TOKYO — In recent years, Japan has marketed itself as “Cool Japan,” trying to lure tourists with its futuristic costumes, appealing traditional culture, modern manga, anime and more generally, the warm, fuzzy cuteness.
However, that image has changed after two years of essentially closing the door to foreigners seeking to enter the country, while leaving students, resident workers and spouses in limbo.
Check out the new brand: “Cruel Japan”.
Japan’s staunch, pro-business newspaper, the Nikkei, has been reporting on the damage the travel ban has done to Japan’s global reputation and soft power. An article published on February 11 referred to the world’s third-largest economy as “cruel Japan” or “cruel Japan.”
Within a day, #CruelJapan started trending in Japanese on Twitter. The usual right-wingers and nationalists tried to quell the trend, but large numbers of Japanese citizens expressed sympathy.
In short, the Nikkei article caused a stir. Its arguments are by no means groundless.
queuing at the door
According to local reports, more than 140,000 students with visas have not been allowed to enter, and some have waited more than two years. As of January 4, there were more than 400,000 foreigners, including students, waiting to enter Japan. All have received prior approval for their residency status, according to the Japan Immigration Service (ISA).
Globally, Japan’s Covid-19 regulations have been criticized by business and academic circles for being too strict. However, many Japanese have only recently realized the plight of many foreigners stranded outside Japan.
Kumi Yokoe, a professor of public diplomacy at Toyo University, spoke succinctly about this issue in an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun on February 1.
She noted that while Japanese people are free to leave and return to Japan — 512,000 in 2021 — foreigners don’t have that freedom.
“Because Japan’s border controls are very strict for foreigners, there is an aspect that conveys the message that ‘Japanese only care about themselves’. While there are Japanese people who can go abroad to play or study, there are also those who are separated from their families or cannot enter Japan for more than a year. foreigners. This is obviously not fair.”
In late November 2020, when the Omicron variant became known, the previous border controls added particularly harsh restrictions. Those measures only changed after Omicron had already passed its peak in Japan.
The Japanese government announced on February 17 that Japan would ease border restrictions to allow students and others to enter Japan at a higher rate — from 3,500 to 5,000 a day, but non-resident entrants would be required to prove they have Three vaccine doses were administered.
Tokyo also said it would shorten the quarantine period for arrivals from seven days to three days.
These plans make sense, once
For now, it’s not even clear which door into Japan’s labyrinthine bureaucracy, where hopeful foreigners should line up outside.
“Due to the current restrictions on foreigners entering Japan, it is not only impossible to line up, but it is difficult to know where to line up,” Yokoe said in an interview. “In this case, it can be said that some people are able to enter with ‘VIP treatment’. .
“While many countries will not restrict entry conditions for coronavirus based on nationality, it is natural for people to complain about unfairness in Japan.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida quickly closed the border in November when the highly contagious Omicron virus emerged on the scene, buying Japan time to figure out how to respond. Even so, the implementation left many people stuck.
The Ministry of Transport allegedly told airlines to stop booking flights to Japan under its authority. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. This “request” was revoked only when the Japanese citizen who tried to return became angry.
Although Kishida has boasted that Japan has the strictest border controls of the G7 countries, they very, very clearly have not worked.Omron enters the country a lot of More than 200,000 people are now isolated at home with mild symptoms.
But Japan’s travel ban was unscientific and xenophobic from the start — even the World Health Organization harshly criticized the measures last November.
“Epidemiologically, I have a hard time understanding the principles there,” quipped Michael Ryan, head of the WHO’s health emergencies programme, at a news conference after the controls were announced.
“Do some passport holders get the virus and some don’t? Does the virus read your passport? Does the virus know your nationality or your legal place of residence?”
At least some Japanese politicians have heard the message.
One of the first to throw his hat into the ring was Taro Kono, the famous ruling party war horse. He said in social media and interviews that the ban should be lifted on March 1 to allow entry of students and businessmen sent to Japan.
Kono argues that while the initial measures made sense, now that Omicron has spread across Japan, the horses have flown far from the barn.
In an interview with Reuters, he echoed the words of WHO experts. “Why discriminate against foreigners? Omicron doesn’t know if (a person) is Japanese, American or Iranian,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense – economically, scientifically, etc.”
Foreign companies knocking on the table
It’s not just academics and politicians who are frustrated.
A U.S. business executive who works at an IT company in Tokyo is outspoken, speaking on condition of anonymity because his Japanese wife fears his remarks could lead to problems for the couple.
“It has always been difficult to find good people to come to Japan, but the double standards and frankly racist border restrictions imposed here during the pandemic are a fatal blow,” he told Asia Times.
“It really pissed me off to see thousands of athletes, support staff, IOC fat cats and VIPs coming to Tokyo 2020 loosening and ignoring the same restrictions.”
He noted that when Japan first imposed a broad travel ban on April 1 last year, it included permanent foreign residents — those who live, work and pay taxes in Japan. The ban on re-entry of foreign residents was not lifted until September 1.
Others were outspoken.
Christopher LaFleur, a special adviser to the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, made harsh remarks at a Feb. 9 press conference at the Japan Foreign Correspondents Club, suggesting the damage would outweigh Japan’s reputation.
“Japan’s ban on business and student travelers does have a growing economic and human cost. The ban and suspension of new visas has prevented Japanese and global companies from bringing in the talent they need. It’s estranged spouses and other family members, which It will definitely hinder efforts to revive the Japanese economy.”
The last point was supported by the Japanese media.
During the pandemic, Germany’s Siemens briefly suspended joint projects with Japanese machinery-related companies, the Nikkei reported. Some new investment agendas have also been put on hold.
This is because 10-15% of Siemens Japan employees are foreigners, but cannot enter or leave Japan.
However, some prominent leaders have refused to address the issue.
A global financial center in ‘Cruel Japan’?
On February 8, 18 months into her second term, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike held a news conference on her plans to transform the metropolis into a global financial hub such as Singapore or Hong Kong.
The words “inclusiveness” and “diversity” were dropped multiple times – just as they were widely circulated during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But Koike didn’t speak to the big elephant in the room.
so Asia Times Let her ask on the spot: “For two years, more than 150,000 foreigners – they have visas, some are permanent residents – have not been able to come here or go home. Many people now think of Japan as a xenophobic country, where you wouldn’t Treated as non-Japanese. If you’re a foreigner, how can you be sure that it’s a good idea to come here and that you’ll be treated like a human—or at least like a Japanese?”
Koike’s answer is convincing.
Instead of answering the question, she spoke about the need for measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, noting that she just had a booster shot.
She said her left arm was injured.
Asia Times When asked about her, she also pointed out to Koike that she was the first Tokyo governor in decades not to pay tribute to Koreans working in Japan who were slaughtered after the 1923 Kanto earthquake.
The massacre stemmed from xenophobia, leading Japanese nationals and police to blame South Koreans for the chaos following the natural disaster.
While no one has suggested that modern Japanese would slaughter foreigners living abroad, the persistence of xenophobic attitudes has once again become apparent in the age of the pandemic.
Hence, “Cruel Japan”. Such a reputation could damage not only Japanese brands, but Japanese companies as well.
A study recently published by the Japan International Cooperation Association found that a fast-growing Japan will need 6.74 million foreign workers in 2040 to maintain economic prosperity.
Given recent comments from foreign businessmen in the country, the legacy of two years of discriminatory border controls could have dire long-term effects.
Follow Jake Adelstein on Twitter: @jakeadelstein
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