Three Months After the Fall of the Assad Regime, Syrians Living in Japan Still Have Struggles and Wishes

It has been about three months since the Assad regime in Syria collapsed in December ’24. Refugees who have fled to Europe, North America, and other countries around the world are returning home, but the civil war that lasted more than 13 years has devastated the infrastructure, and economic activity is stagnant. Many have already established a foundation for their lives in other countries, and many are reluctant to return home.

The civil war, which has been called “the worst humanitarian crisis of the century,” has displaced more than 13 million refugees and internally displaced persons. In Japan, three Syrians were granted refugee status in ’19, four in ’20, and one in ’23, in addition to those who received permission to stay due to humanitarian considerations and several Syrian students who received permission to stay through university refugee admission programs. There are also several Syrian students who have received permission to stay in Japan through university refugee admission programs.

We interviewed three Syrian students to find out how Syrians living in Japan view the collapse of the regime in their home country.

The freedom I have long wished for has been realized…

Abdulrahman, 26, a native of Homs in central Syria, entered a university in Tochigi Prefecture in 2010 through the “Syrian Refugee Student Admission Program” of the Japan Association for Refugees (JAR), which has now been transferred to “Pathways Japan. He majored in Systems Informatics at the Faculty of Engineering and is currently seeking employment.

Abdulrahman, who says he has loved Japanese animation since childhood, was displaced within Syria from ’11 to ’12 after the outbreak of the civil war. His home in his hometown of Homs was destroyed by government forces, and his brother was detained and tortured by government soldiers for several weeks.

Fearing for their safety, the family fled to Saudi Arabia in 2012, and Abdulrahman and his brother moved to Turkey, where they both attended university.

While in school, I learned about a scholarship program for Syrian students living in Turkey,” Abdulrahman said. I decided to come to Japan to study, hoping to learn technology in Japan and use it to help rebuild my home country someday.”

Mr. Abdullahaman speaks fluent Japanese. His home in Syria was destroyed by shelling during the civil war, and all of his friends, with whom he had been close since childhood, fled to other countries.

In Syria, I have lived under the Assad regime since I was born. Wherever I go, I see Assad’s picture on the wall, and at school they sing songs praising the government. Sometimes, as part of school events, we were forced to participate in demonstrations in support of the regime. The news of the regime’s fall is definitely the happiest event in my life, but I honestly can’t imagine what a democratic Syria would be like.”

Most people, including Abdullahaman, have never seen a “free Syria. Although they have long hoped for freedom, when it comes to fruition, they feel as if their home country is a completely different country that they do not know.

While his desire to see his homeland at first sight is growing, Mr. Abdullahaman has been unable to return home because he has no place to live and no place to work. It is said that it will take at least 20 years to rebuild Syria, including destroyed buildings and infrastructure.