The country’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, declared on March 3 that a new process will be implemented in which international students waiting to enter Japan will be “prioritized.”
After it was announced in February that a 5,000-person daily limit would be imposed, stakeholders and students alike were concerned that it would not be enough to permit them to enter the country before the start of the semester in April. However, according to the most recent notification, the maximum has been raised to 7,000 per day, with students being prioritized on particular weekdays “when business entries are low.”
“With coronavirus, over 150,000 students have been looking forward to entering Japan for the last two years,” Kishida said in the press conference. “They are a treasure of Japan… we have set up an entry method that allows international students to enter the country smoothly while maintaining the peace of mind of Japanese people,” he continued.
The process and hike in the cap are set to begin on March 14. Although it is unclear how this new prioritizing process will be managed, those who have been waiting for it have generally welcomed the news, albeit with cautious optimism. According to Benjamin McCracken, director of the Japan Center for Michigan Universities’ Hikone Campus, the cap remains a “cost challenge.”
If the limit is set at 7,000, the cost of airfares would inevitably rise; it is a simple matter of supply and demand that may make it more difficult for students travelling to Japan to obtain economically viable flights. While there was significant progress, Davide Rossi, the head of Go! Go! Nihon and a strong supporter of students desiring to study in Japan described it as a “temporary fix.”
The 7,000 people per day figure include Japanese re-entry, yet it is still relatively low, meaning that not everyone who has been waiting for over two years will be allowed to enter Japan in an acceptable amount of time. Kishida also stated that as the school year draws to a close, graduation ceremonies and other such events would begin to take place around the country, but he cautioned all engaged to remain watchful.
Takakazu Yamagishi, director of foreign affairs at Nanzan University in Nagoya, said the action was “good,” but it could be too little, too late. The government has already disappointed many international students and lost many potential students to other countries; it must do more to rebuild international trust and make Japan an appealing destination for students from other nations.
Ahead of the announcement, students and others wanting to enter Japan made it known that the government needed to expand the number of people permitted in. People in Japan and those waiting to enter, according to a study of about 1,000 respondents, believe that the prohibition, which has been in effect for the past two years, has had a negative impact on their life.
Yoshihiko Kajita, who heads Homestay in Japan, which matches exchange students with host families, said at a news conference last week that the prohibition has “seriously damaged the business.” Short-term visas are still only allowed in “extraordinary circumstances,” according to the official website, and visitors are still barred from entering the country.
The statement also included less promising news for individuals planning to visit or live in Japan’s major cities, as well as those who are already there. Kishida also stated that coronavirus infection control efforts would be “expanded in numerous regions,” including the capital.
According to McCracken, the prime minister and other elected leaders are in a tough position given public opinion against admitting foreigners at this time.
“They really have a tough balance to maintain, one of economics, international cooperation, and domestic politics… that is not an enviable position and perhaps one where there is considerable room for error,” he added.
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