Japan Opens its Borders to International Students

The Japanese government finally announced new border measures, allowing students to enter the country. Travellers who intend to travel to the country now have less of a worry as foreigners have to quarantine only for 3 days as long as they are vaccinated by Moderna, Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. On the other hand, students are still expected to quarantine for 14 days.

Currently, a daily quota of 3500 entrants is applied. This includes Japanese nationals who live outside the country; therefore, the number of foreigners won’t be a lot. According to Shigeru Omi, these new limits are set to avoid a new  rise of infections and as a strategy to avoid pressure in the medical sector after numbers have stabilised. Furthermore, this system is expected to pave the way for social life to get back to normal at universities. 

So far, the Nikkei Asia report states that more than 370,000 foreigners are waiting for the border to reopen, 70% of which are students and interns. Still, universities have announced the number of foreigners allowed on campus will stay limited. However, these new measures promise a better chance for a future where it is easy to enter Japan again. 

“It could be at least a month before the first foreign student to reach Japanese soil even after the announcement”, stated a former official from Japan’s Ministry of Education.