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Japan's entry ban hurting foreign students' mental health: survey

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27 percent picked South Korea

More than 35% in reality among students at the moment.

10 ( +14 / -4 )

Japan has banned entries by foreigners in principle since Nov. 30 

....well.... except for the soccer players in the World Cup qualifiers. sports people are the new elite, so different rules apply, than to us plebs.

17 ( +22 / -5 )

It's Japan's loss. They're already having labor shortages due to their aging population. This unreasonable and xenophobic ban is just further exacerbating Japan's poor reputation on how they treat non-Japanese people. Prospective students - take your knowledge and skills elsewhere where you'll be welcomed without discrimination, sought after for having unique skills and abilities, and rewarded for your hard work and achievements.

13 ( +23 / -10 )

Maybe these students would be better off studying, or completing their studies elsewhere. Japans complete entry ban is stupid and is not making Japan a fruitful country for young academics to study in.

9 ( +18 / -9 )

« Japan has banned entries by foreigners in principle since Nov. 30 »

I will never get tired of reminding ourselves and the lazy journalists who write here that no, Japan has not banned entries since Nov.30.

Japan has banned entries since February 2020, a ban that applied to foreign residents as well for seven months, and had restarted issuing visa and certificates of eligibility on Nov.5, 2021, before shutting down again on Nov.30. So a more correct way of describing the situation would be:

« Japan has banned entries by foreigners since February 2020, two full years including seven months in which not even permanent residents could come back, with the exception of 24 days in which almost no student or perspective foreign resident managed to enter the country anyway because priority was given to short term businesses travelers and others couldn’t get their visa before the country closed again »

15 ( +23 / -8 )

"I could not give up living in Japan, so I decided to continue to learn Japanese to work in Japan in the future. 

Why work in Japan and subject yourself to low wages, an archaic, rigid company atmosphere, unstable work contracts and difficulty for being promoted due to your nationality?

Japanophiles like her with that degree are usually the at highest risk to become disillusioned gaijin, contemplating about their life while sitting in their 6万円 prison cell-sized apartment. When still a young Japan Fan, you probably don’t mind, but when you are getting older and plan to have a family, things will look different.

11 ( +20 / -9 )

Wait, you're mentally damaged because you can't enter Japan? War is hell, lol...

-13 ( +10 / -23 )

Coming back into Japan I was fine but have (Covid?) had the worst sore throat for years!

Japan is keeping out nothing that is not already here.

And is Japan a country that justly rewards foreigners for their efforts without requiring a complete identity change?

As they say…”the news is out there”

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Students unable to come to Japan complain about being forced to alter their life plans

Welcome to life as an adult, boys and girls.

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

Japan's entry ban hurting foreign students' mental health

if that hurts your mental health then i'm sorry to say you are definitely not suitable to live in Japan... you've got to be mentally strong to live here as a foreigner....

4 ( +12 / -8 )

Tell that mother's and father's of japanese children who can't enter Japan even they are married to japanese and have work in Japan.

Poor students mental health..... If their mental health is so fragile they shouldn't choose to study in Japan... Not the right place for a fragile mind

5 ( +13 / -8 )

@Johansawada

if that hurts your mental health then i'm sorry to say you are definitely not suitable to live in Japan... you've got to be mentally strong to live here as a foreigner....

lol they even have to enter the country, at least give them a chance to try and learn what it means to live as a foreigner in Japan

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Oh poor students getting mental not being able to come to Japan. Come on give me a brake. Times are tough all over the world so they need to take a chill pill. Actually it is a good lesson in Japanese politics and how we live in Japan. If and when they come they can write a nice essay in Japanese about their time not being able to come and win that speech competition! Use this a fuel for your creativity.

-8 ( +6 / -14 )

And is Japan a country that justly rewards foreigners for their efforts without requiring a complete identity change?

I don't agree. I remember the immigration office in Otamachi in the 1980's. It was a disgusting spectacle to watch. Japan just uses foreign brains, money and labour so that Japanese can sit on their backsides watching Sony TV.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

I think it is partly backlash from forcing the Olympics down everyone's throats in Tokyo, and reporting gold medals while people with suspected coronavirus infections were denied beds in hospitals and died at home with no care last August.

