Flight reservations for Golden Week holidays dive more than 90%

There you go, proof that Japanese are following stay at home guidelines.

Next.

The issue I have is;

While Japanese citizens are able to re-enter the country, they are required to be tested for coronavirus and self-isolate for two weeks.

This legislation separates families as the spouse of a Japanese national is not permitted to re-enter while the Japanese national can. What it tells me that as a foreign business owner and permanent resident who has been here more than 2 decades, paid lots of business and personal taxes, and employs Japanese engineers, the Japanese government simply does not want me here.

This policy has completely changed my outlook on Japan; not the individual people, but the country as an entity.

192,250 traveling domestically and 12,674 traveling internationally are still a whole lot of Japanese not staying home, not staying safe, not saving lives.

Good!

I wanna go back to work and open my biz again.

Theres no vaccine.

People will have to go back to work eventually. No two ways about it.

＠Tokyo-Engr

legislation separates families as the spouse of a Japanese national is not permitted to re-enter while the Japanese national can.

I think that re-entry is possible for the case you note.

From website Ministry of Justice

 In cases where a foreign national with the status of residence of “Permanent Resident”, “Spouse or Child of Japanese National”, “Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident” or “Long-Term Resident” departed from Japan on or before April 2, 2020 with re-entry permission (including special re-entry permission; the same applies hereinafter) (including the spouse of a Japanese national or Japanese child who does not have these statuses of residence; hereinafter the same applies), will be considered, in principle, to come under special exceptional circumstances.

http://www.moj.go.jp/EN/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/m_nyuukokukanri01_00003.html

Though you better ask for further clarification about the key phrase "come under special exceptional circumstances", the guideline doesn't suggest the refusal of landing. Testing & self-quarantine are compulsory regardless of legal status.

Tokyo Engr

It is not a race thing like you are making it out to be

You can come back to Japan if you have residency and live here.

This has totally changed your outlook on Japan as a nation? Uhhh, that’s almost hilarious man, the entire planet is distancing and profiling nations and not allowing certain people in.

Japan added nations to the banned list the other day. If you have been to a nation on that list within the last 14 days, you are on that list.

Dear Noriah

First; Thank you very much for your reply and this information.

However.....please read the part about departed Japan on or before April 2, 2020. I have an elderly parent in the U.S. and if I choose to leave to care for them I cannot come back now.

Because we could not believe this was really true we actually called (twice - first me and then my wife) and it is not possible for me to return to Japan if I leave.

For those interested please call 0570-013904.

It is very sad that the government thinks it is OK to separate families. This policy has no benefit (other than to turn people like me against the country - again not people). My risk of catching this or spreading this is no greater than a Japanese person.

If they wish to keep the Japanese health system for Japanese only then I should not have to pay into the Japanese health care system (which I have been doing) nor pay taxes.

@thepersoniamnow - please see my more recent post. Why can my wife go visit my parents in the U.S. and return and I cannot? Can you provide rationale for this decision?

This makes no sense as it does nothing to stop the spread of the virus.

Oops my bad, you actually cannot come back after a certain date.

Ministry of justice.

http://www.moj.go.jp/EN/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/m_nyuukokukanri01_00003.html

Numbers are still too high. That's close to 205,000 bookings. Let's say each booking is for a party of two; that translates to 410,000 people traveling. Close proximity to how many non-travelers i.e. airport check in, security, transportation to the airport, cabin attendants? Sorry, not a reason to pat ourselves on the back. Look at what happened to Hokkaido when they jumped the gun; this is asinine.

@theperson - thank you for pointing this out. Again; I have nothing but good to say about the people of Japan. My clients, employees, small shops I go to....all of them. Furthermore most Japanese citizens that I have spoke to about this cannot believe this - again it is about keeping families together - not race or anything else.

The policy lacks common sense and does absolutely nothing to stop or control this virus.

I think Tokyo Engr...

You going to the states to care for your parents and then coming back here, is exactly the kind of thing we don’t want.

Its sad but true. All over the world, people are having to make tough choices and whats usually the right thing to do is not.

So imo, it’s good that there’s rules, otherwise EVERYONE would be going everywhere for very good reasons, and then more will die.

