Written by Eleonora Adara
Edited by Abid Aziz
Almost all throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Japan has been denying foreign entries, including students and workers. “I’ve been waiting for 2 years since 2020. I’ve never been to campus,” said Huynh Ky Duyen, a 5th-semester student from Viet Nam. But now, the long wait has finally come to an end. From March 1, newly entering foreign students and workers were finally allowed to enter Japan. Surely, part of this was a result of the numerous efforts made by institutions and companies all over Japan to push the ease of border restrictions.
APU “has been active in lobbying various organizations to which it belongs.” In some cases, President Haruaki Deguchi himself, petitioned “the Immigration Agency, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and other relevant ministries and government officials” on behalf of the university, asking to lift immigration restrictions and ease entry regulations to Japan.
President Deguchi is a member of a government-related expert panel, the ‘Executive Council on Education Revitalization’ convened by then Prime Minister Naoto Kan. With such a position, he has reported on APU's efforts in handling the Covid situation, and has worked closely with Beppu City and Oita Prefecture to provide public, private and academic support for students affected by the pandemic. “I think that APU has been making good use of their connections, and their ability to communicate with the Japanese government and bureaucracy,” commented Hania Humaira Buntara, a 4th-semester Indonesian student.
Therefore, when the news of reopening the borders started to circulate, APU was able to act quick. “We focused on speed this time, immediately proceeding with preparations for welcoming the students,” remarked APU’s Student Office and Admissions Office. Back in November 2021, Japan did open its borders for a brief period of time, but immediately shut back down due to concerns on the spread of Omicron. So this time around, APU had to make “significant adjustments to what we had prepared up to this point” due to some policy changes in the entry flow to Japan.
Students eager to enter Japan have also been on standby. They were quick to be notified about the news from various online platforms and groups. “I joined a Facebook group called ‘Seeking Entry to Japan’ for students, workers, and others,” said Buntara. “I really want to know about the progress of how we can really enter Japan,” she continued. Other students had the same thought. Tian Tian, for example, a 4th-semester student from China, followed some official social media platforms which aimed to help Chinese students who are studying in Japan. As the news quickly spread, excitement to enter Japan was starting to brew again.
Students immediately started on paperwork. “As soon as I got the info that I have to put these documents into the system, I just did it that day,” said Rohini Basunde, a 2nd-semester student from India. Since most of the students had already inserted their data to AMARYS (APU’s Online Immigration System) back in November 2021, the university was able to promptly register them to the Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System (ERFS) so that everyone could start applying for their visas.
With everything being done at a quick pace, preparations to enter Japan was not a walk in the park. “We were delighted that students were now able to return to campus. However, we had to think about how we could support the safe and secure entry of more than 1,000 international students, and to take advantage of this opportunity to allow as many students as possible to enter the country,” explained the APU offices.
Certainly, emotions of excitement and anxiety were all mixed together. “I had to get so many documents, and sort it out. So that was the difficult part,” said Basunde. Along the way, there were a couple road bumps, such as the ongoing fluctuation of Covid-19 policies and lockdowns, or just human errors here and there. “Japan just opened, and a lot of people were applying for their visas together at the same time. I was just nervous,” Tian told us.
These challenges went on even after the students arrived in Japan. “It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride,” described Buntara, who was also the coordinator for the departure of students from her country. But the majority of newly entering APU students seemed to have managed to go through it all. “In the end, I’m here safe,” said Duyen.
With the effective coordination between APU and JTB (Japan Travel Bureau), overall, the arrivals of international students in Japan went smoothly. Any problems or inquiries the students had, were able to be dealt with. This was also thanks to the active provision of information and guidelines on everything the students needed to know about the pre and post-arrival procedures in Japan. Even upon their arrival, students said that they felt very welcomed. “[APU and JTB] made the journey from my country to Japan without any worries,” expressed Tian.
2-3 weeks in, and students who arrived late March or at the beginning of April are soaking everything in, and trying their best to settle. “It’s kind of unreal that I’m finally in Beppu now,” said Tian in disbelief. Similarly, Duyen has “just been getting familiar with everything.” Now, classes on campus have begun. “I saw so many students on campus today. I think in the upcoming days, I will get adapted to it,” Basunde assured to herself. What’s left to do for these students is to adapt, get used to the student life in Beppu, and make the most of the remaining time they have here until they graduate.
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