Refugee families in the neighborhood: capturing their life and efforts to fit into Japanese society

When you hear the word ‘refugee’, what image comes to mind, given the negative portrayals often seen in the media? Japanese filmmaker Jun Kawada has made a documentary film depicting the daily lives of refugee children and their mothers, which are rarely shown in the media. We spoke to Mr Kawada about his interactions with Kurdish families living in Japan, and about the film. June 20 is World Refugee Day and around 40 per cent of refugees are children.

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Japanese school bags used by the Kurdish children. A scene from a film made by a Japanese filmmaker Jun Kawada. Credit: Jun Kawada

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