Japan’s ruling coalition asks government to allow entry of foreign students

Japan’s ruling coalition asks government to allow entry of foreign students

 Ruling coalition parties in Japan have submitted resolutions asking the government to resume policies that allow foreign students into the country. The government banned entry by non-resident foreigners last November, amid the spread of the Omicron variant. It is now considering easing the restrictions based on scientific evidence on the variant. The Liberal Democratic and Komeito parties in the coalition called for a swift review of the current entry ban in separate resolutions submitted to Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu and others on Tuesday. They both asked the government to allow foreign students into the country, regardless of whether they are on government scholarships. The LDP resolution says accepting foreign students is in the national interest. It says foreign students should be able to enter the country under simplified procedures, regardless of the daily limit on the number of foreign entrants. The Komeito party says the government should resume accepting applications from foreign students, so that their entry could start on March 1. The party also asked that people who are essential to Japan’s artistic and cultural activities, as well as athletes, should be allowed to enter the country. The head of the LDP’s education and science committee, Yamamoto Tomohiro, said the government told him that the entry ban will continue for this month, while it will swiftly study easing the restriction. Komeito policy chief, Takeuchi Yuzuru, said Matsuno told him that the government shares the same concern, and that it is working on the matter.