# Kurds in Japan

Kurds in Japan (Japanese: 在日クルド人, Zainichi Kurudo-jin, Kurdish: Kurdên Japonyayê, Sorani Kurdish: کوردانی ژاپۆن) refers to Kurds residing in Japan. Kurds do not have a majority nation state and live in Kurdistan, a region that includes Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq in the Middle East and South Caucasus.
Beginning in Spring 2023, there has been a significant increase in anti-Kurdish sentiment in Japan. This was reportedly in part fueled by Turkish people spreading anti-Kurdish messaging in the Japanese language using the social media platform X. Kurds have been receiving death threats and calls for their mass deportation.

## History

In the 1990s, they began to settle in the area around JR Warabi station. Many of them continued to live in the area illegally, without residence permits, with the local government unaware of their true status.
In the 1990s, Kurds of Turkish nationality began arriving in Japan, following Iranian Kurds who had been living in Japan since the 1980s, and settled in Kawaguchi City and Warabi City in Saitama Prefecture, where rents and other living costs were relatively cheap given their proximity to Tokyo. The area have become the largest Kurd settlement in Japan.
In 2010, during the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) administration, a unified work permit was introduced for applicants who had applied for refugee status six months earlier, which led to an increase in the number of refugee applicants applying for refugee status to work in Japan. On 12 January 2006, the Abe administration abolished the unified work requirement and reinstated the residence and work requirements for applicants who clearly did not qualify as refugees, and the number of refugee applicants dropped by half.
By 2024, the total number of Kurds in Japan is estimated to be 2,000 or more than 3,000, depending on media reports. As of April 2024, it is estimated that in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, there are about 700 "provisional releasees" who are illegal immigrants, and about 1,300 provisional releasees with a temporary residence status called "specified activities" (refugee visa during refugee status procedures). Previously, information on provisional releasees had not been reported to local governments, making it difficult to ascertain the actual number of such persons, but the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act has been revised and the actual number is now known. It is reported that following the implementation of the revised Act, the suspension of deportation during the application for refugee status will in principle be limited to twice, and the number of provisional releasees is expected to decrease.

## Background

Japan and Turkey have a visa waiver agreement for up to 90 days. Kurds can make a claim that they are persecuted in Turkey, but the Turkish government claims that there are no Kurdish refugees because Kurds 'have the right to vote and their human rights are guaranteed'.
As of 2024, only one refugee claim has been granted by the Japanese government, a case won in court in 2022 against the rejection of a refugee claim.
The issue of Kurdish residents illegally in Japan repeatedly applying for refugee status and continuing to stay in the country has come to the fore, and the revised Immigration Control Act came into force on 10 June 2024 to fundamentally address this problem. This allows refugee claimants to be deported after the third time, unless they can provide 'material with reasonable grounds' for a new refugee claim. As of March 2024, there were 1,661 multiple refugee claimants nationwide, of whom 402, or a quarter, were Turkish nationals; 80% of the 1661 were second time claimants. There were a total of 348 foreigners living in the country who were third to sixth time claimants who had refused deportation and could eventually be deported.

## Living
### Language

Many Kurds in Japan are said to use a mixture of Kurdish and Turkish. However, some parents do not teach their children Kurdish.

## Kurdistan Workers' Party

In 2015, a clash took place outside the Turkish embassy in Tokyo between Kurds and Turks in Japan during early voting for the Turkish general election. Japanese and Kurdish sources claimed the clash began when the Turks assaulted the Kurds after a Kurdish party flag was shown at the embassy.
In December 2008, the Turkish government froze the assets of two organisations in Japan, including the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association and the Kurdistan Red Moon, and six of their leaders, including Wakkas Çorak, the secretary-general of the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association, for their support of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The fundraising event held at the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association office, which featured a flag depicting the founder of the PKK and the PKK's flag, along with the transfer of approximately 40 million yen collected for the PKK, was identified by the Turkish government as a terrorist financing operation. The flag of a PKK-affiliated organisation is displayed in the office of the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association.
The Kurdish festival Nowruz, organised by the Japanese Kurdish Cultural Association, is also opposed by local residents to the use of the park for events because of the PKK-affiliated flags and the singing of the PKK anthem, which sings about the massacre of Turkish soldiers. In March 2024, a permit was granted after it had been denied, Neuroz was held in Saitama Prefecture, with as many as 1,300 people taking part in the event amidst a fierce uprising, under a high alert by a large number of riot police and Saitama Prefectural Police. Also in Neuroz, the PKK sign, Peace, is held up by many participants to create a lot of excitement.

## Legal status

Most Kurds in Japan are from shepherding villages in Southeast Turkey and reside in the Warabi and Kawaguchi areas of Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Warabi, especially, has been nicknamed "Warabistan" by those who are interested in Kurdish people, culture and issues.
Some Kurdish people arrived in Japan in order to request refugee status; citing human rights abuses in Turkey and Iraq. Nonetheless, so far none have been successful in their application due to failing to meet refugee status requirements. While many obtain visas through marriage with a Japanese citizen, most have obtained "Special Permission to Stay" (在留特別許可, Zairyū Tokubetsu Kyoka) visas, which must be renewed every three months while their refugee application or appeal is being reviewed. A documentary directed by Masaru Nomoto (野本 大) entitled Backdrop Kurdistan (バックドロップ・クルディスタン) documented the legal struggles of one Kurdish family (Kazankıran family: Japanese: カザンキラン, Kazankiran) from Kahramanmaraş Province.
In June 2023, the Kawaguchi City Council passed an opinion calling on the state, prefecture and other authorities to 'strengthen the crackdown on crimes committed by some foreigners' in the city, citing friction between 'some foreigners' and local residents in the city.

