Japan grants asylum to a Kurd from Türkiye for the first time

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Japan has granted asylum to a 30-year-old Kurdish man from Türkiye in a move welcomed by the Lawyers for Refugees as the first such example.

The attorney of the Kurdish refugee, Koji Yamada, said on Wednesday (August 10) that his client was given a refugee certificate on August 9 and was recognized as a refugee by the country's migration agency, according to a report by The Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

"I almost exhausted all my strength during the long fight, but confidence in justice and the law was maintained," said the man who gained the refugee status after eight years. "I wish that the justice achieved will bring hope to others as well."

He had moved to Japan in February 2014, and got two of his previous applications rejected.

After the rejections, he had filed an appeal with the Sapporo High Court, which concluded in May that the man had been tortured, judging by the bruises and injuries on his body.

He would be at risk of persecution in Türkiye, it concluded.

The high court ruled that the applicant should be recognized as a refugee. After the government did not appeal the verdict, it became final.

The man became the first among about 2,000 Kurds from Türkiye who reside in Japan to gain refugee status, according to the newspaper. (AEK/VK)