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Japan to allow pro athletes, coaches in under COVID-19 rules

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Why are athletes prioritized over reuniting families? This is so unfair.

At least allow separated families to have the same option, we would be glad to have a strict quarantine at a hotel, even paid out of our own pocket, if it meant we could reunite.

Why are sports people considered special priority but regular families not? I know it's because they have more money and influence than us, and it has nothing to do with stopping the coronavirus. This is just an opportunity for racist/nationalist politicians to keep foreigners out of Japan.

It's just heartbreaking to be separated from my husband for over a year. When will this end?

2 ( +5 / -3 )

I always wonder how so many people are "not allowed" to enter eventhough they have family here/there.

I was able to enter last year during the complete lockdown and didnt even have a COR or COE at that time.

The japanese embassy provided me with a tourist visa and told me which documents to bring to the immigration to narita when arriving.

Instead of my planned move to japan on May 13 I could enter in July 3rd and got my spouse visa on August 13 2020.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@theResident

I live in Japan and my husband's country had closed borders until 11/15 and Japan closed again 12/25. This is not "ample opportunity." This is just over one month. If their goal is to limit the coronavirus, they can do that by screening who they believe is important to get into Japan, testing, tracking, requiring quarantines and vaccines, only allowing people from countries with less infection than Japan, etc. There are ways to be careful about coronavirus. No one is advocating to let in every foreigner who wants to come to Japan, and let them wander all over Japan freely without a mask. Married people and families are not the same as tourists, but are being given the same treatment.

Letting in the athletes clearly shows that when there is a will, there is a way.

The Japanese government needs to make exceptions and a way for reuniting families. Especially considering the vaccines are underway, the state of emergency is over, and it wasn't even declared for most of Japan anyways. Why should a family living in Shikoku, where there was no SoE, have to remain separated because of Tokyo?

@zichi

These "special exceptions" are limited to death, birth of a child, or medical emergencies. For example, if my husband had been in Japan before the border closures getting cancer treatments, then left and was not allowed back in, and a Japanese doctor agreed to continue treating him and he could prove he couldn't get that treatment there, then he would be allowed in. But these "special circumstances" are not for reuniting families. They don't care about or want to reunite families, it is not important or a priority to them. If they wanted to add "family members who have been separated more than a year," then they could but they won't. They will add "athletes" instead, and I think it is unfair. This is purely an example of when there is a will, there is a way. And no one is pushing the government to start letting families reunite again, so nothing will change anytime soon.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I'm sorry NAM - you are married. Therefore you and/or your husband have a COE or Resident Status. Between September and December, unlanded foreigners with a COR were once again allowed to enter Japan - and those with a re-entry allowed to come back (that was all wrong, I was very disappointed with Japan) The Borders have not been fully 'CLOSED' ever. If you hadn't done the correct paperwork when you got married, then that is hardly a reason to complain about screening/vaccinations etc.

I do think that you missed your window here. There was a lot things you could have achieved between Sep-Dec last year to facilitate you being reunited.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

No problem with 14 day quarantine and testing if they pay for it.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

@NAM - there was ample opportunity for you to be reunited with your husband between September and December last year. I disagree with the policy and, yes I do actually know families who got separated after the border closures earlier in the year.

Japanese embassies were very proactive abroad in issuing dependent visas and rushing the COE certificates out in the period September-November. I'm not saying that it was easy, but it was very, very possible.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

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