Except visitors are still banned during that time and only official Olympic delegations can come.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Alan Harrison

You disagree with my question ?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It got so bad that I contemplated suicide many times

What ? I acknowledge that Japan's entry ban may be draconian but ...

If something like this makes you feel suicidal, best stay in your own country. Mildly disappointed, I can understand.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

This entire thing has no logic... It's hurting Japan. No one will want to do business or study in Japan.

2 ( +9 / -7 )

Okay, my dudes. People here saying stuff like "well if they have mental health issues, they should just stay in their countries" seem to have a problem with other people's hardships and think they're almighty or something.

Of course you would have mental problems in this case. And NOT because Japan doesn't open it's borders, but because of the effects of that.

Just imagine: you have to wake up at like 2 or 3 am for a bunch of classes. And, since you can't get the scholarship if you have one, since you don't live in Japan, you might need to work a full time or a part time job in parallel. Your sleep schedule and life schedule would be f-ed up so badly, even the most strong out there would feel depressed. Also if you have a bit of mental health knowledge, you would know that sleep deprivation can really bring the worst out of you. Especially if you don't know for how long you have to keep doing that.

You're mental, guys, being so judgemental. Is it that hard to be compassionate?

Yeah, we can understand why Japan is so afraid to an extent, but it's also quite irrational to play with the lifes of so many foreigners. So YOU take a chill pill.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Well, that is too bad, the Japanese and the rest of the world not only suffering mentally !?? but also dying from this monster.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Should at least allow foreign students to enter.

Quite so! Your local conbini doesnt have enough employees!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

There are plenty of Japanese students that are suffering mental health issues too!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

And is Japan a country that justly rewards foreigners for their efforts without requiring a complete identity change?

I don't agree. I remember the immigration office in Otamachi in the 1980's. It was a disgusting spectacle to watch. Japan just uses foreign brains, money and labour so that Japanese can sit on their backsides watching Sony TV.

Alan Harrison

You disagree with my question ?

Read the first 3 letter sentence. Not sure whether or not you make statements or ask questions. Maybe you should study the nuance of the question mark.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I wonder how the foreign students who were able to get in before the ban feel about being here. How is their economic condition? I would imagine for the kind of work that most students do, there is plenty to go around now. Are the getting more hours, making more than they normally would? Convenient stores and fast food did not close down. They simply adapted. Convenience store probably made lots of money during the pandemic. Even when some 24 hours stores and supermarkets were closed, the convenience stores stayed open.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I was ambivalent about this whole thing at first but the more that story after story tries to paint Japan in a bad light, along with the inevitable bashing to follow in the comments, I'm starting to see the wisdom in sakoku.

So you were on the fence about this until you read an article about how it was hurting young people so much that some are contemplating suicide and that fact convinced you this was something you can get behind? That is messed up.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If Japan’s rule to ban new entries causes them mental issues why don't they just quit and look for a different place with less stringent rules? I agree that Japan is overreacting to a mostly harmless omicron but they are unlikely to change the rules anytime soon.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

KYODO...at full throttle.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@El Rata

Did you even read the article?

Instead of studying in Japan, 46.4 percent of the respondents switched to studying in a different country. Among those who made such a change, around 27 percent picked South Korea, the survey showed.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Mainly this is aimed at blocking out the greatest number of tourists - the Chinese hordes that have been descending on Japan in increasing numbers.

Everyone else is collateral damage, but thats life.

In order to keep China at bay, needs must.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Poor students mental health..... If their mental health is so fragile they shouldn't choose to study in Japan... Not the right place for a fragile mind

Agreed, no place for the fragile mind. Certainly a place to like, but not fall in love with. I often think that Japanaphiles are just masochists.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Every year Japan gives million of yen in scholarships to international students, maybe they are not getting their handouts. Personally, I think Japanese taxpayers money would be better going to hard up Japanese students.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

@Dave

Did you even read the article?

I did. If 46.4% switched to a different country it means that 53.6% of respondents are still stubbornly wanting to come to Japan thus extending their suffering.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

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