHCR is doing donation work, and supporting children that don’t have parents. Children will want their parent’s warmth, kindness and so on. But, the country prevents them from their happiness. If many people in the world support them, we may make their smile.

I researched many things of refugee and immigration to write this composition. I’m surprised that there are a lot of refugee in the world, and I understood there are many suffering people now. We should think about it. Japanese people is very gentle, so I believe that Japan accepts more refugee. We don’t have to go to war. I want the world become peace.

Fabulous work from all of you! I'm very proud and happy to share this work here. 

You've all done a great job this year and I have enjoyed seeing all of you develop as writers in another language. So good luck in your other studies, and with your futures. 

Have a great life!

Image: By Mikhail Esteves from Bangalore, India - Mae La Refugee Camp, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2720844