Foreign researchers have called on the Japanese government to ease its entry restrictions to allow foreign students to re-enter the country.
The researchers who have been studying in Japan for many years made the appeal at an online news conference on Wednesday. They took part from the prefectures of Hiroshima and Fukuoka, and elsewhere.
NHK has learned that the Japanese government plans to allow foreign nationals with certain residency statuses, including students and technical trainees, to re-enter the country despite a ban imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Those who temporarily left Japan before the restrictions were imposed will be eligible, on the condition they comply with requirements such as taking a PCR virus test.
The Japanese government is moving to ease entry restrictions for Taiwan and some countries in Southeast Asia where coronavirus infections are largely contained.
The government is considering starting talks with Taiwan and countries including Singapore and Brunei as early as July, aiming to allow businesspeople to travel between Japan and them.
The Japanese government has decided to ease entry restrictions from countries and territories where coronavirus infections are deemed to be under control.
The government coronavirus task force met on Thursday and decided on easing its policy, starting with business people under certain conditions.
Japan and Vietnam are in the final stage of negotiations to ease coronavirus entry restrictions and resume visits of each other's citizens on a limited basis.
Japan will first allow visits by businesspeople and technical trainees. It is targeting a resumption of travel as early as late June.
The Japanese government has decided to deny the entry of foreign nationals from an additional 14 countries to step up its coronavirus measures at ports of entry.
The government made the decision at a taskforce meeting on Monday. It will ban the entry of non-Japanese citizens who have been in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Djibouti, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and Nevis, and Barbados within 14 days before their arrival in Japan. The ban will take effect on Wednesday.
Japan plans to ban entry of foreign citizens from more than 10 countries to help curb the coronavirus outbreak. This is in addition to the 73 countries and territories already banned.
The government has decided to deny entry to foreigners who have been in Russia, Belarus, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and others within 14 days before their arrival in Japan.
Japan further tightened its border entry restrictions on Friday in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The government is calling on all arrivals from any part of the world to self-quarantine at home, hotels or elsewhere for two weeks. Travelers are asked to avoid using public transportation to get to those places. The measures will be in place through the end of this month.
Japan is planning to place an entry ban on foreign nationals from an additional 49 countries and territories as the coronavirus pandemic expands.
Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu revealed the plan on Tuesday. The additional areas will include the United States, Canada, and all of China and South Korea as well as Britain and Greece, covering most of Europe.
Japan's Foreign Minister says that foreign nationals from the United States, China and South Korea, as well as most of Europe, will be banned from entering the country.
Japan plans to include in its list of entry denials foreigners arriving from the United States, China and South Korea as well as most parts of Europe and some parts of Southeast Asia as the coronavirus pandemic expands.
The Japanese government has decided to soon raise a travel alert to all parts of the US to level three, recommending the cancellation of trips to the country. It will also ban foreigners who have stayed in the US in the past two weeks from entering Japan. The move comes amid the sharp rise of infections in the US.
Japan plans to ask all people arriving in the country from the United States to self-quarantine for two weeks, starting on Thursday.
People with fevers or other symptoms arriving by sea and air are to be tested for the new coronavirus at quarantine stations.
Japan plans to expand its quarantine measures on Saturday to include people entering the country from most of Europe, Iran and Egypt.
The government said on Wednesday it will start asking both foreign and Japanese nationals from 38 countries to isolate themselves for two weeks in designated places such as homes and hotels.
The Japanese government has announced the it will expand its quarantine measures to include people entering Japan from most European countries, Iran and Egypt.