JCIE kicked off the FY2020 session of the Roundtable on Japan’s Migration Policy with an online event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion centered on the impact of the coronavirus for both the cross-border movement of people and for foreign residents living in Japan.
Mio Sato, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Tokyo, opened the discussion by covering the influence of restrictions on the movement of people and in particular the problems this poses for developing countries. She also raised a number of ideas for gradually restarting the movement of people by reopening national borders.
This was followed by a session where representatives from the immigrant community, NPOs/NGOs, and the business and government sectors shared information and experiences on the current situation. Finally, the secretariat decided that this year’s roundtables would focus on the theme of the impact of COVID-19 for foreign residents in Japan, with discussions looking at how the pandemic is affecting in terms of the economy, employment issues, and education.