Japan To Loosen Up Border Controls

TOKYO - The Japanese government will loosen up border controls to allow more people into the country, especially students, while expanding infection control measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus in some areas, including Tokyo.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will increase the number of people who can enter Japan to 7,000 per day from the current 5,000 people per day.

Meanwhile, the students are not included in the daily count of people allowed into the country and are being considered in a separate category, according to media reports.

The move would extend the easing of Japan's strict border measures earlier this week that opened the door to more foreign students and workers.

The Japanese government's move to loosen the border comes amid criticism from business leaders and educators.

Kishida will announce the new containment measures, along with an extended quasi-Coronavirus state of emergency, at a press conference at 07.00 p.m. local time.

Some 150,000 foreign students have been barred from entering Japan since 2020, along with workers desperately needed by the aging nation with a shrinking population.

The entry ban sparked warnings of a labor shortage and damaged Japan's international reputation.

While the number of new Coronavirus cases is starting to fall, hospitals in Japan remain under pressure as they battle cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

February 2022 was also the deadliest month of the ongoing pandemic in Japan so far, with 4,856 deaths, according to a tally by Japan's national media -- NHK.

Japan's central government has received requests from five prefectures, including Kyoto and Osaka in western Japan, to extend infection control measures due to expire on Sunday, March 6, Japan's chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday.

Ten other prefectures, including Tokyo, are expected to seek an extension of the restrictions by two to three weeks that include shorter working hours for restaurants and restrictions on the sale of alcohol.

In addition to dealing with COVID-19, Prime Minister Kishida is also expected to deal with the issue of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Japan has joined its foreign allies in imposing sanctions on Russia, and Kishida on Wednesday said the country was also ready to accept Ukrainian refugees.