Men sit on a rock as they look at the giant Olympic rings, amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, January 13, 2021. Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Tokyo: The Japanese government will restrict the entry of all nonresident foreign nationals in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The suspension will start as early as Thursday as Japan's state of emergency expands beyond Greater Tokyo. It is expected to last until Feb 7.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga touched on the tighter border restrictions in a Wednesday evening news conference, referring to new COVID-19 strains found in travelers returning from the UK and Brazil, according to (Kyodo) news agency.
In December, the government closed the borders to nonresident foreign nationals through the end of January, but entries were still allowed under the business arrangements. Suga had said the business corridors would be "stopped immediately" if they were linked to a COVID-19 variant. But ruling and opposition parties called for all entries to be suspended regardless of whether such variants were detected.
All those who enter the country, including Japanese citizens, may have their names disclosed if they violate the request to quarantine for 14 days, the government said. Furthermore, resident foreigners could have their resident status revoked and may be subject to deportation if they do not comply with the quarantine.
