PRESS CONFERENCE

How Strict Border Controls are Hurting Japan
Christopher LaFleur, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Special Advisor
Michael Mroczek, Chairman of the European Business Council in Japan
Marcus Schuermann, Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Japan
Matthew J. Wilson, Dean and President of Temple University, Japan Campus
Filippo Pedretti, M.A. student at University of Padua/Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English.
*Mr. LaFleur and Mr. Pedretti are joining this event online.


As the omicron variant swept across the world last November, Japan slammed its doors closed to new foreign arrivals again, dashing the hopes of tens of thousands of would-be students, and hurting the many businesses that rely on non-Japanese experts and executives.

Despite criticism from non-Japanese, the policy initially drew strong support from the electorate. Now that omicron is everywhere in Japan, even the government-friendly big business lobby Keidanren has called for a rethink. Japan's Nikkei newspaper has also attacked what it called a "national isolation" policy as likely to put investors off, even as a study by government-affiliated groups including the Japan International Cooperation Agency found the country needed to quadruple the number of foreign workers by 2040 to meet growth targets.

Hear the point of view of students, universities and foreign businesses – what do they and Japan stand to lose from the border controls, which are currently set to stay in place until the end of February?

How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions, attendance will be limited to 20 people. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/m7dJ2DPCkghTmVCA9
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. There will be five positions available for livestreaming.

Professional Activities Committee