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A list of flights bound for Japan at Gimpo International Airport on Mar. 5, the day when Japan announced it would be imposing a 14-day quarantine on all travelers arriving from South Korea. (Yonhap News)

Japan’s decision on Mar. 5 to impose a 14-day quarantine on travelers arriving from South Korea due to the novel coronavirus is expected to have significant repercussions not only for the two countries’ already precarious relationship, but also for the South Korean public and economy as a whole. The country most frequently visited by South Koreans made its move to impose entry restrictions without sufficient prior discussions with the South Korean government.

Japan’s abrupt decision to take the radical measure of restricting entry from South Korea on Mar. 5 after doing little to stop the spread of the coronavirus within its own borders appears to have been based on political calculations. Tokyo felt the need to counter mounting criticism, both domestic and international, about its lackluster response to the outbreak, including its failure to conduct robust testing for the coronavirus. Japan had banned entry to foreigners who had visited Daegu and Cheongdo County since Feb. 27, and just a week later it decided to up the ante by extending entry restrictions to all of South Korea.

It appears that Japan didn’t take enough time to consult with the South Korean government before making a major decision that would have a direct impact on South Korea. When reports about the restrictions began to appear in the Japanese press at 3 pm on Thursday, officials at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hurried to ascertain their veracity. “We hadn’t received any official notification in connection with this from the Japanese government,” one official said.

Since Japan is the country that South Koreans visit the most, this abrupt measure will cause considerable harm to South Koreans. Last year, 5,584,600 South Koreans visited Japan, a considerable number despite a 26% year-on-year decrease resulting from a consumer boycott triggered by a spat between the two countries. There’s extensive human exchange between the two countries, with South Koreans traveling to Japan not only for sight-seeing but also to pursue academic studies, conduct business and see friends, which means that Japan’s measure is likely to cause serious chaos. Since Japan’s spring semester is supposed to start in April, major disruptions are in store for the 170,000 Koreans studying in Japan, many of whom are likely to still be in South Korea.

Japan, Australia join list of 96 countries restricting entry for S. Koreans

At the moment, 96 countries are restricting entry to people from South Korea because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Now that Japan has joined their ranks, South Korea’s situation is likely to get even worse. Most of the countries that had previously restricted entry from South Korea were those that lacked the ability to combat infectious disease. But now that Japan — a country with strong medical and disease control capabilities — is imposing two weeks of quarantine in dedicated facilities, there are concerns that its decision will impact countries that had refrained from imposing entry restrictions on South Korea. The immediate concern for Seoul is how the US might react, considering that it’s already mentioned the possibility of taking a stricter approach to people arriving from South Korea.

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has been pulling out all the stops to prevent more countries from restricting entry. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has been personally calling foreign ministers in other countries and asking them to refrain from overreacting, and MOFA has been holding informational seminars for embassies in South Korea and calling in ambassadors. Despite those efforts, first Australia and then Japan imposed entry restrictions on Thursday, provoking criticism about South Korea’s diplomatic capabilities.

Measure likely to further inflame anti-Japanese sentiment among S. Koreans

Tokyo’s decision creates another major obstacle for South Korea-Japan relations overall, as the two countries continue thorny deliberations about the issue of Korean victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial occupation and about Japan’s export controls on South Korea. At a time when the South Korean public is already upset with Japan, Japan’s decision to restrict entry when the entire country is struggling with the coronavirus outbreak is likely to further inflame anti-Japanese sentiment.

Another question is whether the South Korean government will toughen entry restrictions on Japan in connection with COVID-19, the disease resulting from the novel coronavirus. Amid criticism both at home and abroad that Japan isn’t conducting enough tests despite the rapidly growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, South Korea has effectively placed no restrictions on traveling to Japan except for its recommendation to avoid the area around Fukushima, where the nuclear accident occurred. The only other step Seoul has taken is issuing a Level 1 travel advisory for Japan on Feb. 29, advising caution because of the spread of COVID-19.

By Kim So-youn, staff reporter

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