Japan’s government is expected to announce new border measures that would allow the entry of international students, ending months of uncertainty for thousands of them. By October, roughly 370,000 foreigners were waiting for the border to reopen, with students and technical interns making up about 70 per cent of them
From as soon as 8 November, Tokyo could roll out new travel rules, to be made effective within the month, according to early reports by national media.
According to Japan’s NHK news agency, students will be allowed to enter the country “on the condition that the accepting company or university manages their behaviour”.
Davide Rossi, founder of the site EducationIsNotTourism.com, who has been advocating for international students’ return to Japan, expressed optimism about the loosening restrictions, which he estimated would affect more than 147,000 students.
In an online video preceding the news reports on border restrictions easing, he noted that a lot of students had received notice from universities and language schools to prepare their certificate of entry paperwork.