After the government made a minor exception to its stringent border controls, 87 international students with state scholarships were OK’d to enter Japan.
However, tens of thousands of students who pay for their own education still have no idea when they will be admitted.
Key Takeaways:
- International students will be allowed to return to Japan in phases, with the first phase allowing 87 students to return.
- The decision shocked the approximately 147,000 students who had been waiting up to two years to begin their studies in Japan.
- According to the Japan Times, students may be able to visit Japan later this month, but they will have to self-isolate for ten days once they arrive.
The decision on Monday came as a shock to the approximately 147,000 students who had been waiting up to two years to begin their studies in Japan since most of them shoulder their own university or language school tuition.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu announced that 87 government-sponsored students will receive permission to enter the country after “considering the public interest and the urgency of the matter.”
The secretary said the students have less than a year left in their studies and must be in a classroom to complete course requirements.
Many students are giving up on studying in Japan after months or even years of waiting, which universities and language schools are increasingly concerned about.
The Japanese government has stated that it will enable international students to return to the country in phases, with the mentioned 87 government-funded students returning in the first phase.
Science students, according to reports, will be preferred in the return phases because their field necessitates in-person experiments.
Students may be able to visit Japan later this month, according to the Japan Times, but they will have to self-isolate for ten days once they arrive.
According to the plan, international students should complete the mandated quarantine period at hotels provided by their educational institutions.
Because of the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the Japanese government issued an entry ban and banned student entry in November 2021. It has now been decided to prolong it till the end of February to prevent the virus from spreading further.
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