Vienna Philharmonic to perform in 4 Japanese cities from next week

@Tokyo-m

You are 100% right. I am in the same situation as you are and fully agree with your sentiment and I ask the same question you do as well. The only conclusion seems to be that Japan does not seem to want foreigners to actually live here unless they (foreigners) are will to pay taxes but have less rights and freedom than tourists or other non resident visitors.

Unfortunately I have a business here and it is not easy to unwind and leave. If I was not in this situation I would certainly consider relocating to a more welcoming place.

What makes this even worse is the Philharmonic are coming from a place where the Pandemic has been rapidly getting worse.

As for the Vienna Philharmonic: Notwitshtanding my sentiments on the double standards which seem to discriminate against legal and taxpaing residents of Japan, I saw them at Suntory Hall a few years ago and they are fantastic.

The Japanese immigration policies are completely illogical, make no sense at all, and are definitely descriminatory against tax paying foreign residents of Japan.

@Tokyo-m

One more tidbit to brighten your day.

According to NHK (the government news agency in Japan):

The panel is urging medical preparedness in areas where infections are spreading. It's also calling for health notices and tests in provincial entertainment districts and foreign residents' communities, which have seen clusters and could become super-spreader sites.

The link to this unbelievable article which groups foreign resident communities in with entertainment districts is below.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201028_26/

I need to visit elderly relatives at home, but these restrictions which are especially severe for foreign PRs are putting me off. The problems are always on the Japanese side. Japanese tourists have not once faced any restrictions like pre-arrival tests and post-arrival quarantine in my own country. And they are also clogging up our immigration queues when they line up with us at our airports. Why do we have to get clinics in our home countries to fill out the Japanese government's form, which, incidentally, is a badly written MS word file? Are they scared that even English speaking countries might make an English spelling mistake? Are foreign PRs more likely to get the virus than a Japanese?

And look at it from a Taiwanese point of view. A Taiwanese who has lived long-term in Japan faces huge hurdles coming back to Japan, not because their country is a hot-spot (they've had zero new cases since forever) but because Japan has this holier-than-thou attitude, even though Japan cannot stop this pandemic problem in their own country.

Completely ridiculous.And will they play in full capacity venues ? Indoors ?

When the virus cases in Europe are at record highs? What is so important about 4 classical concerts To take this level of risks ? And if there is a positive case on testing on arrival , they all return to Vienna ?

And does this mean the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra’s are so inferior ? They can not perform but the Vienna Orchestra can ?

And does the Vienna Orchestra also has no more common sense ?

The case law on this is clear - 1975 (Gyo-Tsu) 120:

The Minister of Justice, when deciding whether the [...] the period of sojourn should be allowed or not, must consider not only the appropriateness of the application by the foreign national in question, the entire behaviour of the foreign national, political, economic and social circumstances within Japan as well as the international situation, diplomatic relations, international comity and other circumstances from the viewpoint of the maintenance of public security and good morals in Japan, ensurance of health and hygiene, stability of the labour market and other interest of the state which are the purpose of immigration control and regulation of sojourn of foreign nationals, and make a timely and accurate decision. An appropriate result cannot be expected unless such a decision, due to its nature, is left to the discretion of the Minister of Justice who is responsible for the administration of immigration control.

Let's face it, the disease risks notwithstanding, one of the top orchestras of the world has a higher benefit to Japan than regular mundanes. The minuses might be equal, but the pluses aren't.

Kazuaki

I guess those of us living here are the "regular mundanes"?

Shimazaki San,

I have that funny persuasion that every person has the same value as the other as long as he/she respects the other. Every “ mondaine “ person has his own specific value. Obviously I do agree with you that the Vienna PO brings Valuable experiences for the Japanese public, but since they are around since 1842, Maybe their timing is just a bit off ? It is likely they are stil around in 2021/22 and Japan and most of us here as well.

Idiotic govt making stupid decisions as usual completely in line with the stupidity we have come to expect from authority in this place.

Better treatment for the better is not so totally wrong. And this orchestra is top class without doubt. Currently, a little bit of top culture surely causes much less damage than aggressions, shootings, lootings , destruction or beheadings , terror knife attacks , people going corona-crazy etc. in many other countries. You should be happy living in one of the few remaining places where still is a rest of civilization, culture and human behavior the norm and not the exception.