Japan has fueled protests from refugee support groups by sharply reducing the number of Afghans allowed into the country since the fall of 2000, according to government officials and aid workers.

Only 44 Afghans were allowed to enter Japan in the first half of this year, compared with 375 during the same period last year, Justice Ministry statistics show.

Since the summer of 2000, screening of Afghan entry applications has been carried out by the Foreign Ministry instead of overseas diplomatic establishments.