Easing of border rules met with relief by education sector, but some criticize scope

After a long wait and a drip feed of leaks to the media, the announcement Thursday evening of an easing of Japan’s border restrictions brought relief to tens of thousands of students and researchers, as well as their institutions, who have had to contend with numerous disruptions to their lives, studies and careers while waiting to enter Japan.

They can now begin to turn their thoughts to the numerous preparations — quitting jobs, ending leases, purchasing tickets, saying goodbye to family and friends, and so on — that need to be made before their departure.

From the start of next month, Japan will ease its strict border policies, which have limited new entries by foreign nationals to just a few thousand over the past few months. Soon, non-Japanese looking to enter the country for purposes other than tourism will be granted entry, with the daily cap of people allowed to enter Japan also raised to 5,000 from 3,500 — a quota that includes Japanese citizens and returning foreign residents as well. Quarantine measures will also be relaxed for some travelers.

But the bitter experience of November — when borders were slammed shut due to fears over the omicron variant just weeks after they had begun to open — means not everyone is taking the new announcement at face value.

“I am cautiously optimistic (about being able to enter this time),” said Maria Alejandra Gonzalez Pinto from Colombia, who due to border controls has twice postponed her master’s in law studies at Waseda University in Tokyo. “Last time, the borders were not even open for a month, but I believe that the worst of the pandemic has already passed and, as (Prime Minister Fumio) Kishida said, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I hope I can get to Japan before April this year, since my program starts in April.”

Criticism of the new measures has already begun to emerge. While the easing is nonetheless a welcome step, the fact that entries are limited to 5,000 people and that quota also includes business travelers and others means students and researchers could still be facing a fight to enter the country.

“It’s a start, but it’s a very, very small step. It certainly does not go far enough,” said Yujin Yaguchi, director of the University of Tokyo’s division responsible for international and study abroad students. “It’s not as if there are 5,000 international students coming in from March — we don’t know how many students are actually going to be included in that 5,000.”

With the door to Japan set to be opened somewhat, the key for the government will be setting out the specifics of the policy, of which there are presently few details. Universities — currently left in the dark due to the lack of clarity — will in turn have to parse those regulations and inform students of the various rules, which might not be so simple.

“We do have regular contacts with the officials at the ministry of education, but they unfortunately are not able to provide the details — not because they don’t want to” but because they don’t have them, said Yaguchi. The lack of details has consequently made communication with students difficult.

When border controls were eased last November, complicated directives around the documents needed to enter and who was actually eligible for the different phases of entry into Japan put a damper on what was a significant change in policy.

“Last November, (Waseda University) took a considerable amount of time to untangle the measures the government put in place for a phased entry,” said Alejandra Gonzalez. “I hope this time they can provide us with support in a shorter (time frame).”

Despite the criticism of the scope of the change, some are just happy that it has been made at all — just so long as the government actually keeps it in place, unlike in November.

“I think it’s OK as long as they stick with it, don’t take away from it and then maybe over time, once they see success, maybe they can increase the daily cap of people,” said Elliott Stevens, who has been waiting at home in North Carolina to start his in-person Japanese-language studies in Tokyo and dreams of embarking on a career in music in the country.

The change this time around may represent the last opportunity for many students waiting to enter Japan, with 38.4% of respondents to a survey, carried out in January by a group supporting foreign nationals hoping to study in the country, saying they would cancel their study plans if they could not enter Japan by April. Up until this point, many have had to reject various opportunities — Stevens, for example, just turned down a promising full-time job in order to pursue his studies.

“Logically, I probably shouldn’t put so much thought into this hope,” said Stevens, who has been told by his local consulate to contact them again in the first week of March to find out what to do about securing a visa.

“I just feel like if I were to give up now, after everything that’s happened and everything I’ve been through, that would just feel like the ultimate defeat. So I’m going to give this one last attempt, and if it doesn’t come, if I’m not able to go in April and it gets pushed to July, then it’s going to really, really make me have to consider some things.”