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On November 21, DPJ President Kaieda received a courtesy call from new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative to Japan Michael Lindenbauer. The meeting was also attended by DPJ International Department Vice Director-General Michihiro Ishibashi.
At the start of the meeting, Kaieda stated, "I would like to express my respect for your efforts in assisting refugees around the world. Thanks to [former UNHCR High Commissioner] Sadako Ogata, your organization is well-known here in Japan, and I understand that the number of Japanese applying to work there has increased. From the point of view of financing also, Japan is experiencing difficult fiscal conditions, but since your work is an important contribution to peace, the DPJ would like to call for funds to be allocated [to the UNHCR] and to continue to cooperate with you."
Lindenbauer responded, "There are more than 40 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide, and we face an increasingly difficult task which needs strong international support. We are grateful for Japan's strong support and also that of your party, not only for the international refugee situation but also for refugee issues here in Japan. I hope we will be able to continue to work together on these issues."
Lindenbauer went on to say that he had some suggestions to make with regard to Japan's asylum system, and Ishibashi commented that he believed that legislative measures for refugee protection were needed and was holding discussions with related organisations to this end.
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