Japan to Tighten Re-Entry Screening over Medical Bill Nonpayment

Tokyo, Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)--Japan is considering tightening re-entry screening for foreign nationals who have failed to pay medical bills worth 10,000 yen or more in the country, lower than the current threshold of 200,000 yen.

The tightening, designed to prevent nonpayment of medical bills by foreign nationals, is part of a package of measures under consideration by the government to make adjustments to rules related to foreign nationals.

The package was presented at the first meeting Wednesday of a project team working on the matter under the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Headquarters for Foreign Nationals Policy.

The headquarters will examine the discussion results at three groups including the project team and submit a set of proposals to the government as early as next January.

At present, the government collects information from medical institutions about nonpayment by visitors from abroad. Cases of nonpayment worth 200,000 yen or more are registered with the Immigration Services Agency for stricter re-entry checks.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]