Nigeria: Information on whether Japanese officials and/or airline officials at Narita airport permit boarding if a "world passport" is the travel document
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA21927.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: Information on whether Japanese officials and/or airline officials at Narita airport permit boarding if a "world passport" is the travel document, 1 November 1995, NGA21927.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab8978.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
For general information on the World Service Authority (WSA), issuer of the "world passport" and other documents, please consult Response to Information Request NGA21926.E of 1 November 1995, which is available at Regional Documentation Centres.
In a telephone interview on 19 October 1995, an official at the Embassy of Japan stated that the "world passport", issued by the World Service Authority, is not recognized by Japanese officials as a valid passport or as a travel document.
According to a legal counsel at the World Service Authority, based in Washington, DC, Japan has not officially recognized the world passport, but the passport has been recognized on a "de facto basis" through the stamping of a visa or entry or exit stamp in such passports (Telephone interview 31 Oct. 1995). The legal counsel explained that the WSA establishes which countries have offered de facto recognition on the basis of reports and photocopies of stamps obtained by world passport holders during their travels (ibid.). The counsel stated that the WSA had on file photocopies of pages from various world passports with Japanese stamps, including a Japanese resident permit extension and a re-entry permit. A facsimile of these stamps is attached to this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Embassy of Japan, Ottawa. 19 October 1995. Telephone interview with official.
World Service Authority, Washington, DC. 31 October 1995. Telephone interview with general counsel.
Attachment
World Service Authority, Washington, DC. World passport with Japanese stamps. Photocopy faxed to the DIRB 1 November 1995.
