For refugees in Japan, integrating into society has never been easy, but with a bit of coaching in the language and some dedicated support, they may find it easier to get started on their path to a new life.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20060809f1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='162'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B> A Japanese-Language teacher discusses newspaper articles with students at RHQ Support Center in Tokyo. </B> YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>This coaching, at the hands of a Japanese teacher, is provided by RHQ Support Center, which opened in May and is run by the government-affiliated Refugee Assistance Headquarters. Its enthusiastic students all share one thing: They have been officially recognized by the government as refugees or they are family members of refugees.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The program offers 572 hours of Japanese-language courses and provides social adaptation and employment guidance.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>' –

has been commissioned by the government to provide followup (to refugees who have been recognized)," said Shin Ohara of RHQ. "I think all foreigners living in Japan face hurdles, but for refugees it is especially hard to be adopted into Japanese society for various reasons, including the language barrier."

The center opened with 16 refugees, 15 of whom are Myanmarese. The nationality of the remaining student was withheld to prevent identification.

Throughout most of the 1990s, the government only granted refugee recognition to one or two people a year, but in recent years they have been increasing, reaching 46 in 2005.

The center offers a six-month daytime course and a yearlong evening program for those who work during the day.