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Japan will ease a near-ban on foreign arrivals this month, gradually allowing in more business travelers and students, Nikkei has learned, as frustration mounts with stringent curbs that have kept people out of the country for as much as two years.
The tougher border controls implemented in late November in response to the omicron coronavirus variant are now set to end March 1 after multiple extensions. Prior to that, the government plans to start accepting more than 1,000 people a day, and gradually raise the cap to several thousand.
Schools and companies will be expected to supervise travelers coming in under their sponsorship, and visitors will be asked to self-isolate after entering the country.
The looser restrictions on business travelers will apply to both short-term business trips and long-term relocation. The government will prioritize researchers and engineers, as well as workers who provide a “public benefit.”
Japan had previously begun allowing a handful of government-sponsored foreign students into the country. This broader reopening will give priority to students who cannot graduate without in-person classes in Japan.
Cutting quarantine periods to three days or less from seven days is under consideration. To qualify, travelers, both Japanese and foreign nationals, will have to have received a vaccine booster and have been tested for COVID-19. The government plans to simplify the required paperwork and the screening process.
A decision will be made as early as next week based on how coronavirus cases are trending.
Japan to let in foreign workers and students starting this month
Nikkei – Feb 12
Japan will ease a near-ban on foreign arrivals this month, gradually allowing in more business travelers and students, Nikkei has learned, as frustration mounts with stringent curbs that have kept people out of the country for as much as two years.
Student charged with leaking entrance exam questions using Skype
Japan Times – Feb 11
Tokyo police filed charges against a 19-year-old female student and a system engineer in his 20s on Thursday over the leaking of questions from this year’s unified university entrance examinations — allegedly while the tests were taking place.
The story of the first Black samurai in Japan
CBC – Feb 09
Massey Lecturer Esi Edugyan shares the story of Yasuke, a man of African descent who appears in the historical record solely between 1579 and 1582, and trains as a samurai in feudal Japan.
The Matsushimaya Acting House EXPLAINED
Kabuki In-Depth – Feb 04
The Matsushimaya is a notable yagō or house of actors of the Kamigata region, which has trained some of the most remarkable actors of the XX century, such as Kataoka Nizaemon XI (1857 – 1934), Kataoka Nizaemon XII (1882 – 1946), Kataoka Nizaemon XIII (1903 – 1994) and Kataoka Nizaemon XV (1944 – present).
Japan to open border for 400 more students
NHK – Feb 02
The Japanese government is exempting hundreds of foreign students from an entry ban imposed in late November. More than 100,000 others remain locked out of the country.
Fried Oyster | Japanese food | KAKIFURAI
Kimono Mom – Jan 29
Today, we made Fried Oyster called KAKIFURAI in Japanese. It’s Perfect for winter and easy to make with ingredients you can find anywhere in the world!
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