Hello, this is Kuwahara from IMS.
As of May 7th, the daily number for the coronavirus in Tokyo is at 23 cases. However, the number of calls to the consultation center is still close to 2,000 (source: the Tokyo government's coronavirus information page). I wonder if there are still many people who are worried about their physical condition. It's really only necessary to know the infection rate, but the current system requires a lot of time and effort to get the actual infection rate and update the totals. It seems like there's a lack of communication and working together to make a smooth process. Personally, I am relieved that the efforts people are making for self-restraint are being reflected in the lower daily case numbers.
I recently saw in the news that the number of companies introducing telecommuting has dramatically increased during this time. Japan's ministries and agencies have fallen behind in IT capabilities in the last several years compared to other developed countries, so I hope they will take this opportunity to seriously review the current Internet environment and management systems. I expect that many Japanese companies will follow, leading to a meritocracy that can work anywhere in the world. This such world is the new topic of the "John Goes" series. Click here for the previous installment.
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"John, could you change Sean's diaper?" Miki-chan asked, reading the presentation she had worked on all night, while drinking coffee with messy hair.
"That's fine," John said. "You didn't even come to bed last night. What time is the meeting today?"
"It's a really important project! The meeting's in 30 minutes, so I'm doing a final check now."
"I'm off work today, so I'll go take care of Sean." John patted her shoulder. "Don't worry and just concentrate on your presentation."
"Thank you," Miki said, smiling. "I appreciate it."
Do you recognize these two? John-kun and Miki-chan fell in love after previous updates and got married. After considering whether or not to live in John's hometown in the United States, they decided to stay in Japan.
"If this presentation goes well, I'll probably have more work to do today, so bear with me for a little longer," Miki said and went into the study.
John went to get Sean and change his diaper. "Wow, you made a mess, huh! I bet that feels bad, sorry, buddy." He started to muse over the changes from the last few years.
(Regardless of what happens, the world will change in just a few years. History can change dramatically, but for those living in it, it's just "every day life" to them. By the time Sean grows up and studies history, it may just be taught as "a hard time".)
Even in the few years leading up to the emergence of the new coronavirus and its subsequent pandemic, things have really changed. For John's company, NYKN Co., Ltd. has shifted to full-time telework, reducing the number of employees and the size of the office. However, for whatever reason the sales did not decrease, and started to increase after a time. They actively hired staff from overseas and traveled on business trips only when necessary.
The HR and accounting departments are unable to keep up with legal changes (*1) and still complain about salary payments and benefits to employees living oversees.
Society has overall moved to online shopping, and because people can shop anywhere, the number of sellers moving to rural areas has increased.
(But this is still a transitional period, John thinks. Even now the world continues to change, and I wonder if the parts I want to keep will be unrecognizable in the future. The Japan I first arrived in feels like a distant past, and I miss the closeness with real people instead of a digital landscape.)
Miki returned from the study while John was lost in his thoughts.
"Ah, I'm so tired! But the presentation is finally over, and now it's family time. ...John, what's wrong? Did you start overthinking again?"
"Oh, I'm just tired," John said. "Should we go for a walk? The weather is nice out today."
It's rare nowadays to see people without a mask. The prospect of a walk where he could breathe fresh air was an absolute relief to John.
"Oh, by the way," Miki said, "we're coming up on our fourth year of marriage. You have 3 years' permission for the 'Spouse of a Japanese National' visa, right? Have you thought about permanent residence? (*2)"
"You're right, I forgot," John replied. "I plan to live in Japan for a long time, so I want to apply."
"It seems like a difficult application... let's ask IMS for help. We won't be able to concentrate otherwise with all our work."
"Yes, that's a good idea. I'll contact them later!"
(John is finally applying for permanent residence!)
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*1: This story and its events are fictional.
*2: Foreign nationals married to Japanese nationals can change their status of residence to "Spouse of a Japanese National". After receiving this status of residence, if 1) the period of stay is 3 years or more, 2) the marriage is continuous for 3 years or more, and 3) the foreign national lives in Japan for at least 1 year without interruption, the foreign national can apply for a permanent residence permit.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
