Two Thirds of Ukrainian Evacuees in Japan Want to Become Long-Term Residents: The Nippon Foundation Poll
To look into how Ukrainian evacuees feel about living in Japan and what they need now, The Nippon Foundation conducted a survey between November 28 and December 12, 2022, about 10 months after Russia began its offensive on February 24.
The online poll, covering 750 evacuees aged 18 and older, found that roughly two in five (40.8%) want to stay in Japan until the situation in Ukraine stabilizes and one in four (24.7%) wish to stay here for as long as possible. They brought the total of those who wish to become long-term residents in Japan to 65.5%.
On the other hand, another one in four (23.5%) want to decide depending on the situation in Japan, including how much support they receive or whether they can ask their family members to join them in this country. Only 2.3% want to return to Ukraine as soon as possible and a scant 0.9% wish to go to another country.
As of December 9, when the survey was being conducted, Japan was home to 2,179 Ukrainian evacuees, according to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan. The respondents of the survey were among 1,608 who were receiving humanitarian assistance from the foundation as of December 7.
Of the total, 39.1% were employed and the remaining 60.9% were not. Of the unemployed, 44.8% were seeking jobs and receiving Japanese language and vocational training, while 13.6% were looking for jobs but not undergoing such training. The remaining 41.6% were not seeking jobs.
Regarding Japanese language training, 51.7% said that they were getting support to learn the language, while those who replied “they can speak a little Japanese and understand simple Japanese” increased to 35.7% from 19% in the previous survey carried out between June 13 and July 27.
Asked to indicate in what areas they want to receive support, “leisure and tourism” seeking peace of mind (55.9%) topped the list, followed by “job placement and training” (39.2%), “matching of local support groups with Ukrainian evacuees” (36.7%), and “making Japanese friends” (36.0%).
Speaking at a press conference to announce the results of the survey on December 15, Mr. Jumpei Sasakawa, executive director of the foundation, noted: “The situation for evacuees is changing by the day, and we will conduct regular surveys to determine what support is needed.”
The Nippon Foundation has decided to provide up to 2,000 Ukrainian evacuees with humanitarian assistance worth 7.05 billion yen (about $ 53.2 million), including travel and living expenses for three years, and disburse 1.53 billion yen (about $ 11.5 million) to NGOs and other nonprofit organizations working to support their daily lives.
I told the press conference: “We not only provide funds to Ukrainian evacuees, but also are keen to know whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the way they live in Japan as well as whether they want to live here long-term or permanently. For that, it’s crucial to follow up on evacuees’ day-to-day lives regularly.”
I believe that by keeping in constant contact with these evacuees, we will be able to gain valuable experience for dealing with evacuees, refugees, and immigrants from other countries in addition to Ukraine in the future.
