Japan offers to take in Ukrainian refugees amid Russian invasion

Japan's prime minister says his country will accept refugees from Ukraine, as Russia invades its eastern European neighbour.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Wednesday that the offer includes Ukrainians who have fled to Poland.

We plan to start first with those with family and friends in Japan, but we will not stop there and will respond from a humanitarian viewpoint, Kishida told reporters.

The Japanese offer is unusual, though Japan has accepted refugees before, from various nations, albeit in very small numbers.

Japan has often been criticised for providing a relatively narrow door for migrants wanting to get in. Those immigration policies have become even tighter due to the coronavirus pandemic.