Japan minister brings Ukrainians from Poland on government plane

TwentyUkrainiansarrived in Tokyo TuesdayonagovernmentplanewithForeign MinisterYoshimasa Hayashi after his trip toPoland, asJapancautiously welcomes those fleeing Moscow's invasion.

Japantypically accepts just a few dozen refugees a yearfromthousands of applicants, and while it has cracked open its doors toUkrainians, it calls them "evacuees" rather than refugees.

The 20Ukrainiansflew with HayashifromPoland, where he wasona multi-day trip to offer support for Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion.

"We learned there were several people who sincerely wished to evacuate toJapan, but had difficulty in securing travel meansontheir own," topgovernmentspokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said in a press conferenceonTuesday.

"Froma humanitarian point of view, 20 of these people were invited to flyonagovernmentplane."

Japanhas so far received 404 otherUkrainians, said Matsuno, after PrimeMinisterFumio Kishida last month announced a plan to accept those fleeing the war.

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But they are not designated as refugees, which would entitle them to stay in the country at least five years before applying for more permanent leave to remain.

Instead, the "evacuees" receive a 90-day visa that can be converted to a one-year status with permission to work.

Japanhas joined tough Western sanctionsonMoscow over its invasion, andonTuesday announced an additional $100 million in humanitarian aid for Kyiv, following another $100 million donation to Ukraine and neighbouring nations announced last month.

In 2020,Japanaccepted just 47 refugees and 44 peopleonhumanitarian grounds out of nearly 4,000 applicants, and rights groups have long accused Tokyo of doing too little to help those fleeing conflict.