Newsfrom Japan
Sep 25, 2025 19:25 (JST)
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.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]