The Covid-19 Pandemic in Japan

HOW JAPAN SHOULD HANDLE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, BY YUTO TERADA

Author: Yuto Terada

Fourth-year student at the University of Tsukuba

Permission for publication was granted on January 27, 2022.

Yuto is the only student in my Academic Writing class in the fall semester. He came out with this essay by himself at the end of the semester! Let’s see what he has to say about the current Covid situation in Japan.

Abstract

This essay will present a comprehensive look at how the land of the rising sun handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Japan was able to keep its COVID-19 numbers relatively low without having a complete lockdown, their borders are still strictly closed, only allowing Japanese passport holders into Japan. This essay will explain why the author is convinced that allowing Japanese passport holders into Japan is wrong by emphasizing that the virus does not see nationality. The author truly believes that everyone, regardless of nationalities, should be able to (re-)enter Japan, just like how the Japanese passport holders can (re-)enter Japan. This essay will also include how people who contracted COVID-19 in Japan are being discriminated against as carrying a “bomb” with them. In conclusion, the author would like to discuss why the COVID-19 international restrictions need to end for Japan to maintain its globalized and internalization level. 

Nobody should be left out just because of the virus: How Japan should handle the Covid-19 Pandemic

In January of 2020, nobody was expecting a significant pandemic to hit. On December 31, 2019, the Municipal Health Commission of China reported a “cluster” of cases of pneumonia, which is the lung inflammation caused by a bacterial or viral infection, in which the air sacs fill with pus and may become solid (ALA, 2020). Within 30 days, over 7,800 people got Covid across the globe, with most of these cases in China (WHO, 2020, p.1). On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (WHO, 2020). Soon after that, the Former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe (2012-2020), swung into action. Japan was one of the first countries to take significant action partially because of the Diamond Princess incident whereby there was a COVID-19 outbreak inside a cruise ship that arrived in Japan’s Yokohama harbor, which received considerable international attention. After considering numerous factors, Abe requested all schools across Japan to close down for the safety and well-being of the Japanese citizens until further notice. Just 11 short days after the closure of the schools, the WHO declared COVID-19 a “pandemic” on March 11, 2020 (WHO, 2020). 

Abe’s next move was to close down the borders from different countries. It was understandable when he first did that because nobody could expect how fast the virus could travel. However, this lockdown only applied to foreigners, and it has been continuing until today, over two years since the beginning of the pandemic. When Abe closed the borders on April 3, 2019, both the non-Japanese residents and non-Japanese passport holders, including those with permanent residency in Japan, could not re-enter Japan due to heavy restrictions. On the other hand, Japanese passport holders could freely leave and return from Japan. In my humble opinion, Abe’s act was genuinely unacceptable and it could lead to the assumption that the Japanese government is not treating foreigners as fairly as the Japanese passport holders. This perception towards only foreigners bringing in the virus needs to be stopped immediately. Although it is true that certain exceptions—such as allowing those who already have a valid visa could re-enter Japan—were allowed, the government still does not allow those who are supposed to arrive in Japan to further their education or to work in the Japanese companies. 

Rochelle Kopp from Japan Intercultural Consulting interviewed a woman named Luna, who could not enter Japan to visit her boyfriend. As Luna stated, “[t]here’s nothing worse than saying goodbye to someone whom you love, without knowing when you will be able to see them again” (Kopp, 2020). Luna’s story, unfortunately, is one of the thousands of stories that exist. Although the Japanese government gave exceptions for reuniting married couples living separately, they have not made many exceptions for the other cases. For many non-Japanese passport holders who have families and friends living in Japan or have some connections with Japan, these two years must have been like hell, and perhaps it could affect how they see their futures in Japan. 

Dr. Nancy Snow, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, is one of the many thousands of experts who have been warning the Japanese government to do something about allowing foreigners to come into Japan before it is too late. Snow compared Japan with its next-door country, South Korea, and how South Korea understood the importance of the melting pot community and therefore decided to open back its borders. On the other hand, Japan is still on a very hesitant side when opening up its borders. Snow talked about how Japan is renowned for its safety measures and precisions for all. Hence, it should not be so difficult for the government bureaucrats to realize that it is possible to let non-Japanese passport holders into Japan and simultaneously continue to make sure that Japan stays safe from the virus. 

Snow also talked about if the Japanese government does not open up the borders now, they will be paying a considerable price soon. Snow stated, “[t]he most important source of Japanese soft power is Japan itself, especially its people, the place. These students cannot fall in love with a country they know only in their imaginations. Had I never traveled to Japan on my first international exchange in the 1990s, I would have never fallen in love with the country” (Snow, 2022). As mentioned earlier, if the Japanese government does not allow foreigners to come into Japan now, it could affect how the international students see their futures in Japan: a cold country where foreigners are not welcomed. 

