TOKYO, - Japan accepted just 28 refugees last year while a record number applied for asylum, a government document dated for release on Friday showed, throwing a spotlight on the nation's reluctance to accept foreigners.In 2016, 10,901 people sought asylum in Japan, up 44 percent from a year earlier, when the country accepted 27 refugees.Immigration is a prickly subject in Japan, even as the country's population ages and its workforce shrinks.