Court Temporarily Blocks Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness

Thanks to a federal appeals court, His Fraudulency Joe Biden's student loan debt forgiveness plan has been stopped in its tracks, at least temporarily.

According to the Star Tribune:

ST. LOUIS — A federal appeals court late Friday issued an administrative stay temporarily blocking President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student loans, throwing the program into limbo just days after people began applying for loan forgiveness.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay while it considers a motion from six Republican-led states to block the program. The stay ordered the Biden administration not to act on the program while it considers the appeal.

It's unclear what the decision means for the 22 million borrowers who already applied for the relief. The Biden administration had promised not to clear any debt before Oct. 23 as it battled the legal challenges, but the soonest it was expected to begin erasing debt was mid-November.

 To read more, go here.

Japan Eases Entry Restrictions for Non-Tourist Foreigners

Above, the Wako department store in Ginza. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan is slowly (very slowly) creeping back to policies before the outbreak of the Omicron variant when it comes to foreign travelers.

TripZilla reported:

Japan joins the list of countries that are welcoming back international travellers, after several months of border closures due to the Omicron variant. On 17 Feb 2022, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that Japan will reopen to business travellers and international students. They’ll also allow entry of migrant workers, with priority given to those whose occupations have a “clear public benefit.” 

The decision to ease Japan entry restrictions is partially due to the growing calls from universities, business leaders, and even several government officials.

There's no change for foreign tourists to Japan.

To read more, go here. 

Japan No Longer Will Allow Foreign Students Purchase Duty-Free Goods

Above, a duty-free shop at Narita Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The political parties and government of Japan have agreed to tighten up eligibility for making duty-free purchases in Japan.

They will no longer allow foreign students to buy duty-free goods.

The Japan Times reported:

The government and ruling parties have decided to abolish the system allowing foreign students and other long-term residents to make duty-free purchases in response to suspected cases of reselling and complaints of cumbersome eligibility checks, sources said Sunday.

Under the current system, which will be revised as part of tax reforms for fiscal 2022, foreign students staying long-term in Japan and not working part-time can make tax-free purchases within six months of entering the country.

Criticism has arisen over the labor-intensive checks duty-free stores have to perform at the time of sale to confirm a student is not working, while others have complained it is unfair that stores with lax screening procedures end up attracting more customers.

The National Tax Agency also discovered many suspicious "binge buying" cases by foreign students after introducing a system to digitize purchaser information in April last year.

It believes they may be buying large quantities of duty-free goods to resell at higher prices, including a 10% consumption tax, to make a profit.

As part of tax reforms, the government and the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party plan to narrow the eligibility of duty-free purchases to tourists and those with a short-term visa of 90 days or less, instead of nonresidents under the country's foreign exchange and foreign trade law, according to the sources.

To read more, go here. 

Japan To Ease Entry For Businesspeople, Students But Not Tourists

Above, the Asahi Beer Hall in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan is easing entry into the country for businesspeople and students, but not for tourists.

This policy is due to the drop in coronvirus cases in Japan.

According to Nikkei Asia:

TOKYO -- Japan looks to let foreigners visit the country for short business trips, study abroad and technical training in an easing of its strict coronavirus-related entry rules, Nikkei has learned.

Tourists are not included in this round. The government is expected to announce the policy changes as early as this week, with implementation to begin this month.

With new COVID-19 cases down substantially from record levels over the summer, Japan aims to gradually loosen a de facto entry ban on foreigners that has become a source of growing frustration among businesses. Top corporate lobby Keidanren has been among the advocates of a more flexible approach.

The quarantine requirement for short-term business travelers will be cut to as little as three days for vaccinated visitors, from 10 days now. Companies and organizations receiving foreign nationals will be required to monitor their activities.

The shorter quarantine requirement will also apply to Japanese nationals returning from business trips abroad.

To read more, go here.