Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The European Business Council (EBC) together with the American Chamber of Committee in Japan (ACCJ), the Australian & New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce asked Japan for more transparent rules, and easing of entry restrictions for foreign nationals.

They have also requested Japan recognize overseas vaccination certificates.

In a joint statement, the chambers also asked for a framework that would make it possible for companies to bring in personnel in limited numbers, stating that, compared to other countries, “Japan has not been able to achieve comparable progress.”

Many companies, both Japanese and foreign, have been negatively affected by Japan’s entry restrictions. This is compounded when companies aren’t able to replace senior management and other employees who have left Japan.

The chambers’ statement said: “We therefore urge the government to rapidly expand the vaccination program in Japan by mobilizing all of the country’s considerable resources to ensure the vaccine is rapidly deployed and availability extended to a wider age group. … The recent decision to ban the entry into Japan of non-Japanese nationals traveling from certain South Asian countries was unfortunately not based on public health principles. This new rule applies only to non-Japanese nationals, including long-term residents of Japan. Barring entry of foreign residents of Japan without any scientific evidence that they pose more risk to public health than returning Japanese nationals is both discriminatory and ineffective public health policy.”

The chambers believe that foreign nationals with established residency status should be treated the same as Japanese. The statement added, curtly: “We ask that the government amend these rules immediately.”

The chambers cited a need for internationally recognized testing and vaccination documentation, such as vaccine certificates, to permit resumption of international travel. They called for “the Government of Japan to ease restrictions on travel to Japan and quarantine by those who have received the full course of a WHO-accredited COVID-19 vaccination, have fully recovered from COVID-19 with an accompanied antigen test or have two consecutive negative PCR tests and hold such a credential.”