192,250 traveling domestically and 12,674 traveling internationally are still a whole lot of Japanese not staying home, not staying safe, not saving lives.

Not everyone who travels domestically or internationally is Japanese. "Not saving lives" implies you travel, you kill someone.

People have been claiming the same thing about commuting. Hasn't happened yet.

@theperson - so the separation of families is OK?

If this rule was made to all residents of Japan then I would understand your logic. However if a Japanese national can travel overseas for vacation and come back; what then?

@Tokyo

However.....please read the part about departed Japan on or before April 2, 2020. I have an elderly parent in the U.S. and if I choose to leave to care for them I cannot come back now.

I see. Let's hope that things will soon go back to normal. I'm far away from Japan where my aged parents reside (now under virus threat?). Both exit (fewer flights) and entry are tough. Mine is another, different case from yours, but I feel empathy.

@noriah - Thank you very much and I hope your parents are doing well. Mine are fine so far.

I believe this topic about flying to other countries and returning is worthy of its own article and a challenge to an illogical policy is warranted. I have not personally met anyone who after a short discussion agrees with the government's policy as there is no logic to it.

It's surprising there are 12,674 international flight reservations. I wonder which countries are still accepting flights from and to Japan.

Good that people refrain from traveling, and let's hope we can exit the emergency state at the end of GW. It seems that even the 60,000 people who were planning to go to Okinawa changed their minds upon the media uproar, now it went down to 10,00o or so.

However, there are still people who have to travel for various reasons, urgent matters, etc. I hate to think of what would happen if a sudden emergency will arise at my family in Europe and I have to go, logistics would be a nightmare.

@Ken: You may or may not be right on that. As for me I am just focusing on the issue that this rule separates families and one spouse has the ability to take an international flight back to Japan while the other spouse does not have this ability. Both members of the family would have had equal exposure to the environment to which they traveled as well as exposure to each other continuously. I have yet to hear a logical argument as to why one spouse would pose more or less of a risk when re-entering the country (or flying for that matter) than the other spouse.

@Tokyo-Engr I sympathize with your situation (and also have aging parents in another country). However, the simple fact is that it is legally and politically extremely difficult to prevent citizens of a country from entering that country. This is not a uniquely Japanese phenomenon.

If the new rules did apply to Japanese nationals too, this would not improve your situation.

(It is all kind of pointless now anyway, given that the virus is clearly already all over Japan - this is clearly no longer a threat from overseas)

@ADK99 - thank you for your sympathies. I understand about what you say however Japan is doing this at this time so I imagine it is legal (in some framework). Again, I can see no rational reason for this law which may impact Japan's ability to attract "highly skilled" workers in the future.

If you know that this is not legal I would certainly like to have more information about this.

Yes the virus now ubiquitous throughout Japan so the domestic flights are near empty now and from what I understand the international arrivals are dramatically lower as well.

@Ken: You may or may not be right on that. As for me I am just focusing on the issue that this rule separates families and one spouse has the ability to take an international flight back to Japan while the other spouse does not have this ability. Both members of the family would have had equal exposure to the environment to which they traveled as well as exposure to each other continuously. I have yet to hear a logical argument as to why one spouse would pose more or less of a risk when re-entering the country (or flying for that matter) than the other spouse.

Tokyo-Engr

Thank you for the response.I feel for you and fully understand the predicament that befalls one in such a scenario and I really hope the gvt could reconsider their actions in such situations.

It is really sad that after living here for so long,one gets such treatment.That is why I made the above comment about PR status,though it has already been deleted.I have also been here for more than 2 decades,graduated from a Japanese school,university and married to a Japanese national,can read and write Japanese language,holder of N1 and speak fluent Japanese but I still get treated like I landed yesterday.

@ ADK99

Canada as an example would allow a Japanese spouse that has Canadian landed immigrant status to re-enter Canada but would have to provide proof of a plan on how they will quarantine. Part of that proof requires them to show the method of transportation to the quarantine location (their home, hotel, etc.) which can NOT include any public transportation and also how food and other supplies will be brought to that location as that person is to go directly from the airport to the location and stay there for 14 days.

