TOKYO – Japan is considering easing its stringent border controls amid growing criticism that the measures, which have banned most foreign entrants including students and business travelers, are hurting the country’s economy and international profile.
“I plan to look into easing the border controls,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters Saturday according to AP.
Kishida did not provide a timeline or other details and said he will make a decision based on a scientific assessment of the omicron variant, infection levels in and outside Japan and quarantine measures in other countries.
Currently, most of Japan is under virus-related restrictions but infections have shown little signs of slowing. Nationwide, Japan reported nearly 100,000 new cases in the latest 24-hour period, including 18,660 in Tokyo.
The current border measures are scheduled to remain in place until the end of February.
Japan has become one of the world´s most difficult countries to enter and critics compare it to the locked country, or “sakoku,” policy of xenophobic warlords who ruled Japan in the 17th to 19th centuries.
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