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JAPAN BANS ESWATINI

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MBABANE – Eswatini has joined a long list of countries that have been banned from entering Japan.

The Japan Times reported recently that in response to the growing number of COVID-19 infections worldwide, the East Asian country was expanding its entry ban to visitors from 18 nations as part of steps aimed at curtailing the spread of the coronavirus, as announced by immigration authorities this past Monday. African countries that were included on the list are Eswatini, Algeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Central African Republic and Mauritania. Other countries that were included in the entry ban are Guyana, Cuba, Guatemala, Grenada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Cameroon, Iraq, Lebanon and Georgia.

With the addition, the travel ban would cover 129 countries, including those that were banned previously. The publication reported that foreign nationals who had stayed in these countries within 14 days prior to their application for landing, would be denied entry to Japan. The expansion took effect yesterday. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Thuli Dladla said they hadn’t received any correspondence communicating the travel ban to Japan, but stated that they would not be surprised by the move as countries were actually doing everything in their powers to protect their citizens.

Sceptical

“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our shores, we were also sceptical and there are countries that we also banned from entering the country and the primary reason was to protect Eswatini citizens,” she submitted. When quizzed if the ban would not affect local students studying in Japan, Dladla said as far as she knew, there was only one student from Eswatini who was studying in Japan, but that student was back home as he had completed his studies this year. “I may not know about other students studying there, mainly because the kingdom does not have an embassy in Japan,” she added. The Japan Foreign Ministry also announced that the suspension of visas issued outside Japan will be extended until the end of July.
The ministry stated that under the regulation, exemptions would be given to residents of Japan who left the country by June 30 and were either permanent residents, long-term visa holders, or spouses or children of a permanent resident or a Japanese national with such a status.

People with other visa statuses and those who are planning to leave Japan after July 1 will be required to meet strict conditions for re-entry. Special permission may be granted on humanitarian grounds, for instance, in the case of a death of a relative or for medical emergencies. However, Japan’s strict entry rules have been met with strong criticism from the expatriate community and foreign business lobby groups, as the restrictions have not only affected tourists but also legal residents and businesses operating in the country.

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