Chapter 4
Japan's Diplomacy Open to the Public
Section 2 Supporting Japanese Nationals Overseas
1 Risks and Safety of Japanese Nationals Overseas
(1) Incidents and Accidents in 2022 and Responses to them
As of 2022, approximately 2.77 million1 Japanese nationals travelled overseas over the course of the year, and approximately 1.31 million Japanese nationals live abroad (as of October 2022). Protecting the lives of Japanese nationals traveling and residing abroad, as well as promoting their interests, is one of the most important missions of MOFA.
There has been no Japanese victim of terrorism incidents since 2020. However, 2022 was another year in which a large number of terrorist attacks occurred in various regions. The main terrorism incidents included shootings at subway stations in New York, the U.S., in April, shootings at a grocery store in New York, the U.S., in May, shootings in Oslo, Norway, in June, and bombings in Istanbul, Turkey, in November. Moreover, terrorism incidents occurred frequently in the Middle East, such as in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, while extremist organizations also attacked in Pakistan. Furthermore, many terrorism incidents occurred in Africa, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Mozambique.
In recent years, terrorist attacks have been occurring not only in the Middle East and Africa but also in Europe, North America, and Asia where many Japanese nationals travel and reside. There continues to be a large number of homegrown terrorist attacks perpetrated by those born in Western countries and indoctrinated through websites or other means by foreign extremists, terrorist attacks perpetrated by those acting on their own with little organizational background, and terrorist attacks in locations where unspecified large numbers of the general public gather every day. In particular, in North America and Europe violent acts by far-left and far-right actors, such as hate crimes motivated by animosity for a particular race or ethnic group, have been intensifying in frequency against the backdrop of increasing social anxiety and online activity stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, as Islamic extremists expand their scope of activities around the globe, the threat of terrorism is increasing worldwide in the COVID era.
The impacts of COVID-19 continued in 2022, but as restrictions on travel were eased in Japan and around the world, the number of people traveling overseas increased significantly compared to 2021 (approximately 510,000 people). While the number of incidents in which Japanese nationals fell victim to crimes was low compared to before the pandemic, such incidents continued to occur worldwide.
Natural disasters also occurred around the world and caused great damage. These included the volcanic eruption in Tonga (January) and flooding in Pakistan (August).
In Ukraine, in light of the increased tensions derived from the Russian military buildup in the border regions, MOFA raised the risk level to evacuate for the entire country and warned Japanese nationals to avoid all travel there. For those already in Ukraine, in February MOFA urged them to ensure their safety and evacuate immediately. In Russia, considering the severe restrictions placed on means for leaving the country such as the suspension of flights and the impact on everyday life such as the suspension of credit card settlement operations, in March MOFA raised the risk level to “Avoid all travel” or “Evacuate and Avoid all travel” for the entire country. In Africa, MOFA raised the risk level for Mali in August due to the worsening political situation driven by the rising threat of terrorism, raised the risk level for Burkina Faso in October due to the political instability caused by a group of army officers taking power in a coup d'état and increased threat of terrorism, and also raised the risk level in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, in October due to the increasing danger of terrorism. In Haiti in October, MOFA raised the risk level to “Evacuate and Avoid all travel” due to political instability, intermittent demonstrations and strikes, and frequent criminal acts by armed groups.
In October, two Japanese women were killed in the crowd crush which occurred in Itaewon, Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK). In Ukraine, a Japanese male who was engaged in fighting against the Russian military was killed in November. Moreover, a male Japanese national detained by the Myanmar authorities was found guilty in court and sentenced to a 10-year term of imprisonment in July, but in November he was pardoned by the Myanmar authorities, freed, and returned to Japan after continued requests for early release from the Government of Japan.
Whenever necessary, MOFA issues overseas travel safety information on infectious diseases in countries and regions where health and medical caution is required, in order to communicate the current outbreak situation and prevention measures, and highlight matters worth paying attention to when travelling and staying in the affected regions.
In terms of COVID-19, while the global pandemic situation generally improved in 2022, the outbreak situation rapidly deteriorated in China in December. MOFA reviews the level of Travel Advice and Warning on Infectious Diseases and issues region-wide safety information in a timely manner, and provides information to Japanese nationals residing or traveling abroad via its websites and consular e-mails in a timely and appropriate manner.
In terms of other infectious diseases, cases of Ebola were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, with Mpox and cholera prevalent in various parts of the world. Furthermore, cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have been reported in the Middle East. Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever have also spread throughout Southeast Asia.
1 Source: Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
(2) Safety Measures for Japanese Nationals Overseas
The number of Japanese nationals receiving support or protection from Japanese diplomatic missions overseas and the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association fell in 2021 to a total of 8,252 as the number of people traveling overseas significantly decreased due to the impact of COVID-19, and the number of cases of support or protection also decreased to 17,669. Amid the pandemic, Japanese embassies and consulates-general worldwide provided assistance in many ways such as support to Japanese nationals who contracted COVID-19 as well as disseminating information about entry/exit limitations and restrictions on movement.