@Tokyo-EngrToday 07:54 am JST

Ultimately, it is because you are not a citizen. Why do Foreigners in Japan keep thinking they deserve to have their cake and eat it too? You wanted to keep your rights as an American, but you want all the rights as a Japanese too? Isn't that a bit greedy?

The average Japanese "citizen" does not have an "elderly parent" in the country with the most confirmed cases in the world. Don't you think that at least statistically speaking you are endangering the Japanese population by choosing to visit your "elderly parent" and then returning?

@KnowBetterToday 10:56 am JST

In other words, it is also conditional to the government's discretion. Further, the entire concept of "not including public transportation" is elitist, especially in Japan. Not everyone conveniently has a car or access to one. It effectively gives a privilege to the rich.

Actually yes the separation of families is ok and is being done!

Where I work is open for cops and fire fighters, supermarket workers, nurses and doctors, etc.

And yeah I cannot see my grandparents and haven’t gone to see my family for a month. It’s kinda selfish imo, since everyone is sacrificing, if its just giving up something, then yeah, I say we all gotta suck it up.

I closed my biz, many others have too, even though technically we could be open.

My friend is here right now working from Australia. He is a citizen, and yet he has to complete 2 weeks isolation before he can see his family.

I think one main point in difference, is that a lot of people are here on permanent residency, and thats different than getting eventual citizenship. Its a crappier deal with less rights.

@Tokyo-Engr WHat I was trying to say is that even if the government wanted to stop citizens from re-entering the country, this is likely very difficult and may even be legally/politically impossible. It certainly can't just done on a whim - aside from anything else, it creates a "well, where should they go?" situation. In your case, Japan's answer if they refuse you entry is that you should go to the place where you are a citizen. This is not entirely unreasonable, but would be completely unreasonable were you Japanese.

I do think the rule is a bit pointless as it is very much predicated on the rest of the world being rife with the disease whilst Japan has only a handful of cases. This is surely nonsense. But I have no particular problem with the rule on discrimination grounds (despite being a foreign resident myself) and I don't agree with your assertion that it is separating families. This will only happen if you choose to make that trip; I'm British, and back home regardless of nationality the restrictions are far, far greater.

It was reported a few days ago on NHK that the number of visitors from mainland Japan to Okinawa was up by 67%. The root cause of the trips was hotel refusing to waiver the cancellation fees despite the ongoing COVID19 spread. If these hotels would have waived the cancellation fees then the figures would be higher percentage of those staying home.

While Japanese citizens are able to re-enter the country, they are required to be tested for coronavirus and self-isolate for two weeks.

"This legislation separates families as the spouse of a Japanese national is not permitted to re-enter while the Japanese national can. What it tells me that as a foreign business owner and permanent resident who has been here more than 2 decades, paid lots of business and personal taxes, and employs Japanese engineers, the Japanese government simply does not want me here.

This policy has completely changed my outlook on Japan; not the individual people, but the country as an entity."

I took you 2 decades to figure out that Japanese Officials are Xenophobes? Dude, wake up.

@Kazuaki Shimazaki

Ultimately, it is because you are not a citizen. Why do Foreigners in Japan keep thinking they deserve to have their cake and eat it too? You wanted to keep your rights as an American, but you want all the rights as a Japanese too? Isn't that a bit greedy?

No I do not think I am being greedy. I just do now want my (or anyone else's) family separated. I do not expect the right to vote, nor do I expect to be able to avoid paying Japanese taxes and pay into the social welfare programs (i.e. health insurance and pension).

I have not found a country yet with this policy. Even Korea will allow the Japanese direct family members to enter Korea.

All public transport should be the same. Test temperature and do a simple smell test.

Why do Foreigners in Japan... blah blah blah

Makes you feel good disparaging foreigners on this site, doesn't it. Explain to us foreigners how it makes any sense to be blocking permanent residents from returning to their homes after travelling abroad. I guess you should consider yourself lucky that Hong Kong is still allowing residents, regardless of nationality, re-enter the country after travelling aborad.

I wonder how many of the 12,674 reservations for international flights are one way tickets?