This article examines the development of Japan's refugee policies since the early 1980s to the present. Although it is well-known that the Japanese government has kept refugees out for a long period of time, there is a need to examine why this is so. By focusing on discourses and practices at various levels in the domain of refugee policy, especially organizational interests and their significant influences, this article demonstrates the circumstances under which Japan's refugee policies have been challenged, but remained unchanged.
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