Weekly Update: News on Japan & the Netherlands – Week 40, 2020

A government-led panel has worked out immigration protocols that will allow athletes to travel to Japan and train even if Japan is prohibiting travel from their homeland. “No matter what happens, we will be able to hold the Olympics,” Mori said.

Last week, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach expressed optimism about the games’ prospects, while admitting the situation around the world is still uncertain.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike also agreed that the country will move forward with the global sporting event.“The prime minister and I both hope to move forward with plans to host the 2020 Games,” Koike told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office following the talks. “Regarding virus countermeasures, the capital will continue to work closely with the central government in strengthening hospital capacity and increasing testing numbers.”

Experts have pointed out repeatedly that, for the games to be held safely, the virus would have to be conquered not just in Japan but in every country from which people are expected to travel to watch the quadrennial sporting event. At the same time, canceling or postponing the event further will have a devastating effect on Japan, which has already spent billions of yen preparing.

The government will exempt athletes competing at next year’s games from the 14-day self-quarantine period currently required for all travelers arriving from abroad. The athletes will have to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of leaving their own country.

In relaxing immigration restrictions, Japan will allow the entry of foreign nationals with permits to stay for three months or longer for purposes including engaging in medical, cultural and sports-related activities. Business trips for less than three months will also be allowed.

Those travelers must be accepted by entities or organizations capable of ensuring they have tested negative for the virus before entering Japan. After arrival, they have to stay in self-isolation for 14 days and avoid using public transportation during the period.

The government is considering limiting the number of entries to about 1,000 each day. At the same time, it will increase virus testing capacity at airports, government sources said earlier.

“We will start relaxing entry restrictions by looking at the situation of infections in each country and also considering the degree of need (for travel),” economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is also in charge of the response to the coronavirus, told a press conference.

Asked in a multiple-answer question about how they communicate with foreigners on such occasions, 51.3% responded they talk with gestures, followed by 44.7% who said using English or other foreign languages, and 43.7% who said speaking in simple Japanese.

While 20.3% said they use smartphone apps and other translation devices, 23.4% said they use normal Japanese. The survey also found that 68.3% expressed hope that foreign residents have Japanese ability to the extent they do not have trouble in daily life.

The interview survey was conducted between 27 February and 15 March, covering 3,557 people aged 16 or older, of whom 1,994, or 56.1%, provided valid answers, the agency said.

“We prepared our marriage document immediately after April’s declaration of a national emergency against the virus,” said a 46-year-old nurse who has been with her common-law husband for 19 years.

Japanese husbands or wives can take their spouses’ last name, but according to the labor ministry, 96% of those who give up their family name are women.

The lack of legally recognized ties has left the nurse unable to claim spousal tax deductions, and parental and inheritance rights concerns remain. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has heightened the stress and resolve to deal with the issue.

If either is hospitalized by the virus, she worries that it may be difficult to persuade the hospital to share important health updates. They could be refused hospitalization as a family, could be barred from receiving critical treatment information, or be unable to sign consent for medical treatments on the other’s behalf should it be warranted.

There are other worries, too. Since her husband has parental rights, his sudden death would leave her with no legal claim over their children, putting them in a vulnerable position.

A Tokyo-based citizen’s group said that they have received numerous calls during the pandemic from those worried about what to do if they meet with unforeseen circumstances, much like the nurse’s concerns, in which they are not legally recognized as a family.

“The pandemic has made the issue more personal. I want the public to be more aware so anyone can live with the last names they’ve chosen,” said Naho Ida, 44, the group’s executive director.

Japan’s newly installed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga recently said that the topic needs “cautious discussion” and lawmakers like Tomomi Inada have been relatively vocal about the need for change.

The citizen’s organization, which was created in 2018, says attendance to their study sessions on the issue to which they invite experts and lawmakers has grown, including by those of a conservative bent.

In Japanese, the expression generally used for such announcements is already gender-neutral, but the decision applies to other languages used by the airline.

The decision appears to be a first for major Japanese carriers, with a spokeswoman for rival ANA Holdings telling AFP they would “study the issue based on comments from our customers.”