The safety of Japanese nationals is threatened constantly in various regions throughout the world. With border restrictions in response to the pandemic being relaxed in Japan and around the world, the number of Japanese nationals residing or traveling abroad is increasing. However, due to the continuing impact of COVID-19, Japanese nationals traveling abroad must be prepared for multiple risks such as terrorist attacks and infectious disease striking at the same time and it is more difficult than ever to respond if Japanese travelers encounter a terrorist attack or another incident or accident while traveling overseas. Therefore there is increasing need to take every possible overseas safety measure.
Based on this perspective, MOFA works to enhance the safety awareness of Japanese nationals and promote its safety measures by disseminating information widely to the general public. Specifically, MOFA added panels to its Overseas Safety website page for easy access to the necessary information, and issues the latest safety information for each country and region on the website. Furthermore, MOFA send emails on the latest safety information of travel destinations to Japanese residents and travelers who have registered with Overseas Residential Registrations or overseas travel registration service (Tabi-Regi). Moreover, the website's map functions was renovated to make them easier to read.
MOFA strives to enhance the knowledge and capability of the Japanese people concerning overseas safety measures and crisis management through seminars and training. In 2022, MOFA held virtual and in-person seminars on safety measures inside and outside Japan to address the need for safety measures, taking into account increased mobility of people with the easing of COVID-19 border restrictions (15 times at diplomatic missions overseas and seven times within Japan). Furthermore, Consular Affairs Bureau staff delivered lectures at seminars held throughout Japan by domestic organizations, associations and other groups.
Furthermore, MOFA held “Public-Private Joint Practical Training for Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Kidnapping Measures” in collaboration with the business sector. These initiatives are useful in preventing harm from regular crimes and terrorism, but also in improving response capabilities in the event of encountering such an incident. Furthermore, the public and private sectors are cooperating to advance safety measures even overseas, and the diplomatic missions in each country host regular meetings of Security Consultation and Liaison Committees. Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the diplomatic missions overseas are continuing to share information, exchange opinions and bolster collaboration in preparation for emergencies with local Japanese nationals in their respective countries, including by hosting such events online.
Following the terrorist attack in Dhaka in July 2016, MOFA developed “Golgo 13's Security Guidelines for Japanese SMEs Abroad,” with the aim of raising the awareness of international cooperation personnel, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), students studying abroad and short-term travelers, who have limited access to information on safety. MOFA continued to promote awareness utilizing the expanded edition of the Security Guidelines with an added episode and commentary videos regarding measures to address the combined risk of an infectious disease pandemic, terrorist attacks and other composite risks. Moreover, from October 2022, MOFA has been using the LINE messaging platform, through “Messages from Duke Togo” by the medium of “Golgo 13's Security Guidelines for Japanese SMEs Abroad,” to distribute educational messages about security measures and useful knowledge for people to protect themselves.
With regard to Japanese students studying overseas, MOFA personnel hold lectures at universities and other educational institutions, on the grounds that many such institutions have not accumulated sufficient expertise or experience in safety measures and dealing with emergency situations, and requested their cooperation in raising the submission rate of Overseas Residential Registrations and the registration rate of Tabi-Regi. With the easing of COVID-19 border restrictions, MOFA receives gradually increasing numbers of requests from educational institutions, and conducted lectures on safety measures online and in other formats in 2022. MOFA will continue to strive to help institutions to raise awareness of safety measures among their students and build in-house crisis management structures. MOFA is moving ahead with efforts to connect government agencies with educational institutions, overseas study agencies and students studying abroad, by beginning an automatic Tabi-Regi registration system together with some overseas study institutions.
Website for Tabi-Regi registration
https://www.ezairyu.mofa.go.jp/tabireg/index.html
Website for online Overseas Residential Registrations
https://www.ezairyu.mofa.go.jp/RRnet/index.html
In terms of safety measures for short-term travelers, MOFA is engaged in PR activities mainly focused on promoting registration to the above-mentioned Tabi-Regi, including by distributing the Kaigai Anzen Tora no Maki (handbook for overseas travelers) as well as information cards aimed at increasing awareness of Overseas Residential Registrations and Tabi-Regi, and thus raising their registration rate. Furthermore, the Consular Affairs Bureau provided a booth at Tourism Expo Japan held in September at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center, providing information and raising attention for the safety of Japanese nationals residing or traveling abroad, including about Overseas Residential Registrations and Tabi-Regi. As of January 2023, the number of travelers who had registered on Tabi-Regi since its launch in July 2014 exceeded 7.25 million, reflecting initiatives for enhancing the system's convenience and activities that aim at promoting registration.
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