Introduction

Abstract

This chapter starts by discussing the timeliness and significance of the topic of refugee policies and experiences in Japan and Taiwan. It defines two main and interrelated objectives of this volume which are: (1) to further scientific knowledge on the relatively understudied subjects of the acceptance, protection, and integration of refugees and asylum seekers in Japan and Taiwan, and (2) to raise public awareness of their plight in the hope that this promotes positive policy changes. The book attempts to achieve these objectives by examining three aspects of refugee-related issues which correspond to the three main parts of the book: (1) legal and policy frameworks, (2) media representation and public opinion, and (3) lived experiences of refugees and asylum seekers. This chapter proceeds by examining the role of human security as an overarching conceptual framework to help to fulfil both objectives. The subsequent two sections examine the existing refugee regimes in Taiwan and Japan, respectively. This introduction closes by highlighting the contribution of each chapter to the main ideas of the volume.