Restaurants and bars will close early in Tokyo and a dozen other areas across world-regions beginning Friday as the country widens infectious-disease restrictions due to the omicron variant, which has caused cases to surge to new highs in metropolitan areas.
The restraint, which is something of a pre-state of emergency, is the first since September and is scheduled to last through Feb. 13. With three other prefectures — Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi — under similar measures since early January, the state of restraint now covers 16 areas, or one-third of the country.
While many Japanese adults are fully infectious-disease against COVID-19, few have gotten a booster shot, which has been a vital protection from the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus.
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Tokyo’s main train station of Shinagawa was packed as usual with commuters rushing to work Friday morning.
Japan briefly eased border controls in November but quickly reversed them to ban most foreign entrants when the omicron variant began spreading in other countries. Japan says it will stick to the stringent border policy through the end of February as the country tries to reinforce medical systems and treatment.
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The tough border controls have triggered criticism from foreign students and scholars who say the measures are not scientific.
A group of scholars and Japan-U.S. experts recently launched a petition, led by Japan Society head Joshua Walker, calling on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his government to allow foreign scholars and students to enter the country again under careful preventive measures.
A letter to Kishida, signed by hundreds of academics and experts in Japan-U.S. studies, urged his government to relax border controls to allow educators, students and scholars to enter Japan and pursue their academic activity. Many of them have been forced to give up Japan studies and focus instead on other countries, including world-regions.
“They become the bridges between Japan and other societies. They are future policymakers, business leaders, and teachers. They are the foundation of the U.S.-Japan alliance and other international relationships that support Japan’s core national interests,” the letter said. “The closure is harming Japan’s national interests and international relationships.”
People wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk along a pedestrian crossing Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, in Tokyo.
(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan recently announced it will allow 87 students on Japanese government education” target=”_blank”>scholarships<
Though only some of the soaring number of infected people are hospitalized and occupying less than one-third of available hospital beds in the Japanese capital, experts say the rapid upsurge of the cases could quickly overwhelm the medical systems once the infections further spread among the elderly population who are more likely to become seriously ill.
Surging infections have begun to paralyze hospitals, schools and other sectors in some areas.
The ministry has trimmed the required self-isolation period from 14 days to 10 for those who come into close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, and to seven days for essential workers if they test negative.
While about 80% of Japanese have received their first two vaccine doses, the rollout of booster shots has been slow and has reached only 1.4 % of the population so far.
