The government decided on Friday to deny entry to foreign nationals who had stayed in Hubei Province, China, within two weeks before their arrival in Japan. This decision is deemed a necessary step in implementing strong measures at the border due to the increasing number of infected people in the country. The entry ban is applied even if there are no symptoms of the new type of pneumonia. It is the first time for Japan to restrict the entry of people who have been to a specific area.
"This is an unprecedented measure for cases in which infection cannot be confirmed, but immigration control should be significantly strengthened," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday.
The people who will not be allowed to enter Japan unless there are special circumstances will not only be those who have Chinese passports issued by Hubei Province it will also be those who stayed in the province.
"The measure is based on the fact that some people tested positive for the disease despite having no symptoms. We will take all possible measures to prevent the spread of infection by further enhancing the effectiveness of border control," Abe said, seeking understanding of the new course of action. This policy was confirmed at the National Security Council's ministers meeting for emergency, which took place after the second coronavirus task force meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday. The plan was approved by a Cabinet decision.
In addition to people who have stayed in Wuhan and Hubei Province, a bus driver and guide who carried tourists from Wuhan have been infected with the virus. It was also confirmed that some Japanese nationals who returned to Japan on chartered flights by the government were infected with the virus without showing symptoms. If this situation continues, the person-to-person transmission may spread further.
For these reasons, the government decided to take measures to block the entry of people from Hubei Province.
Furthermore, the provisions of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law that stipulates that "any other person who Justice Minister determines to have committed acts detrimental to the interests or public security of Japan" are applied to the grounds for denial of entry. This provision was primarily intended to deny entry to terrorists, and it is the first time the law has been applied to infectious diseases.
"Based on the fact that some people have been infected with the virus without symptoms, we concluded that the virus could spread to other parts of the country if people who have stayed in the infected area were to enter the country. We, therefore, concluded that the virus was 'acts detrimental to the [public] interests,'" a senior justice ministry official said.
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