Japan's border crackdown leaves students in limbo and economy in a pinch

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TOKYO — Two years after Japan locked down its borders to block the coronavirus, some 150,000 foreign students still aren't able to enter the country, left in limbo by a policy that has disrupted lives and caused headaches for universities and businesses.

The absence of the foreign students and researchers is being felt from big laboratories to small, private universities, highlighting the importance of overseas talent — and their tuition fees — as Japan grapples with a shrinking population.

At research institute Riken, geneticist Piero Carninci says he sees the impact first-hand. Japan has a shortage of bioinformatic researchers critical for genomic studies but he has not been able to fill the gap with foreign talent over the past two years. But Japan stands out with the strictest borders among Group of Seven countries, effectively banning all new non-residents since March 2020. Only China, with its zero Covid-19 target, has been more closed off among major economies.

More than 100 academics and international relations experts signed a letter asking Mr Kishida to reopen borders last week. People shut out have protested outside Japanese embassies and an online petition calling for students and workers to be let in has more than 33,000 signatures."It's a giant own-goal for Japan after decades of masterful use of soft power," said Mr Wesley Cheek, a sociologist who recently left Japan for a research post in Britain.

Even before the coronavirus, there were not enough foreign students to meet labour demand, said Mr Yohei Shibasaki, an international hiring adviser to service and tech companies

 

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