"Japan to Deny Entry to Foreigners with Stay History in Daegu and Gyeongbuk"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 26th, the Sankei Shimbun reported that the Japanese government has decided to refuse entry to foreigners who have stayed in Daegu and some parts of Gyeongbuk in South Korea.

According to the report, the Japanese government will make this decision at the meeting of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response Headquarters, headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The entry restriction targets foreigners who visited Daegu and other areas within two weeks prior to their application for entry into Japan.

This is the first time the Japanese government has designated a target country other than China. Previously, the Japanese government refused entry to foreigners who had stayed in Hubei and Zhejiang provinces in China following the spread of COVID-19.

Sankei explained that this policy appears to have been established considering that the number of COVID-19 infections in South Korea has surpassed that in Japan and infections are rapidly increasing in Daegu and other areas.

Earlier, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its website that "Since February 19, cases of (novel coronavirus) infection have surged in Daegu Metropolitan City and Cheongdo County in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, with 607 cases confirmed as of the 24th," and newly designated the infection risk information for these areas as 'Level 2.' Level 2 is a stage recommending suspension of unnecessary visits.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.