Japan to Finally Relax Some Border Restrictions

Japan to Finally Relax Some Border Restrictions

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The lifting of border restrictions could result in more reunions.
After a year and a half of almost no movement, Japan's strict border control is finally being relaxed for business, trainee, and student hopefuls.

At long last, some movement. The Japanese government has just announced some relaxation as regards their seemingly neverending pandemic border restrictions. Short-term entry for business purposes will be made easier; mandatory quarantines will now only last three days, down from fourteen days earlier last month. Perhaps most reassuring to those long locked out of Japan will be the news that student visas will soon begin to be processed.

This development comes amidst a push by the G7 to revitalize international travel. Japan, however, has been conspicuous among the G7 nations for still having tourism completely shut down, and for requiring long quarantines even for the vaccinated. As of yet, international tourist hopefuls will have to continue to wait for further news of the lifting of tourism border restrictions.

A Long Wait

It’s been a long pandemic for those with reasons to enter Japan. Since April of 2020, amidst the clear-and-present danger of COVID-19, the borders to the country have essentially been closed. Innumerable foreign workers, students, partners, and family members were stranded outside of the country. For the first half a year of the pandemic, even permanent residents were unable to return. Those with family, houses, taxes to pay – if they were outside of the country at the wrong time, they were forced to spend months in limbo. Rents were paid on apartments that couldn’t be lived in; couples were unaware of when they’d be reunited.

It took months for the Japanese government to act on the border issue vis-à-vis non-citizen residents of Japan. Finally, in August 2020, stranded Japanese visa holders were allowed to reapply for entry. For the next 15 months, however, no further moves were made to assist the masses waiting for their initial entry into Japan. The borders remained closed to anyone not already holding residential rights. At this point, students promised a place in universities or language schools were at a loss. Many were (and still are) in a state of limbo. People promised jobs have spent two years waiting; many have moved on, abandoning major life plans. The issuance of spousal visas has slowed down; unlike in some European countries, unmarried couples have had zero recourse. Some partners have been forced to marry via mailed documents, celebrating their weddings over Zoom continents away from each other.

Airplanes at Narita Airport, the customs turnstiles of which represent the border by which most travelers enter Japan.
Airplanes of various national flag carriers lined up at Narita Airport. Narita represents the first point of entry to Japan for most travelers. (Photo by Marek Slusarczyk. CC BY 3.0.)

Borders Open for Business?

Things, it seems, are finally changing. There was discussion of whether the untenable border status quo was a result of upcoming elections; the in-power Liberal Democratic Party and new prime minister Kishida Fumio likely wanted to avoid any potential controversy prior to the populace hitting the voting booths. Business groups had taken to newspapers to urge the government to allow foreign-originating business to re-start, but this wasn’t quite enough to overcome the political risk.

However, all that has now changed. Despite the loss of some seats in the lower house, the LDP has mostly emerged victorious in the new elections held on October 31st, 2021. The announcement that visas will finally begin to be processed came almost concurrently with this victory.

Prime Minister Kishida’s new mandate seems to have done the trick. The new 3-day quarantine policy (only available to vaccinated travelers) is expected to go into effect early this month. The policy change is said to be for the purpose of stimulating the economy, with COVID cases under relative control (down to 86 recorded cases on Nov. 1st). The same 3-day quarantine will apply to returning Japanese citizens as well.

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Those hoping to enter Japan on tourist visas will have to wait. Japan’s tourism industry hit an all-time high in 2019, welcoming a massive 31.9 million visitors to the country; the COVID-induced industry crash that followed has been devastating. Nonetheless, restarting tourism remains last on the list for the government.

(Arriving on a tourist visa, of course, does not always mean one is entering for sightseeing alone; such visas, formerly available on arrival for nationals of many countries, also allowed for couples and families to reunite. A lack of tourism visas will continue to impact such people.)

International tourism was at an all-time high previous to the pandemic.

Longed for Education and Training

One of the most devastating aspects of the long border freeze has been the lives put on hold. Students from around the world – Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Australia, Europe, the Americas, Africa – have had their educations deferred. Japan’s controversial trainee visa program, by which workers from foreign lands can “train” (often working under difficult conditions) at Japanese companies, has also been interrupted. Despite reports of rampant abuse of the trainee visa system, the program is very important for many hopeful workers coming from countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Border restrictions have also made those already working in Japan afraid of being locked out if they return to their home countries for any length of time.

Language schools are another important way for those who hope to work in Japan to enter the country. These, too, have been suspended. The new announcement that student visas will be restarted will serve as a source of hope for those still waiting.

The official number of those unable to enter Japan as of October 1st was listed as 370,000. Of these, 70% are said to be trainees or exchange students. The possibility of finally entering Japan will appeal not only to those locked out, but to the agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and technical industries that have been lacking in manpower the past two years.

Foreign workers in a Japanese factory.

A Sense of Relief

The nature of the limbo created by Japan’s border policies is something I myself understand quite well. Nearly a year ago, my then-fiancee and I returned to our home countries; her to Japan, I to the USA. We hoped to only be separated for a few months at most. Our imagined date of reunion, sadly, did not come nearly so quickly. Thankfully, we were recently able to be married here in the US — and with these border policy changes, we can again begin planning our hoped-for life back in Japan.

