<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB">Dear all,</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB">Apologies for cross posting. Many of you
may have already seen (and signed) this letter to the Japanese Ministry of
Justice demanding changes in the country’s current border policies to help researchers,
teaching staff and students enter the country and continue with their work and
personal lives. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">In addition to the extreme difficulties and uncertainty researchers trying to enter Japan are facing, according to </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">the Japanese Embassy in Spain</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">, even if one is eligible to enter the country based
on the few acknowledged exceptions, individuals </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">with 'dependent' visa status </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">(married partner, children) are not allowed </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">into the country</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">. This adds to the already terrible situation
that </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">unmarried couples or
married same-sex partners </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">face when trying to
apply for a visa.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB">Please sign and share widely!</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MHgaGNPGhd4GbQqTKqUDyZdaZriNPuxGVR9ZpbNUSkM/edit">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MHgaGNPGhd4GbQqTKqUDyZdaZriNPuxGVR9ZpbNUSkM/edit</a></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB">Best wishes,</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB">Irene </span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font color="#000000"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Irene </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">González-López, PhD</span></b><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font color="#000000"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Research Associate, Kingston University</span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><font color="#000000">Postdoctoral Fellow, Meiji Gakuin University</font></span><font color="#500050"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;color:rgb(80,0,80);font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><a href="https://edinburgh.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474409698.001.0001/upso-9781474409698" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">Tanaka Kinuyo: Nation, Stardom and Female Subjectivity</span><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193);font-style:normal"> (Edinburgh University Press, 2018)</span></a></span></i></p></div></div></div></div>