Same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Japan but the government has gradually expanded rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens in recent years.

JAL last year operated a trial “LGBT Ally Charter” flight for same-sex partners and their families, and has already changed rules to extend spouse and family allowances to same-sex partners.

In the first six months of this year, police across Japan exposed 59 cases in which people were caught monitoring targets such as former dating partners in violation of the Anti-Stalking Act.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Supreme Court handed down its first ruling in July that installing GPS devices in cars to remotely check where they are is not covered by the definition of “monitoring” under the anti-stalker law. Nevertheless, as secretly installing GPS devices in another person’s car could escalate into stalking, ambushes and other such acts, the NPA decided to rent out security cameras to protect victims. Police will base their investigation on the footage to identify the stalkers.

Sports canteens have to close again, and supermarkets and stores will go back to previous measures limiting customers. Additionally, besides cafes and restaurants, people with a contact profession must also register customers, for example hairdressers. There will also be various regional rules depending on each area. Stores may deny customers who do not wear facemasks, depending on the region and/or store’s own measures. Chain stores HEMA and several supermarkets have already said they strongly encourage face masks, but will not refuse customers who do not wear them.

Rules for outside have also been changed and added: All sports matches can continue without an audience, and it is no longer possible to attend trainings. Parents must drop off their children at the entrance. In the open air, a maximum of 40 people incl. children may come together in one place, and they must remain in one place without walking around. The measures are also listed on the website of the Dutch government (in Dutch).

She stressed that the virus still has “an undiminished major impact” on individual cases. The association did not give a reason for the less serious course of the disease. It may be due to more effective treatment of COVID-19, now that hospitals and healthcare workers know more about the virus.

According to the NIV, regular hospital wards are currently filling up faster than the ICU, because corona patients now have less serious complaints. As a result, the Dutch health system remains under pressure, says internist Robin Peeters.

The NIV is calling for additional measures, such as adjusted planning and assistance with the recruitment of personnel.

By using these quick tests, not only can more people be tested, but everyone can also be tested more often. UMC Utrecht is the first hospital to deploy the tests on a large scale in a test street. In the coming weeks, according to NOS , trials will also start in other Dutch hospitals, such as the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. The trial at the UMC takes approximately three weeks.

According to NBTC director Jos Vranken, 7 million foreign tourists per year is comparable to the tourism figures of the 1990s. “Almost the entire tourism sector is still in a deep slump and this will remain so for the time being. We do not expect to be able to speak of recovery until 2024,” Vranken said. Netherlands residents are also vacationing less in their own country, the NBTC said. The number of Dutch vacationing in the Netherlands decreased by 36% compared to 2019.

Travelers also plan less vacations next year, the NBTC said. “People remain very cautious in their travel behavior,” Vranken said. In addition to being reluctant to go on holiday, those booking vacations want bookings with flexible cancellation options, he added.

“This has a huge impact for tourism entrepreneurs. The importance of support measures and targeted investments in the sustainable recovery of the tourism sector remains unabated,” Vranken said.

On Monday 28 September, the subdistrict court in Utrecht handled the first appeal cases against the massively distributed corona fines, but the suspects’ pleas found no favor with the Public Prosecution Service (OM). However the public prosecutor on duty did show understanding for the financial position of two suspects who are still studying and have no income. For them, she was prepared to reduce the fine from 390 euros to 300 euros conditional and to pay 90 euros immediately.

The Subdistrict Court (kantonrechter) largely agreed. The fines were handed out in April, he emphasized, when the corona crisis was at its peak and the ICs were full. “Then that 1.5 meter measure is very important. Police officers can issue a warning before imposing fines. But that is not mandatory.”

All of Spain, Denmark and Britain, plus large parts of France, the Greek islands and the area around Lisbon are currently on the Dutch orange list. Travel is still allowed to all of Germany and Italy.

The Dutch Fall Break (Herfsvakantie) takes place between 10 and 25 October, depending on the region, but the government recommends people to limit their travel in the Netherlands as well, because of the risk of spreading coronavirus. To learn more about the government’s travel advice for certain destinations, you can check their travel planner (Dutch).