A research scholar waiting to meet his newborn child, a graduate worried about a job offer in Bengaluru and a pregnant woman whose four-day work trip now stretches interminably. These are among the 220 Indians stranded in Japan who are getting increasingly desperate to return home.
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Stuck in a foreign land as COVID-19 tightens its grip on many countries, dwindling financial resources and expired medical insurances are adding to their tensions.
The group of 220 Indians, including 92 dependants, have collectively reached out to the Indian Embassy in Tokyo asking to be evacuated to India, which has been under lockdown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on March 24.
In a signed letter, the stranded Indians have also assured that they would quarantine themselves when they return and would cooperate with authorities.
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Japan’s lockdown
Japan’s partial lockdown also remains a source of worry with some saying they live in constant fear of getting infected with the virus that has infected more than 2.4 million people and claimed over 1,70,000 lives.
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Rahul Joe, a research scholar at the University of Hokkaido till his contract expired last month, was all set to move back to Ahmedabad to be with his pregnant wife. The date was set and the tickets booked.
“We were blessed with a baby girl two days back. I don’t know when I will be able to see her for the first time. My medical insurance expired with my contract and now I am scared that if I fall ill, I will have no means to get myself treated,” Mr. Joe told PTI over the phone from Tokyo.
With the number of cases rising in Japan, the country on April 16 expanded the state of emergency to the entire nation in an attempt to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further and straining the healthcare system. The country has reported more than 11,000 cases.
However, unlike the lockdown imposed in several parts of the world, Japan’s post World War II constitution lays out guidelines for the strict protection of civil liberties, Mr. Joe said.
“Public transportation is operating as normal. Most state of emergency measures are in the form of requests and instructions. Violators cannot be punished unless they fail to comply with orders related to the storage or shipment of emergency relief goods and medical supplies. So, the risk is even higher. We are stuck inside and living in constant fear,” Mr. Joe said.
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For Kamal Vijayvargiya, a four-day trip to the country has taken on nightmarish overtones and he can’t wait to get back home to Jaipur.
“I am in the tea business and I come to Japan annually for business meetings. I came on March 18 and now I am stuck here. At present, I am staying at an office friend’s single room. But I cannot stay too long because she is a dialysis’ patient and it is risky for me to be here,” he said.
A 28-year-old pregnant woman, from Ahmedabad, said she too went to Japan for four days and has no clue when she will get back home
“I was in the first trimester of my pregnancy when I came to Tokyo in March. It was an official trip for four days but first the Janta curfew happened and then the travel restrictions. It has been a month now. My office has arranged for accommodation and other necessities are being taken care of, but it is depressing to be indoors all day in a foreign country without any clarity,” she said, on the condition of anonymity.
Akhilesh Sharma, a Ghaziabad resident, has been in Tokyo since December for a project that was to end in March. He has been living off his savings since then. “The Embassy did help me with a discounted voucher to stay in a hotel. But how long can that be managed?” he asked.
A fresh graduate from Nihon University was supposed to join a firm in Bengaluru from April 10. “My studies were done with here. I had a job offer. I was supposed to join the firm in April. The offer has not been withdrawn yet but I am still worried considering all the news about lay-offs and pay cuts,” the young woman said, refusing to be identified.
‘Ongoing process’
According to Indian government officials, bringing back stranded Indians is an ongoing process.
“Some questions have been raised about the Indians abroad. It is a situation where we cannot give a definite answer because of the lockdown there. We need to assess the situation... it will be the government’s decision on how we manage the return of Indians from other countries,” Dammu Ravi, COVID-19 coordinator, said at a press conference.
“Our ambassadors and high commissioners in these countries are regularly in touch with all the Indians living there and have been giving support to them. The Ministry of External Affairs’ COVID control room helplines are active, teams are taking calls and guiding them in these matters. The situation is under control. We will review at a later stage about their return,” an official from the Ministry said earlier this month.
