国費留学生８７人の入国許可へ　水際対策を事実上緩和―政府

　松野博一官房長官は１７日の記者会見で、新型コロナウイルスの水際対策として実施している外国人の入国停止措置の例外として、国費留学生８７人の入国を近く認めると明らかにした。変異株「オミクロン株」の市中感染拡大を受けて国内対策に重点を移すため、先進７カ国（Ｇ７）で最も厳しいとされる水際対策を事実上緩和する。
　松野氏は、留学生の入国について「公益性や緊急性の観点から、個別の事情を勘案し、入国を認めることとした」と表明。８７人に関しては「卒業や修了まで１年未満となり、卒業に支障を来すことが懸念される。必要な防疫措置などの受け入れ準備が整っている」と説明した。
　政府関係者によると、８７人以外の留学生の入国も順次認める見通し。日本人の家族を持つ外国人の入国にも柔軟に対応する。（2022/01/17-11:46）

Japan plans to admit 87 government-sponsored foreign students to the country as exceptions to its ban on new entries by foreigners amid the novel coronavirus crisis, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Monday.
   The move effectively eases what was seen as the strictest border control measures taken by a member of the Group of Seven major industrial nations. Japan is shifting the focus of its measures against the omicron coronavirus variant to domestic steps, following an increase in the number of community transmissions.
   "We decided to allow them to enter the country, taking into account their individual circumstances from the perspective of public interest and urgency," Matsuno said at a press conference.
   He said that the 87 students were within a year of graduation or completion of their degrees, and that the entry ban was feared to interrupt their graduations.
   "Preparations for accepting them, such as necessary infection disease control measures, are in place," he said.