Leaving the facility in Chiba and moving to Tokyo was the start of a new phase for the family. When released from the detention center, Ozzy’s mother received the Karihoumen status (Provisional Release). By law, this meant that Ozzy and Chloe fell into the same status. Being on Provisional release comes with many rules, including a lack of work permit, health insurance and no permission to close any contracts in the country and having to renew the status every 3 months in the Tokyo Immigration Bureau. Although now being able to live outside of a building, they continued to be limited by the restrictions of Karihoumen: “I had a mix emotions of happiness, relief but also worried about the overall situation.” Despite these restrictions, Ozzy’s mother wanted her children to live a normal life, without having to worry about the family’s legal or financial state, and if Japan is able to provide them with the basics for that, then that is where they will stay.

Organizational Support for Refugee Children

Ozzy recognizes the help of ISSJ in relation to her education: “they help once in a while like if I need to go to juku they will find me a juku. And they will explain to the people to either let me go for free or they will pay. Or when I needed to buy my school uniform which was really, really overpriced they paid for it.”

According to Miki Inui, a researcher at Osaka University, in the past, it was recorded that around 40 Indonesian children were recognized in Japan (p. 84). Besides this data, not many children refugees have been identified through record since then and Ozzy personally does not know many children refugees in Japan. However, there are organizations that support refugee children and Ozzy is no exception. Regarding education, a fundamental right for a child, a financial assistance system is available regardless of the status of residence (consultation with schools/boards of education is necessary though). One organization, International Social Service Japan (ISSJ), an NPO established in 1952, responds to the social consequences of international exchange, aiming to support families in particular through consolation, who face difficulties due to the inflexibility of Japanese immigration, welfare, education and integration. ISSJ has supported Ozzy and her family with consultation and financial support with her education, specifically necessary materials such as textbooks and uniforms.

Another organization is Support 21 aims to support foreigners including refugees. Support 21 also has been providing aid to Indochinese refugees since 1979. Some of their activities are consultation, life support for students pursuing education, Japanese classes, and financial support. Minna no Ouchi (“everyone’s home”) is an NGO that assists children in catching up with their daily schoolwork and Japanese language skills. Refugee Assistance Headquarters also known as RHQ was entrusted by the government in 1979 to work on the settlement of Indo-Chinese refugees coming into the country in mass at the time. Currently, it is still one of the most recognized organizations that support refugees in Japan. Similar to many other asylum seekers in Japan, the Liberian family also relies on RHQ for financial aid. As of 2020, it selectively supports asylum seekers with living expenses while they are waiting for the result of their refugee status application. For example, if eligible for financial assistance, child refugees may receive an allowance of about 800 yen per day (about $8). Ozzy’s family has been waiting for more than 3 years for their application to be reviewed, thus surviving off solely the quantity of money received from RHQ during this time. Ozzy claims it is not enough to live a comfortable lifestyle, especially considering that the organization had decreased the amount of money given compared to when they first arrived in Japan. According to her calculations, deducting rent, the family has around 20-30 thousand Japanese yen per month to live off of, including electricity and water bills, leaving around 10 thousand yen for food and other materials. “My mom has to cut that in half for my school fees,” including associated costs such as uniforms, transportation, school trips, and extracurricular activities. Ozzy notes, comprehending the weight she puts on the family’s financial situation being a high school student which also makes Ozzy consider her financial limitations on a daily basis. Yet, Karihoumen has left her with little choice but to try to pursue higher education to eventually financially support her family. 

Ozzy has also tried approaches outside of organizations to lessen this weight. In 2020 she applied for a governmental scholarship but was denied on the grounds that she is an “alien” in Japan. Implied simply by the term “alien,” families of Karihoumen in Japan are isolated and unwelcome, treated as people who do not fit anywhere in Japanese society. Some leave Japan for this reason, but as refugees, this is not a choice for Ozzy and her family. 

