It’s hard to list the stories of every person still stuck outside of Japan due to the country's border policies, but two of them show just how complicated the situation can get.

Philip, a long-time resident of Japan who spoke on condition of anonymity, left Nagano for the Philippines for what was supposed to be a week-long holiday in March. As the coronavirus spread to Southeast Asia, he got stuck on the island he was staying on for several weeks.

In mid-April, he caught a government-sponsored flight to his native Australia, where he has been waiting while trying to get back to Japan.