Helping hand offered to stranded students

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With campus closures and re-entry bans, the coronavirus pandemic has created unease and uncertainty for foreign students in Japan, leaving many, including Wu Jing, in limbo.

"At first the dominant fear was of a lack of gear such as face masks, and then the chief anxiety was about things like when classes resume and how you could keep up with your studies," said Wu, a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at Tokyo University.

During the pandemic, as Japanese students who returned to their homes griped about having to give up their social lives and vital on-campus networking opportunities, many foreign students watched their finances fall apart－the lockdown of businesses preventing them from working.

Although some of these overseas students come from families wealthy enough to look after them, many others have worried about how they are going to pay tuition fees. Those who were able to afford to fly home before international borders were closed say they are unsure when they will be able to return.

While some stayed at home feeling helpless, others stepped up to offer help, Wu, being one of the latter.

Starting from February, Wu and other students at Tokyo University set up a website offering help to students needing it, under the banner of a nonprofit organization called the Chinese Association of Science and Technology in Japan.

"It's at times like these that I think we students should unite to help each other and others as much as we can," Wu said.

With the support of donations from China and Japan, Wu's group has helped supply about 1,500 Chinese students in Japan with face masks, disinfectant and other necessities.

"Because our association was built by Chinese alumni of Tokyo University and most of our donations came from them, we first focused on helping Chinese students at Tokyo University, then expanded our reach to Chinese students in other universities, and now we want to help Japanese society more broadly," Wu said.

Timely aid

Ma Shengchi, a student at Tokyo University who received face masks from Wu's group in March, said the help was very timely.

"I had some face masks prepared before, but in March I was running out and was in a panic because I couldn't find any masks in the shops. I saw the website and was very surprised to receive masks so quickly."

With the support of Wu's group and donations later from the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, Ma said, he was spared the worry of having to wait for a resumption of mask supplies. "As a Chinese I feel safe and proud of my country and my compatriots."