"Sakoku" Japan When will the country open?

"Sakoku" Japan When to open September 26, 19:58

"Sakoku"

Prime Minister Abe (at that time) called the current situation in which the corona sickness severely restricted the traffic of people from overseas.

As of September 16, 159 countries and regions have taken measures to deny entry to Japan.

If the “state of isolation” continues as it is, it could cause fatal damage to the domestic socio-economics including the tourism industry.

However, the hurdle of "compatibility with infection prevention" stands in the way of resuming traffic.

I followed the movement within the government by trial and error to "open the country".

(Political Department, Yuri Kimura)

"Japan is left behind"

It was May this year that the government began considering resuming traffic to and from overseas.

It was in the midst of a state of emergency being declared nationwide, demanding refrain from unnecessary and unurgent movement.

At this point, nearly 90 countries had been denied entry by the government, and it was certain that the number would increase.

On the other hand, China and South Korea have limitedly eased the entry of foreigners.

In Europe as well, studies have begun on easing movement restrictions within the EU.

For Japan, an island nation whose lifeline is ties with foreign countries, it was clear that if the restrictions on traffic were prolonged, the domestic socio-economic situation would be extremely severe.

Government officials expressed a sense of crisis in the movements of each country.

"At the time when the end of the state of emergency was about to be seen, movements to ease the traffic of people in China, South Korea, and Europe were transmitted. I think the resumption of the world economy is surprisingly quick. Be left behind "

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry vs Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare

How do you achieve both "resumption of traffic" and "prevention of infection spread"?

There was no dispute that the government's policy was to resume traffic first for business people, then for international students, and then for tourists.

There are two points.

One was whether to ask foreigners to wait for 14 days.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry insist that no waiting measures are required.

In response, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare violently resisted the need for strict infection control measures and demanded continued waiting measures.

Foreign ministry officials even told the MHLW's attitude that it was "stupid."

"To completely prevent infection, it's best to isolate everyone in the world. That's the best. But that's not possible. How many business owners come to Japan with a 14-day wait? Do you think there is? "

But the executives of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare do not take a step.

"Datte accuracy of the partner country of the virus inspection, do not know where to correct. In the inspection in it there is also a possibility that the output is" false negative ". Once you exempt from the waiting of 14 days, the understanding of the people can not be obtained"

of such a group of close competitors Witnessing the situation, officials at the official residence sighed.

"The Abe administration has raised its approval rating in diplomacy and the economy. It's not'Abe's hard work.'It's a natural idea to achieve results in diplomacy and the economy when the approval rating is declining. is not it"

The direction was decided by a word from Suga, but ...

It was then Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga who put an end to the debate.

"Relax for business. Do it in a meaningful way."

At this moment, the victory or defeat was decided.

Suga has waving his own flag, advocating making Japan a "tourism-oriented country."

The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan reached a record high of 31.88 million in the last year for the seventh consecutive year, but the tourism industry was severely hit by the new Corona.

The government has set out to take all steps to achieve its goal of reaching 60 million foreign tourists in 2030.

One of the government officials recalls:

"Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga made a big statement when we gathered the people in charge in June and had a meeting. If you limit the destination after entering Japan, you can exempt from waiting for 14 days. That's the direction."

What to do with a 14-day wait

Based on Suga's ruling, two mechanisms were shown at the meeting of the Government Response Headquarters held on June 18.

"Business truck" and "Residence truck".

The "Business Truck" requires short-term stayers such as business trips to submit PCR tests and activity plans in Japan, and instead of limiting the range of travel to workplaces, etc., it waits for 14 days at hotels, etc. exempt.

The "Residence Truck" requests long-term residents such as expatriates of companies to wait for 14 days in addition to PCR tests.

However, here is the actual material distributed on the day.

The "Residence Truck" was only a small proviso in one corner of the material.

The "business truck" was treated extensively and provided a detailed explanation.

It was clear which one the government would prioritize.

But an executive from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare whispered softly.

"Even if only Japan says exemption, that is not the case. Whether or not the waiting can be exempted depends on negotiations with the partner country."

Whispers like that prophecy will later become a reality.

The first four countries are "political decisions"

The second point was how to select the target country.

The government has focused on the number of new infections per 100,000 population in the last week as a guide when choosing a country to resume traffic.

It is an index used when canceling the state of emergency, and we decided to use whether this number is less than 0.5 as a guideline for resuming traffic.

Seven countries and regions met this guideline: China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand.

At an informal meeting attended by Abe and other related ministers on May 17, the direction of the first group aiming to resume traffic was confirmed to be Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. ..

China, South Korea, and Taiwan were excluded even though they met the criteria.

There was a political decision there.

Government officials have revealed their true intentions.

"There was a feeling that China, which is said to be the source of the new coronavirus, could not be the number one ...", and there were signs that the infection would spread again in China and South Korea, and there was concern about it. Then there was a feeling that Taiwan should proceed with discussions in the same second group as China. If you put it in the same group, judging from the infection situation, Taiwan will resume traffic first. There was also a reading that it would be. "

Government miscalculation

However, negotiations with Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand, which were the target countries of the first group, were not straightforward.

