Japan approves 133 Afghan refugees since Taliban's return to power

Japan has granted refugee status to 133 people who have fled Afghanistan in the year since the Taliban returned to power last August, Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi said Friday.The number includes 98 people granted the status this month who worked at the Japanese Embassy in Kabul and their families, he said in a press conference. The 133 approvals by the Japanese government, which has a stringent refugee screening policy, far exceed the all-time high of 74 people granted asylum in 2021.Around 800 people have fled Afghanistan for Japan as former Afghan government officials and those seen …READ FULL ARTICLE