Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's military invasion, NHK conducted a survey of local governments accepting evacuees from Ukraine, and 69 local governments responded that they were "providing sufficient support." 25% of the respondents answered that they did not receive enough support.
Experts point out that there may be differences in the content of support depending on the local government.
As of the 15th of this month, there are 2,185 people evacuated to Japan from Ukraine, but the Immigration and Immigration Services Agency has not announced the names of the municipalities accepting evacuees or the breakdown of the number of people.
NHK conducted a questionnaire from last month to this month for a total of 163 municipalities in 43 prefectures nationwide where the acceptance of evacuees was confirmed, and received responses from all of them.
Among these, when asked about the number of evacuees accepted, 151 municipalities responded, and the number was 1,622 in total, which is 74% of the total.
“Not enough support”…25%
When asked about support provided to evacuees with multiple answers,
71% answered "consultation"
▽55% answered "providing support money"
▽54% answered "support for daily life and supplies"
▽"Providing housing" 50%
▽ 41% for "education support"
▽ 29% for "employment support".
When asked how they feel about the support they are currently receiving
, 69% answered that they are providing sufficient support, and
25% answered that they are not providing sufficient support.
When the municipalities that answered that they were not able to provide sufficient support were asked to give reasons with multiple answers,
53% said "there are not enough people who can interpret",
38% said "they cannot provide work places"
, and "sufficient educational support is needed." 30% said they can't do it
, 25% said they didn't have enough staff to respond,
and 20% said they didn't have enough budget.
“I have the support I want from the government”…74%
On the other hand, when asked if they would like to receive support from the government regarding the acceptance of evacuees,
74% answered "Yes"
and 23% answered "No."
When asked about the contents of the municipalities that responded with multiple answers
, ``Financial support'' was 68%
, ``Securing an interpreter'' was 43%,
``Securing employment'' was 37%
, and ``Educational support'' was 27%. And so on.
Rikkyo University President Professor "Difference in Support Content, Insufficient State Involvement"
Regarding the results of the questionnaire, Professor Yukie of the Rikkyo University Graduate School, who is well versed in refugee issues, said, "Even though people had evacuated to the same country, there are differences in the content of support depending on the municipality. I think it means that they are not.”
On top of that, he said, ``I think that unintended misunderstandings will occur if the local governments that support them do not understand the language, so I understand that they are asking the national government not only for financial support but also for interpreting support. If that happens, the government and local governments will need a different acceptance policy than at the beginning."
The support framework for evacuees is
Regarding support for evacuees from Ukraine, the government will provide living expenses for those who do not have a sponsor such as relatives or acquaintances, but about 90% of the other evacuees are supported by local governments and sponsors. is the center of support.
According to the Immigration Services Agency, of the 2,185 people who have evacuated from Ukraine to Japan as of the 15th of this month, about 230 people, or about 10%, do not have a sponsor such as relatives, acquaintances, or support groups. That's it.
For those evacuees who do not have a sponsor and do not have a home, the government secures hotels for temporary accommodation, provides meals and holds Japanese language classes. We are paying 1000 yen.
In addition, we provide up to 2400 yen per day even after leaving the hotel, and as part of employment support, we provide subsidies to businesses that employ evacuees.
On the other hand, about 90% of the evacuees are accepted by local governments and sponsors.
The national government provides subsidies for the establishment of consultation desks, etc., to local governments that accept them, and also subsidizes the expenses related to Japanese language classes. The actual situation is that local governments and sponsors play a central role in providing practical support, such as securing destinations.
Some local governments point out that ``I can't deny the feeling of throwing it all to the countryside''
In the free comments in the questionnaire, some respondents said that they were able to provide support for evacuees by collaborating with private companies. I also saw a description.
▽ Of these, the local government in Chiba Prefecture wrote, "While administrative support is limited, we are able to continue support with support from private companies and organizations."
▽ A local government in Miyagi Prefecture answered, ``Since the number of evacuees that we accept is small, it was easy to build relationships with face-to-face support.''
On the other hand, some local governments are complaining about the size of the burden.
▽ A local government in Ibaraki Prefecture said, ``The living expenses of the majority of refugees are entrusted to the municipalities where they are staying, private organizations, and guarantors, and the lack of economic support from the government is half-finished as a policy. ” points out.
▽ A municipality in Aichi Prefecture points out, ``From the standpoint of municipalities, it is undeniable that the national and prefectural governments are throwing the whole thing into the region.''
▽ In addition, local governments in Miyagi Prefecture are requesting a review of the support framework, saying, ``There are variations in the content of support depending on the municipality, and it is necessary to organize consistency and consistency as a national policy.''
In the free description, he also wrote about his worries about how to deal with Ukrainian evacuees who have different languages and cultures.
▽ A municipality in Akita Prefecture wrote, "I feel powerless because I can't say the heartfelt words I want to convey to the other party."
▽ A municipality in Shizuoka Prefecture wrote about their worries, saying, "I feel the difficulty of correctly understanding the situation and feelings of evacuees and providing appropriate support."
Municipalities that cooperate with companies and provide support
Among the municipalities that accept evacuees from Ukraine, there are some that are providing various support in cooperation with local companies.
Of these, 24 evacuees have been accommodated in Hiroshima City, which has secured housing and arranged interpreters. going.
Dorahan Leisha (30), who evacuated alone from Ukraine in May last year, also moved into a municipal housing prepared by the city, and was provided free of charge by a private company such as an air conditioner and a microwave oven.
Also, with the help of the prefectural government, I work as a contract employee at a printing company in the city.
Ms. Leisha said, "I am satisfied with my current life. There is a lot of support, and it is a very compatible town, so I would like to continue living here."
Mumiko Nakatani, Hiroshima City's director in charge of promoting internationalization, said, "Hiroshima City was not able to provide support on its own, so we called out to everyone who could help us, including the prefecture, companies, organizations, and volunteers. I think it's important to bring together what we can do and provide quick support."
Regarding the issue of support, he said, "I think that many people look for a job based on their career so far when they try to find a job in Japan, but the reality is that it is difficult to find a job that they want because of the Japanese language barrier. Under such circumstances, I think that it is quite difficult to draw a picture of the future.The big issue is what to do to support the evacuees in the long term."
On top of that, ``It is still difficult for local governments to prepare all the necessary goods and money for support with their financial resources. I think it would be better to assemble a support framework."
Immigration and Immigration Services Agency "We will consider further if there are local governments that need further support"
Regarding the difference in support methods and content depending on the presence or absence of a sponsor for evacuees from Ukraine, the Immigration Services Agency said, "Originally, the support is provided by the sponsor, but since we decided to accept even those who have no relatives. , the government needs to take responsibility and provide support so that they can live in Japan."
Regarding the acceptance of evacuees, 74% of local governments responded that they wanted support from the national government. We are doing it, but if there is a place where we need further support, we would like to consider it in the future."