The first miscalculations are Australia and New Zealand.

The two countries in the Southern Hemisphere have the opposite seasons to Japan, so they have become more cautious about resuming traffic, saying that the infection could spread again toward winter.

A foreign ministry official explained, "In both countries, strict infection control measures are supported by the people. In this situation, it is unavoidable that they cannot be mitigated."

The remaining Thailand and Vietnam also aimed to reach an agreement on a "business truck" that would be exempt from waiting for 14 days, but negotiations were difficult.

Vietnam has become more cautious as the number of newly infected people in Japan has shown a sharp increase since mid-June after the state of emergency was completely lifted in Japan.

Negotiations with Thailand also suddenly braked in July just before the agreement.

This was because people from Egypt and Sudan ignored the quarantine measures and went out into the city, which later turned out to be positive.

In the end, negotiations between Vietnam and Thailand were limited to an agreement on the "Residence Truck" on July 22nd.

The 14-day waiting period will be maintained.

Strict waiting overseas

Waiting in Japan is just a request, and there is no compulsory force such as penalties.

Individuals are supposed to arrange transportation from the airport and waiting areas.

On the other hand, China has a strict isolation system, such as requiring a waiting time of 14 days.

"China is tight." When

I spoke online with a man working for a Japanese company who was assigned to Shanghai, China in late August, he said he was surprised at China's thorough border measures.

You cannot go outside the airport premises without permission.

When the man arrived at the airport in Shanghai, he underwent a PCR test, and was guided to a bus prepared by the Chinese authorities without being informed of the test results, and headed for a nearby hotel.

This is a hotel room where I was waiting, taken by a man.

He said he couldn't get out of here either.

They don't give me the room key, so once I leave the room, I can't go back.

Towels were not changed in the hotel room, but meals were provided three times a day.

The results of the temperature measurement twice daily were reported to the authorities through a smartphone.

The situation seems to be different depending on the hotel, but even if the window was opened, the man's room had a wall in front of him, so he could not see the view.

"It's a tough space because you can't see the sky at all. It's mentally powerful to keep waiting. If you don't divide it, you can't stand it. I'm convinced that you have to do this."

The approaching Olympics and Para

Government officials are worried about the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which have been postponed to next year, while the exit from the "isolated state" cannot be seen.

The IOC = International Olympic Committee is also shaking.

In September, IOC Vice-President and Coordinating Chairman Coates, who oversees the preparations for the Tokyo Games, said, "The Games will start on July 23, next year, with or without the new coronavirus."

Meanwhile, IOC President Bach reiterated the traditional view that a safe environment is a condition for the event, saying, "We will continue to adhere to the principle of hosting the Games next summer in a safe environment for all parties." ..

The government has set out to secure a vaccine that can be provided to all citizens by the first half of next year.

As a measure to ease the immigration restrictions for representative athletes from each country participating in the tournament, the environment is being improved at a rapid pace, such as by putting together a proposal that does not require waiting for 14 days after entering Japan.

Government officials point out:

"People come from overseas at the Olympics. We have to calculate backwards from next summer and proceed with preparations. We have to strengthen the inspection system and get used to accepting people from overseas without spreading the infection."

The road to "opening the country"

The government has been discussing resumption of traffic with China, South Korea, etc. as the second group to ease entry, and from September 8th, it will use a "residence truck" between five countries and regions such as Malaysia, Cambodia, and Taiwan. Relaxation has begun.

From September 18th, a "business truck" that will finally be exempt from waiting for 14 days will start with Singapore.

The government plans to increase the number of inspections at airports from 4,300 per day to 10,000 per day from September to further ease traffic.

A senior government official explained the outlook for inspection capabilities as follows:

"We would like to increase the number of inspections per day to 20,000 by the end of November, expand the system at the three airports of Narita, Haneda, and Kansai, and add three airports of New Chitose, Chubu, and Fukuoka. However, we would like to add Tokyo. 30,000 is not enough for the Olympics and Paralympics. We are considering a plan to increase the number to 50,000 per day in July next year. ”

How will we take the next step toward“ opening the country ”?

We asked Toshihiko Fujii, Deputy Director-General of the NSS = National Security Bureau.

In addition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, various ministries such as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are involved in border measures such as restricting traffic to and from overseas.

The NSS "economic team" is responsible for the command tower, and Fujii is in charge of it.

NSS, where state secrets are concentrated, has strict information management and rarely responds to interviews.

"If you expand the testing capacity, you can resume the traffic of people by that amount. Also, the vaccine is a" game changer (thing that changes the situation) ", and if it spreads, testing will not be necessary. Currently, the expansion of testing We will respond from both perspectives of vaccine development. "

However, Fujii did not forget to add this.

"Foreign tourists' prospects for entry cannot be concretely stated at this point." As the

Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics approach day by day, the government seeks to open the country from "Reiwa's isolation". It is continuing.

(Honorific title omitted in the text)