Japan Lifts Entry Ban on Foreign Residents... Will Korean Students Be Allowed to Re-enter?

Korean residents and international students from Japan staying in Korea are bustling to quickly depart at the international departure hall of Seoul Gimpo Airport. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Japanese government will virtually lift the COVID-19 entry ban on foreigners holding residency status in Japan, such as international students and expatriates, starting next month.

According to local reports including the Asahi Shimbun on the 29th, the Japanese government has decided to allow foreigners who hold residency status and have stayed in Japan, but traveled to entry-restricted countries such as Korea after obtaining re-entry permission, to re-enter Japan from September 1.

For re-entry, one must obtain re-entry permission before leaving Japan and carry either a re-entry related document confirmation issued by a Japanese diplomatic mission abroad or a receipt issued by the Japanese Immigration Services Agency. New entries of spouses or children of Japanese nationals or permanent residents are also permitted.

For re-entry or new entry, a certificate proving a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test conducted within 72 hours before departure from the point of origin must be carried.

Since the Japanese government designated Korea as an entry-restricted country due to COVID-19, international students residing in Japan faced difficulties returning to Japan if they traveled to Korea. However, this measure is expected to enable their travel between the two countries.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Justice, as of the end of last year, there were approximately 2.62 million foreign residents in Japan, with Koreans numbering about 165,000.

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