Try and imagine by putting yourself into the foreigner’s shoes. Facing a dramatic decrease in its population, the Japanese government is the one that has to ask foreigners to come and work in Japan. In order to promote its global economy and open societies, Japan has set a goal to bring 300,000 international exchange students by 2020 (also known as the G30 program). However, when the Japanese government mistreats foreigners so much differently from Japanese citizens, why would foreigners want to dedicate their lives to Japan? Is the Japanese government saying that only foreigners will bring the virus and not their citizens? As the Japanese government always says, “according to science,” can they not realize that they could get people safely back to Japan if all tests conducted at the airport are done consistently? 

Besides foreigners, the COVID-19 pandemic also affects Japanese citizens, especially those who got infected with the virus. Japan is still a homogeneous society where everyone has to be the “same” or that they have to “fit in” for people to continue with their everyday lives. In the Mainichi newspaper report published in May 2020, Arisa Kadono, a 20-year old girl, talked about what she went through when she contracted the virus. Kadono spoke about how all of her “friends” avoided her because she caught the virus. Kadono stated, “it was as if I was a criminal” (Kadono, 2020). Kadono’s claim, unfortunately, echoes thousands of other people’s experiences. If you got infected with COVID-19, many people tend to discriminate against you, saying that you have a virus inside your body and that nobody wants to be your “friend.” Once you catch COVID-19 in Japan, many people tend to “cut ties” or not associate with you again. 

As stated earlier, the land of the rising sun is such a homogeneous society where most of the population are Japanese, compared to countries such as the United States of America. I believe that by having people from all different parts of the world and having them share their stories, we can learn from one another. That, however, is not possible right now in Japan due to the travel restrictions the government has set for foreigners. Perhaps if more international students could come to Japan, people such as Kadona would not have been bullied or looked at differently. With the power of foreigners, they would be able to share different perspectives than their Japanese counterparts. The Japanese government must open up its borders and find a way to deal with this Covid situation. For instance, the country can set up a sandbox for foreigners to quarantine before entering mainland Japan. Citizens of Japan must think globally, which will undoubtedly benefit everyone in the long run. 

The virus does not know when to stop; the virus does not care whether you have been washing your hands or have been consistently wearing your face coverings; finally, the virus does not see your nationality. Although the COVID-19 has sadly taken many innocent lives, I believe that more lives might be in danger (in terms of mental aspect) due to separation between family members and unmarried couples under the current travel restrictions. It has been more than two years since we fell into this Covid crisis. It is about time for the Japanese government to open its borders. If nothing is changed now, when will we ever make a change? Lastly, the Japanese government must stop being discriminatory towards foreigners and allow everyone who would like to travel to Japan, especially those unable to enter Japan to pursue their education (or work) in Japan. More importantly, Japan needs to educate its citizens that although we must be careful and be vigilant, COVID-19 is a problem that will not go away, at least not now. Hence, more things should be done so that discrimination against those who contracted COVID-19 would not increase. Only by achieving this can Japan maintain its globalized and internalization level. 

Works Cited:

• Kadono, Arisa. In Japan, Pandemic Brings Outbreaks of Bullying, Ostracism, The Mainichi, 10 May 2020, https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200510/p2g/00m/0na/015000c. 

• Kopp, Rochelle. The Pandemic Border Policy That Will Leave a Scar on Japan’s Foreign Community, The Japan Times, 8 December 2020, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2020/12/07/issues/pandemic-border-policy-foreign-community/. 

• “Learn about Pneumonia.” Learn About Pneumonia, American Lung Association, 23 October 2020, https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/pneumonia/learn-about-pneumonia. 

• Novel Coronavirus (2019-NCoV) SITUATION REPORT – 1, World Health Organization, 21 Jan. 2020, https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200121-sitrep-1-2019-ncov.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan. 2022. 

• Snow, Nancy. Japan Must Reopen Its Borders to Foreign Students, Nikkei Asia, 24 January 2022, https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Japan-must-reopen-its-borders-to-foreign-students. 

• Statement on the Second Meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee Regarding the Outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (2019-NCoV), United Nations, 30 January 2020, https://www.who.int/news/item/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-Nov). Accessed 28 January 2022. 

• WHO Director-General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020, United Nations, 11 March 2020, https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—11-march-2020. Accessed 1 February 2022.