With the last update I have talked about a step by the government of Japan to ease the reentry ban for non-Japanese residents of Japan. However, the government has set rules that say that non-Japanese returnees have get a negative PCR test at least 72 hours before departure and some ominous confirmation letter from the closest diplomatic mission of Japan. On the other hand, Japanese nationals can enter the country as they please no matter if they are sick or not. The current situation is thus still very far away from what this petition requests: that non-Japanese residents can reenter Japan under the same conditions as Japanese. There is also the problem that the new requirements are impossible to meet in many cases. For example, in many countries you cannot get PCR tested if you do not show symptoms. Those rules are just a bunch of unrealistic hurdles and it is by no means an honest attempt to improve the situation. In case of permanent residents and spouses, the situation is even worse than before. This is why I began to cooperate with an acquaintance of mine who is a microbiologist at Tokyo University (Marco Marrero), and we contacted the president of Human Rights Watch Japan (HRWJ), Doi Kanae. The aim is that HRWJ files a class action law suite against the Japanese government, because there is strong indication to believe that this reentry ban on non-Japanese residents based on nationality only is not only a horrendous human rights violation, but also a violation of Japan’s constitution (especially article 14). Get your own experience with this reentry ban to HRWJ by mailing to tokyo@hrw.org . Get your voice heard to them.

In the following is the mail Marco Marrero sent to HRWJ:

“ヒューマン・ライツ・ウォッチ日本代表

土井香苗様,

I am a PhD Student at the Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo. I obtained an MD Degree in Venezuela (my native country).

I would like to point the fact that foreigners in Japan (including me) have been severely affected by a political decision implemented in the form of a travel ban. Here are some details: https://www.debito.org/?p=16095

As a consequence, thousands of families in Japan have been divided and many have suffered mental distress (including even me as a Medical Doctor at Todai).

As a majority of foreign residents in Japan have low socioeconomic status, it is almost impossible for most "gaikokujin" to challenge the Travel Ban in courts in Tokyo (due to lawyer's expenses mainly). I have been in contact with some academics and lawyers in Japan and one of them suggested the idea of filling a "Class Action Lawsuit" in Tokyo because the "Travel Ban" violates Article 14 of Japan's Constitution:

第十四条　すべて国民は、法の下に平等であつて、人種、信条、性別、社会的身分又は門地により、政治的、経済的又は社会的関係において、差別されない。

An American Lawyer at an International Firm in Tokyo privately agreed but recommended proceeding in court via an NGO.

Would it be possible for Human Rights Watch Japan to fill a "Class Action Lawsuit" to protect migrants, refugees and all the foreign community in Japan ?

If yes, I would be really willing to provide medical data and cooperate as much as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Sincerely yours,

Marco Marrero

PS. My PhD Studies are in the Field of Microbiology, Pathology and Immunology. There are absolutely no medical reasons to support the travel ban. It is just plain and simple racial discrimination as described on www.debito.org ”

And this is my mail to them:

“ヒューマン・ライツ・ウオッチ・ジャパン　土井香苗　様

拝啓　時下ますますご清祥のことと慶び申し上げます。

クラーマーと申します。福岡在住の外国人長期在留者（現在の在留資格は日本人の配偶者等）です。ご存じかもしれませんが、今年の5月末にchange.orgにて日本国政府（とりわけ法務省）が実施している水際対策（外国人の入国拒否措置）の一部を見直す要請の陳情活動を始めたものです。リンクはこちらです：https://www.change.org/p/%E5%86%85%E9%96%A3%E7%B7%8F%E7%90%86%E5%A4%A7%E8%87%A3-%E5%AE%89%E5%80%8D%E6%99%8B%E4%B8%89-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AB%E7%94%9F%E6%B4%BB%E5%9F%BA%E7%9B%A4%E3%82%92%E7%BD%AE%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6%E3%81%84%E3%82%8B%E4%B8%AD%E9%95%B7%E6%9C%9F%E6%BB%9E%E5%9C%A8%E3%81%AE%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E4%B8%80%E5%BE%8B%E5%85%A5%E5%9B%BD%E6%8B%92%E5%90%A6%E3%82%92%E8%A6%8B%E7%9B%B4%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%81%8F%E3%81%A0%E3%81%95%E3%81%84

要するに、原則として日本の中長期在留資格の外国人住民を原則として水際対策を対象にしないことを願うものです。

この陳情活動を始めた時から政府はいくつか小さな緩和を始めました。その中最新のものは、該当の国が入国拒否措置の対象にされる前にその国に渡航して、水際対策の導入で渡航先で足止めに外国人住民の日本への再入国を認めるものです。しかし、新しいルールの詳細をよく見ると、かなりきついハードルをクリアしなければなりません。日本が求める出発72時間前のPCR検査の義務は特にハードルが高いです。国によって72時間以内に結果がでない、または症状がなければそもそも検査を受けることができないなと、国によって雑多なルールがあり、多くの場合新しいルールでも日本での生活への帰還が難しいままです。そして、この政策の最大の問題点は究極で非常に後進的な国籍主義です。つまり、日本国籍の者は現在にも自由に出入りできます。

この措置は入国管理及び難民認定法に基づく措置ではありますが、日本国憲法（特に第14条）に違反する措置なのではないかと疑っております。

私の陳情活動で知り合った人は、現行の水際対策運用に関して日本国政府を相手取りにして訴訟する提案を貴団体に出したと聞きました。そういう訴訟はNGOがするべきだと考えております。水際対策がある程度緩和されたとはいえ、多くの外国人住民は未だにも理不尽なままの水際対策で生活・家庭・家族・仕事に帰れません。重大な人権侵害なのでないでしょうか？このため、知人の提案に賛同し、もしよろしければ国際的にも知名度が高いNGOとして有効な中長期在留資格を有する外国人を水際対策の対象にする方針に対して訴訟をご検討いただけないでしょうか？

敬具。

クラーマー　スベン”