This spring, the Japan ICU Foundation decided to compile our work on refugee higher education under an initiative titled “Refugee Education Japan (REJ),” and launched a new website. 

Since JICUF launched the Syrian Scholars Initiative in 2017 to welcome Syrian students with refugee backgrounds to ICU, we have gradually expanded our support for displaced students. Together with ICU, we recruited seven Syrian students from 2018 to 2022, three of whom have already graduated. In 2022, we helped ICU recruit five Ukrainian students, and continue to provide financial support for their studies. This program, Japan-Ukraine University Pathways, caught the attention of other universities in Japan, and we subsequently collaborated with the NPO Pathways Japan to recruit almost 60 additional Ukrainian students for 15 other universities in the last two years. In 2022, we also began supporting the Japanese language school program administered by Pathways Japan as an important gateway for refugees to acquire a strong foundation in the Japanese language before advancing to higher education or employment. 

As you will see on the website, in addition to our work directly providing educational opportunities for refugee students, we are members of both international and domestic networks that promote “education pathways,” which are safe and regulated avenues for refugees to be admitted to a third country and receive education and protection. We contribute actively to the works of the Global Task Force on Third Country Education Pathways and the Japan Education Pathways Network. 

As a sign of our commitment to this field of work, JICUF submitted a pledge to the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023 with Pathways Japan. Together, we will continue to recruit additional refugee students to both universities and language schools in Japan, offer support after their arrival, and convene meetings in the Asia Pacific region to share best practices and encourage other institutions to admit more refugee students. 

We plan to post regular updates on the new website as well as social media accounts. We thank many of you for showing interest in and supporting our efforts in this field, and hope that you will continue to be engaged.