Uniqlo opens its doors to job-seeking asylum-seekers at home and abroad

Fast Retailing Co., the parent company of major retailer Uniqlo, has put out the welcome mat for Japan's small number of recognized refugees, offering job opportunities for some who might dream of careers in fashion or sales. Even so, for most refugees, language barriers and other issues remain hurdles as they try to establish their lives in Japan, often far from home. Refugees sometimes get jobs in factories, including auto manufacturers, and in the construction and nursing industries, but most are employed in washing and cleaning jobs, according to data from the Tokyo-based Refugee Assistance Headquarters (RHQ), which helps legally recognized refugees find jobs. "They work at places where work can be done without speaking Japanese," said Hiroaki Ito, an official at RHQ. As of March 2016, RHQ, which also provides Japanese language and basic lifestyle education to refugees in the initial months after they arrive in Japan, had helped 396 refugees get work in Japan. Until 2016, Fast Retailing was the only high-profile company in the country employing refugees in Japan and abroad.