ABSTRACT
The political changes in Indo-China in the 1970s saw many people flee the region as refugees, and so-called boat people began arriving in Japan in May 1975. The Japanese government officially granted three Indo-Chinese refugees permanent residency in 1978, and offered permanent residence to another 500 in 1979, marking the start of the acceptance of refugees in Japan. There are today around 10,700 Indo-Chinese refugees residing in Japan (Asia Fukushi Kyoiku Zaidan Nanmin Jigyobu, 1996: 5-17).
