During 2020-2022, almost all foreigners were totally banned from entering Japan, including those with a job or a family here, while Japanese nationals were relatively free to come and go (albeit under loosely controlled quarantine). Many foreigners were desperate to enter Japan and certainly willing to do whatever quarantine measures required, but the entry was absolutely banned in most circumstances (I had to cancel my exchange to Japan back then as well).
Was this kind of policy largely supported by the general public? Did most people somehow believe that foreigners are more prone to carry disease than Japanese who spent time abroad? Or was it just some politicians making an unsupported move?
Now that I’m in Japan, life is good so far, but sometimes I wonder to what degree that xenophobic policy reflected what the people here in general think of foreigners.