The Japanese government has decided to suspend the entry of all non-resident foreign nationals into the country as part of a coordinated effort to curb the further spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a press briefing that the essential shutdown of Japan’s borders to all non-resident foreign nationals will remain in place until February 7th, when a state of emergency declared in the Greater Tokyo area and other areas in Japan will be lifted.
All those who enter the country, including Japanese citizens, may have their names disclosed if they violate the request to quarantine for 14 days, the government said. Furthermore, foreign residents could have their resident status revoked and may be subject to deportation if they do not comply with the quarantine.
“People worry about Covid-19. But a lot of people have also committed suicide because they have lost their jobs, they have lost their income and couldn’t see the hope,”
Taro Kono, Japanese administrative and regulatory reform minister
With 4446 deaths and ranked 39 in the list of countries with most Covid-19 cases in the world, Japan saw its suicide rate grow exponentially. The July-October 2020 suicide rate rose 16% from the same period a year earlier, a stark reversal of the February-June decline of 14%, according to the study by researchers at Hong Kong University and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.
