Scores of foreign nationals queued up at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau on Wednesday, as tourists unable to return home — after international flights from Japan were suspended due to COVID-19 — added to the typical numbers attending the bureau.
The facility in Minato Ward is often congested around the turn of the fiscal year that ended on Tuesday, as many students from overseas typically apply to renew their visas or switch to working visas.
This year the COVID-19 outbreak and travel restrictions imposed because of it have generated an additional flood of tourists and other short-term visitors looking to extend their stays, as they find themselves stuck in the country.