Being a Teenager on Karihoumen

The financial burden of Karihoumen has also prevented Ozzy from living a stable teen life. For instance, Ozzy claims that the restrictions overflow from school fees and house bills by intruding on her experience with friends. In addition to having to save up for a long time in order to visit different places with her school friends, these places have to be inside her prefecture. If not, she has to go to immigration and ask for permission to leave one week ahead, stating the date and time exactly. After leaving the prefecture and coming back she must also return a sort of receipt back to immigration as a form of proof that she is telling the truth. Ozzy is not explicitly but implicitly followed around like a criminal by immigration who demands knowing if she is inside or outside of Tokyo, when, and with who. If she loses this receipt, she is questioned and scolded: if I lose it, they will make you find it to give it back.” Despite not breaking any rules during her whole experience in Japan, nothing can prove her legitimacy to the Japanese government. Most of her friends are also foreigners but recognized by the government thus having a completely different experience in Japan. For instance, her friends work to help their families pay the bills and to save up for their own leisure time, and can travel freely: “it just sucks that I can’t do as much things as I want with my friends without feeling limited.” In the next clip, Ozzy gives the example of wanting to go to Disneyland with these friends and explains the obstacles she has to go through being on Karihoumen. 

Ozzy expresses resentment towards the limiting factors of Karihoumen. With age comes more responsibilities that Ozzy has the energy, will, and desire to take in order to support both herself and her family. However, authorities keep her in a dependent position. Seeing her friends able to assume new duties reminds her of how much Karihoumen holds her back from not only a stable life but one that she can enjoy freely.

Common Struggles of Children Refugees

Similar to the different rights children have compared to adults, refugee children also struggle in unique and different ways, specifically their legal status, stability, and education. 

As for the legal struggles of refugee children, their residence status in Japan is equivalent to their parents’ status (usually their mother). Even if the child was born and grew up in Japan, the child legally will be recognized as having the same legal status as their parent. For Ozzy, her mother’s legal status in Japan is a Karihoumen (provisional release) holder so Ozzy has attended middle school and high school in Japan while on the Karihoumen. Additionally, many asylum seekers’ children are left stateless since their parents tend to refrain from birth registration at the embassy in Japan- this does not relate to Ozzy and her sister though.

Refugee children tend to be stripped from the possibility of a stable childhood as well. In Ozzy’s case, through her mother’s experience and story, her mother was very protective of Ozzy when growing up. For example, Ozzy was homeschooled and did not go places alone in Liberia. This instability has affected her identity here in Japan. For example, Ozzy being on the Karihoumen status is constantly having to renew it every 3 months. She is also required to depend on different organizations for support because she does not hold a work permit on Karihoumen. Additionally, financially it is difficult for Ozzy to experience fun activities such as going to Tokyo Disney or any amusement park compared to her peers. Ozzy explains how she feels about not being able to have a work permit to save money for leisure:“it just sucks that I can’t do as much things as I want with my friends without feeling limited.” 

In Japan, public education until high school is free yet there are other expenses that families must meet: textbooks, uniforms, school trips, lunches, etc. Yet public education is the only option in pursuing education as it is the cheapest route. Financially asylum seekers in Japan are unable to afford bilingual or English-based schools because Karihoumen does not allow them to work and Ozzy is no exception. As a result, according to UNHCR, refugee children often struggle with transitioning into the Japanese education system because of academic and social differences. Ozzy struggled with that transition mostly in her first two years because of the language barrier so she and her classmates could not communicate well. Ozzy explains, “They would only communicate with me like if they needed to or if we’re working with a group… Because there’s the language barrier, I always understood that from the start like there was going to be that language barrier that will stop us from talking.” 

As a result, Ozzy experienced depression which was triggered towards the end of her first year in Japan when her best friend graduated, leaving Ozzy.

Additionally, higher education in Japan is essential for better employment possibilities but difficult for refugees to pursue financially unless supported by the government or NGOs. With no work permit because of the Karihoumen status, refugees and their families like Ozzy’s are bound to be dependent on the government and organizations to survive- food, shelter, and clothes for example are all basic living needs yet without money impossible to possess- so support is needed. Therefore higher education is financially not even an option due to the family having difficulties with even basic living needs. Additionally pursuing higher education — in the case of Ozzy a bachelor’s degree — in Japan requires the individual to have a Zairyu card (residence card) which a Karihoumen holder does not possess. Ozzy would need to have a residence card and financial stability for her to pursue a higher education which she desires to pursue. Ozzy explains her concerns: “I don’t even know if I can go to University.” This situation of not being able to pursue higher education leaves refugees and their children to only earn their living on a daily basis, aiding in the “cycle of poverty from one generation to another.” Ozzy has the same restrictions as her mother on Karihoumen, both Ozzy and her mother are not able to work, putting them at risk of financial instability, resulting in them requiring to be dependent when they are capable and willing to contribute to society and the economy.