## Anti-Kurdish sentiment in Japan

Social media posts, that were in part spread by Turkish people using Google Translate, have caused an increase in hate against Kurdish people in Japan. Such posts reportedly began to escalate in Spring 2023. The Asahi Shimbun found that posts on social media platform X about Kurdish people in Japan went from 40,000 in March 2023 to 240,000 in April 2023, to 1.08 million by July. By March 2024, it reached 2.42 million. Journalist Ishii Takaaki [ja] has been accused of being a significant figure of spreading anti-Kurdish messaging, which Ishii denies. Ishii claimed in a statement that "Japanese hardly discriminate". One video was edited to link Kurds in Japan to violent separatism in Turkey. It received over 12 million views total. Numerous comments reportedly demanded that Kurds should be expelled from Japan or killed. The reputation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party ("PKK"), which is considered by Turkey to be a terrorist organization, has affected Kurds in Japan. The Japan Kurdish Cultural Organization has denied links to the PKK, but Japanese social media posts reportedly often generalize Kurds as being terrorists regardless.
Some of the Kurdish people in Saitama had friction with residents over noise complaints and adherence to garbage collection rules. A public brawl involving Kurdish people in a parking lot received significant news attention, and a significant outpouring of hate speech on the internet.
Death threats and demands for the expulsion of Kurds from Japan have escalated. One Kurdish restaurant owner received calls with such messages. Several Kurds interviewed reported to be fearing for their lives. Japanese local government employees reported being inundated with phone calls to expel the Kurds or foreigners in general. One employee reported that their entire day was taken up with dealing with such calls. One man was charged with sending death threats to a Kurdish organization; he reportedly vowed to "kill all the Kurds and feed them to the pigs".

## Notable Kurds in Japan

* Vakkas Çolak
** Owner of Mesopotamia, a Kurdish restaurant located in Tokyo.
** Serves as the President and Secretary of the Kurdish Friendship Association of Japan.
** Holds the position of Secretary General at the Japan Kurdish Culture Association.
** Also works as a lecturer of Kurdish language at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
** He is married to a non-Japanese woman with permanent resident status.
** On November 29, 2023, both he and the Japan Kurdish Culture Association had their assets in Turkey frozen by the Turkish government due to their association with the terrorist organization PKK/KCK
* Mehmet Çolak
* Ramazan Dursun
** Former provisional releasee, currently on a special permission to stay in Japan with his brother as of 2023.
** In 2023, he testified before the House of Councillors Legal Affairs Committee regarding the revision of the Immigration Control Act.
* Ozan Uçar
** Arrived in Japan at the age of 6 with his father Yusuf, a supporter of the Kurdish armed forces.

## Japanese/Japan resident supporters

* Hidenobu Matsuzawa (松澤 秀延)
** Former Executive Director of the "Knowing Kurds Society," which was established in Japan in 2003 to learn about and promote Kurdish culture and history.
** Previously served as a Japan Self Defense Force officer and worked as a landscape gardener.
* Tatsuo Nukui (温井 立央)
** Currently the President of the voluntary organization "Together with Kurds in Japan" (HEVAL). This organization operates independently from the Kurdish People’s Association and focuses on local activities.
* Akinobu Kinoshita (木下 顕伸)
** Holds the position of Representative Director at the Japan Kurdish Friendship Association.
* Mitsuhiro Kimura (木村 三浩)
** Serves as an Advisor for the Japan Kurdish Exchange Liaison Association.
** Also known as a representative of Issui-kai, a right-wing Pan-Asianism group.
* Gen Nakatani (中谷 元)
** Currently the Chairman of the Japan-Kurdish Parliamentary Friendship Association.
** A member of the House of Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party.
** Former Japan Self-Defense Forces officer.
** Additionally, he advises the Prime Minister on international human rights issues and chairs the Japan-Israel Parliamentary Friendship League.
* Masamune Wada (和田 政宗)
** Holds the position of Secretary General within the Japan-Kurdish Parliamentary Friendship Association.
** A member of the House of Councilors of the Liberal Democratic Party.
* Yoshitaka Shindo (新藤 義孝)
** Vice President of the Japan-Kurdish Parliamentary Friendship Association.
** Represents the House of Representatives from Saitama’s 2nd election district (Kawaguchi city).
** Currently serves as the minister in charge of economic revival as of 2024.
* Sangmun (Naofumi) Fukushima (福島 尚文)
** Co-chairman of the "Kurdish Refugee Association with Deniz-san."
** Also a board member of the Cultural Center Arirang.
** Former reporter for Kyodo News.
** Represents the "Stop Constitutional Revision and War March" movement organized by the Revolutionary Communist League, National Committee, which is designated as an "ultra-left vandalism group" by the Japanese police.
* Kaori Shu (周 香織)
** Secretary of the "Association to Support Kurdish Refugee M-san."
* Il-sung Nakamura (中村 一成)
** Former reporter for the Mainichi Shimbun and freelance journalist.
* Tsuyoshi Ohashi (大橋 毅)
** Secretary General of Kurdish Refugee Lawyers Association.
** Attorney at Law.
* Taiga Ishikawa (石川 大我)
** Member of the House of Councilors of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
* Mizuho Fukushima (福島 瑞穂)
** Representative of the Social Democratic Party.