Japan Court Rules Govt Not Obliged to Recognize Syrian Man as Refugee

Nagoya, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–Nagoya High Court ruled Thursday that the Japanese government is not obligated to recognize a Syrian man as a refugee after the collapse of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The court overturned a lower court decision that obliged the government to recognize him as a refugee. But the high court upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the government to revoke a decision not to grant him refugee status. The man arrived in Japan in 2019 and lives in the central prefecture of Aichi after avoiding military service and participating in an anti-government movement in Syria. A lawyer for the man criticized the latest decision, saying, “It puts the man in an unstable position again.” The man said he has been persecuted even by the current Syrian government and that he will fight in court until Japanese authorities acknowledge his claim. In May last year, Nagoya District Court sought to grant him refugee status, citing risks that he would face arrest and forced military service if he returned to Syria. In Thursday’s ruling, Nagoya High Court Presiding Judge Aya Yoshida said that the non-recognition was illegal. But the judge said that it is not obvious that refugee status should be granted to him, noting that since the Assad regime’s collapse, security institutions have been dismantled and some refugees have returned. According to the district and high court rulings, the man intensified his criticism of the Syrian government after the outbreak of the civil war and held anti-government meetings at the office of his company while he was on a deferment from conscription. He was often detained by security agencies and left for Japan in 2019 for business purposes. Shortly after his arrival in Japan, it was found that his assets were frozen and the postponement of conscription was rejected. He applied to the Japanese government for refugee status, but his application was turned down. He filed a lawsuit in 2021 for the recognition. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]