Aiming to strengthen national economic security, the Japanese government has introduced more rigorous rules regarding visa applications for international students and persons seeking to carry out research at universities in Japan.
Japan’s government has announced the move, expressing its commitment to work more towards issues related to economic security during the next fiscal year.
The decision will enter into force during the next academic year, while the move was undertaken after concerns that students studying in Japan have been passing the national security-related advanced technologies and information to other countries such as China, VisaGuide.World reports.
The government has decided to establish a system in which competent bodies such as the National Security Secretariat and ministries, such as foreign, economy, justice and defence, will have to provide information regarding suspicious people.
The diplomatic establishments or embassies in Japan are then expected to use the information when processing visa applications. Afterwards, suspicious people who apply for a visa will be rejected by the government.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry has requested ¥220 million in its budgetary plan for the fiscal year 2021, in order to cover the expenses that arise from the implementation of a more robust screening of visa applications.
The Defense Ministry has announced that it is considering the establishment of a new post of senior planning officer on the economic security information within the Defense Policy Bureau.
Whereas, the Economy Trade and Industry Ministry is planning to organize a meeting during which it will urge businesses and universities to undertake more measures on controlling the technologies.
Japan’s government is now concerned that universities or research institutions in Japan can no longer conduct research along with their US counterparts.
In July, the US Justice Department announced that four Chinese scientists had been arrested after carrying out research at US universities, on charges of visa deception, for lying about their connection to China’s People’s Liberation Army.
According to an expert on economic security, the reason why Japan needs a rigorous screening of visa application is because the Chinese students whose visas have been refused by the United States have moved to Japan.
“Chinese students whose visa applications had been rejected by the United States have come to Japan, changing their target.”
A month ago, the United States decided to cancel visas for more than 1,000 Chinese nationals, especially visas of students and researchers, claiming that those people are harmful to the national safety across the country due to their connection with the Chinese military.
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