Topics & Events

This program news features a first round participant of the "Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees (JISR)" who arrived in Japan in September 2017 with his family and completed a master's degree course this spring and gained employment at a Japanese company.

Mr. A's family consists of his wife and two sons, one of whom is at primary school and the other is at nursery. When they arrived in Japan three years ago, both children were pre-school ages. Did he feel anxiety about travelling with his family from a place of refuge in the Middle East to a foreign country? Before he got information about JISR from UNHCR, he had an affinity with Japan through Japanese animation, culture and technology. Prior to applying JISR, he learned more about Japanese culture, customs and also how Japanese people viewed Syria and other Arab countries from a Syrian who had visited Japan under a JICA project, and came to the conclusion that his participation in the JISR would be the best course of action not only for himself but also for his family. Although his wife was initially reluctant, she gradually began to accept his decision as they discuss.

On arrival in Japan, Mr. A and his family underwent post-arrival orientation for approximately one month along with other participants and their families to develop an essential understanding of life in Japan and to learn basic Japanese. After that, he found an apartment and established a base for their lives.

It has been for many years since he left school, so he struggled to become a student again as well as to start a new life with his family in a foreign country with a different culture and language. Nevertheless, Mr. A worked hard and successfully obtained his master's degree (Engineering) with the support of his university professors, administrative staff and classmates.

In addition to his studies, Mr. A actively participated in various extra-curricular activities such as experiencing karate and kendo, and entertaining visitors with Syrian dishes at a cultural festival at his university with his family and other Syrian students. In addition to such school activities, he was positively engaged in social interaction with Japanese people, experiencing a home stay with his family and inviting Japanese people to his apartment. Seeing how his family's daily life was a good opportunity for his guests to learn more about the life of a Middle Eastern family other than the conventional knowledge of shisha (water pipes), camels, etc.

Needless to say, Mr. A made hard efforts on his studies but it was also necessary for him to think about his career after graduating. Having a good command of Japanese is a great advantage to gain employment. With his future firmly in mind, Mr. A enthusiastically studied Japanese right after his arrival in Japan, and improved his Japanese competency to the point of being able to speak, read and write almost entirely in Japanese after two and a half years. He was recruited by an architectural design company which appreciated his fluency in Japanese and his friendly personality. Since joining the company in April 2020, he has worked very hard to build up his working knowledge despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, and is now involved in design work as a member of an in-house project team. He said that he would like to be involved in various projects to do his best by utilizing his experience and knowledge obtained through his study in the master course at the university.

Mrs. A has different story as she confesses that she has sometimes felt life in Japan difficult. As a Muslim woman, she wears the Hijab which covers her head and body when she goes out. Her appearance may create an uncomfortable feeling for those who are not accustomed to seeing someone wearing the Hijab. When she took her sons to the playground of a shopping mall, other children invited them to play together. However, it is not always easy for Mrs. A to communicate with the parents of these children. She understood that she had to adapt to life in Japan even if it was difficult. She actually worked part-time in a factory making lunch boxes while her sons were at school. She says that it was not easy to do such manual factory work since she had been a teacher at home country, Syria. The unfamiliar language and customs made things more difficult, but her cheerful personality has helped her to cope. Her experience of working and interaction with other parents at primary school and nursery helped her to become accustomed to life in Japan.

When they moved their home due to Mr. A's employment in the spring, a state of emergency due to COVID-19 was declared and her two sons could not go to school or nursery. Mrs. A assisted their studies at home and learning how to ride a bicycle. She found it hard to play two roles of mother and father all day to two active youngsters. At the time of this interview, both primary school and nursery have reopened. As daily life somewhat stabilizes, Mrs. A says she is looking for a part-time job.

When the family arrived in Japan three years ago, it must have been very difficult for such young children to deal with the considerable change of their living environment. It appears that they are now totally accustomed to life in Japan and love sushi and other Japanese food. They do not have any language problems to the point that the eldest son has received praise for a good grade of the Japanese language class at his primary school. He has learned judo and achieved a high rank in a local competition before, and now he is interested in football dreaming of becoming a footballer in the future. The younger son who also did judo before, he follows his elder brother's interest in football. As they talk in Japanese more often, parents set a new family rule that they should talk in Arabic at home.

This interview took place in Japanese with all members of the family. The children used teen slang just like other Japanese children while Mr. A spoke almost natural Japanese with polite expressions. At the end of the interview, Mr. A told that he really loves Japan. He has never complained but always expresses a sense of gratitude although he might have not a few uncomfortable or sad experiences while he made extra efforts without others realizing..

Our sincere wish is that he will flourish in Japanese society, fully utilizing all he has learned through the JISR, and that each family member will become a bridge between Japan and Syria further down the road.

Note: The interview with Mr. A and his family took place in May and June,2020.