The unending months of uncertainty were sometimes hard to bear. These were made worse by the lack of awareness towards this problem by the Japanese public at large (many were completely unaware that non-resident foreigners couldn’t enter the country, with some continuing to blame non-existent tourists on any increased spread). We watched with some sadness the admission of athletes and Olympic staff during the 2021 Tokyo games; more frustrating were the seemingly random exceptions like allowing in famous DJs, additionally awarded truncated periods of quarantine. It’s a relief to see things finally moving towards ease of entry, although mindfulness towards the threat the pandemic still holds is needed.

Reacting to the Sudden Shift

Still, the information available as of yet is far from comprehensive. Some reactions thus far point to this fact:

山口智美 on Twitter: “「短期ビジネス目的」の「短期」の定義が知りたいぞ。在外邦人の帰国の場合どうなるんだろう。新型コロナ: 新規入国、水際対策を緩和 ビジネス目的なら待機3日に: 日本経済新聞 https://t.co/Fisx2Is9aB / Twitter”

「短期ビジネス目的」の「短期」の定義が知りたいぞ。在外邦人の帰国の場合どうなるんだろう。新型コロナ: 新規入国、水際対策を緩和 ビジネス目的なら待機3日に: 日本経済新聞 https://t.co/Fisx2Is9aB

“I’d really like to know the definition of ‘short-term’ in ‘short-term business purposes.’ And I wonder what will happen with overseas Japanese returning to the country.”

Some question the meaning of shortening business quarantines:

kazukazu88 on Twitter: “入国の目的別に待機の期間を縮めたり延ばしたりする科学的根拠は何?ビジネス目的の入国なら3日の待機で大丈夫だけど、それ以外だとダメってどういう根拠? https://t.co/jN2cZnmHQJ / Twitter”

入国の目的別に待機の期間を縮めたり延ばしたりする科学的根拠は何?ビジネス目的の入国なら3日の待機で大丈夫だけど、それ以外だとダメってどういう根拠? https://t.co/jN2cZnmHQJ

“What is the scientific basis of shortening and lengthening the quarantine period based on the purpose of entry? What is the basis of a 3-day wait for those on business, but not for others?”

Joy and Anger

Unsurprisingly, a subsection of Twitter does not view the loosening of borders in a positive light. (To what degree such arguments hold water is something the reader can decide for themselves.)

“The spread of the Wuhan Virus has not been contained aborad. The relaxing of entry is a nuisance that will only bring about a 6th wave that will disrupt our economy, all in spite of our domestic control of the spread. Having business with other countries be done via telework is what shall be implemented to prevent large-scale infection. And you can bet that there’ll be tourists who come in under the guise of ‘I’m here on business.’ The government’s reaction is naive.”

Still, for many, this is a moment of joy. Lives may finally be able to continue in a manner similar to how they were originally planned. Here is one such example:

Yukes🐕🧘🌍🏃🌴✈️🌺 on Twitter: “日本が外国人を受け入れる発表時をし、嬉しい。実際に入国できるまでは安心出来ないが。🇨🇦彼も涙を流して、喜んでいた。一つ言うとしたら、隔離期間を留学生たちも5日間に短縮して頂きたい。隔離ホテル代が留学費用に余分にかかるので金銭的負担が重いという現状がある。#入国緩和 #日本留学 https://t.co/gZquPUmKfc / Twitter”

日本が外国人を受け入れる発表時をし、嬉しい。実際に入国できるまでは安心出来ないが。🇨🇦彼も涙を流して、喜んでいた。一つ言うとしたら、隔離期間を留学生たちも5日間に短縮して頂きたい。隔離ホテル代が留学費用に余分にかかるので金銭的負担が重いという現状がある。#入国緩和 #日本留学 https://t.co/gZquPUmKfc

“I was happy when it was announced that foreigners will be able to enter Japan. Still, I won’t be able to breathe easy until he’s actually entered the country. My 🇨🇦 boyfriend was overjoyed, even shedding tears. If I were to say one thing, it’s that I hope the quarantine for exchange students will be reduced to 5 days. The reality is that the cost of the quarantine hotel is an extra monetary expense on top of the cost of study abroad itself, and can be quite a heavy burden.”

It’s true that for many, it will be difficult to feel truly reassured of their lives getting back on track until more details about the relaxing of the border are revealed. But after so very long a wait with hardly any movement whatsoever, today still feels like a major step forward.

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Noah Oskow

Serving as current UJ Editor-in-Chief, Noah Oskow is a professional Japanese translator and interpreter who holds a BA in East Asian Languages and Cultures. He has lived, studied, and worked in Japan for nearly seven years, including two years studying at Sophia University in Tokyo and four years teaching English on the JET Program in rural Fukushima Prefecture. His experiences with language learning and historical and cultural studies as well as his extensive experience in world travel have led to appearances at speaking events, popular podcasts, and in the mass media. Noah most recently completed his Master's Degree in Global Studies at the University of Vienna in Austria.

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