For business purpose visitors and international students … Excludes tourists
Expected to shorten quarantine period and simplify immigration documents
Kansai International Airport = Osaka / Archyde.com / Yonhap News
From next month, the Japanese government plans to ease the immigration restrictions for foreigners, who have been strongly criticized as “corona isolation.”
The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 13th, citing a government official’s story that it has begun to make adjustments to allow new foreigners to enter the country from next month for business purposes and international students. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also told reporters at a seat he visited Haneda Airport in Tokyo on the 12th to check the border measures, saying that epidemic prevention measures are changing in other countries as well. I would like to consider it. ” Along with this, it is expected that short-term business trips for business customers and the assignment of foreign students, trading company expatriates, etc. to Japan will be possible in the near future. However, the entry of tourists without a special purpose of visit is still restricted.
The Japanese government is also considering a plan to increase the number of foreign immigrants (including domestic and foreigners) from the current 3,500 to 5,000. If the upper limit is increased, it is expected that about 1,000 new foreigners can enter the country a day. According to the materials compiled by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the number of foreign students and technical intern trainees who have already been granted residence status but are unable to enter the country due to immigration bans has reached 370,000.
At the same time, the quarantine period is expected to be shortened by 7 days. A plan to shorten the waiting period to 3 to 5 days is being discussed, subject to the third inoculation of the new corona vaccine. Documents such as activity plans and pledges that must be prepared for new entry will also be simplified.
The Japanese government started the epidemic of a new variant of the new corona, Omicron, in November last year, and after completely banning foreigners from entering the country, it has been extended until the end of this month. When the number of people infected with Omicron increased rapidly and the atmosphere within the Japanese government that it would be difficult to ease immigration for the time being became stronger, the business community and foreign students complained of the damage and strongly opposed it. On the 11th of this month, even former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged mitigation, saying, “If you do not exchange business, you will face the danger that Japan will fall behind in the world economy.”
Tokyo / Correspondent Kim So-yeon (Inquiries [email protected])
Translated by JS