TNAG-1421-FCO40-1904-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 129

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(IV)

(V)

(VI)

(VII)

HE SAID THAT DESPITE PROPOSALS FOR LOCAL INTEGRATION AND REPATRIATION, JAPAN EXPECTS TO CONTINUE TO BE PRESSED BY ASEAN AND THAILAND IN PARTICULAR. HE EXPLAINED THAT

FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT JAPAN WOULD INCREASE ITS INTAKE TO 10,000, HIS DIVISION WAS CARRYING OUT A CAREFUL STUDY OF THE CASELOADS IN THE VARIOUS PLACES IN THE

REGION. ON THE BASIS OF THIS EVALUATION, JAPAN WOULD

DECIDE ON QUOTAS. HARIMURA SAID THAT HE WOULD CONSIDER

HONG KONG'S POSITION SYMPATHETICALLY WHEN HE RETURNED TO

TOKYO.

HE ASKED WHY HMG AND HKG WERE LAUNCHING THIS INITIATIVE

NOW.

HE SAID THAT JAPAN HAD BEEN UNAWARE OF HONG KONG'S

PROBLEMS AND WHAT HAD BROUGHT THEM SUDDENLY TO

PROMINENCE. I EXPLAINED THE BACKGROUND TO SCORRI AND THE

WHITE PAPER BUT SAID THAT HONG KONG HAS HAD A REFUGEE

PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS. HE ALSO ASKED ABOUT THE REACTION

FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, WHICH I SAID HAD BEEN POSITIVE AND IN TWO INSTANCES (UNNAMED) SPECIFIC. HE WAS CONCERNED THAT HONG KONG'S REFUGEES MIGHT NOT WANT TO RESETTLE IN

JAPAN. I REMINDED HIM THAT THE PREVIOUS JAPANESE

MISSIONS TO JAPAN HAD BEEN OVERSUBSCRIBED.

I ASKED ABOUT THE PERIOD OVER WHICH THE 10,000 WOULD BE TAKEN. HE SAID THAT IT WAS NOT SPECIFIED, BUT HE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE TAKEN UP WITHIN TWO YEARS. HE SAID THAT

THAILAND WOULD BE JAPAN'S TOP PRIORITY BUT HONG KONG

WOULD BE NUMBER TWO (WE TRY HARDER).

I ASKED ABOUT THE 25 REFUGEES ACCEPTED BY THE JAPANESE MISSION IN MARCH, BUT WHO STILL WERE IN HONG KONG. HARIMURA SAID THAT THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE WAS SITTING ON

THESE CASES AND HE WOULD TRY TO PUSH THEM ON HIS RETURN

TO TOKYO.

HE SAID THAT ANOTHER MISSION WOULD VISIT HONG KONG EARLY

NEXT YEAR AND IT WOULD LOOK AT LONG STAYERS AND FAMILY

REUNION CASES. I SAID THAT WE HAD 23 REFUGEES WITH CLOSE

FAMILY RELATIVES IN JAPAN. HE AGREED TO CONSIDER THESE

CASES.

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