Japan closes borders to foreigners as country grapples with virus variant

Despite their earlier urging for Japan to reopen to the world, Japan closed its borders to foreigners in an attempt to get rid of the omicron coronaviruses variant.

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The lead editorial on Tuesday was made by Nikkei, the paper of choice for business leaders. Just weeks earlier, before the discovery of the latest variant, the Nikkei had called for Japan to relax its border policy, saying Japanese businesspeople were being left out of international negotiations and the country's labor shortage could worsen.

Masatoshi Kumagai, the founder and chief executive officer of GMO Internet Inc., was among the business leaders who welcomed the move, which came a day before Japan discovered the first case of the omicron variant within its borders.

"You ve made a wise decision," Kishida, Prime Minister, wrote on Twitter, hailing the swift action of Fumio Kishida, who has led the country since October.

Business lobby Keidanren called for Japan's leaders to loosen border controls that have made it extremely hard for businesses to import much-needed workers, a position that stands in contrast to that of the previous position of business lobby Keidanren in September. Three weeks ago, Japan had begun to relax its rules to allow students and businesspeople, while still banning tourists.

On Wednesday, Japan announced that it would stop re-entry for foreign residents who have visited South Africa or nine other nations. The country has taken a lot of border control steps since the outbreak of the pandemic, and the move is one of the strictest border control measures the country has taken. Japan has some of the lowest daily Covid cases among major countries, outside of Zero Covid-pursuing nations such as China.

Kishida s reaction may reflect the tribulations of his immediate predecessor Yoshihide Suga, who was frequently criticized for moving too slowly to control the virus during his one-year term in power. A mainichi poll in January found that 71% believed his declaration of a state of emergency had been too slow, as the nation grappled with a wave that was fueled by the spread of the alpha variant.

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