PETALING JAYA, Aug 18 (Sin Chew Daily) — Japanese companies are looking forward to relaxed entry rules as 700 Japanese expatriates and their family members are expected to come to the country over the next six months.

A request has been made on behalf of these workers as they are unable to enter the country at this moment.

A statement jointly issued by the Japanese Chamber of Trade & Industry Malaysia (JACTIM) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) said many companies said that the entry requirements were ambiguous and unclear.

These Japanese companies also claimed that the official statement issued by the government of Malaysia and the actual actions were inconsistent.

"Official guidelines issued by the government of Malaysia are unclear and the procedures keep changing. There are also differences among government departments. Documents required are different. Some are unable to contact the relevant department," it said.

This was revealed in a joint survey conducted by JACTIM and JETRO on second emergency measures against COVID-19 in 2020. A total of 585 JACTIM member companies took part in the survey held between July 13 and 17.

The survey revealed that 50% of Japanese manufacturing and non-manufacturing companies had resumed their normal operation.

"Many have resumed operation. Only about 15% of the companies were operating at full capacity in May. The latest survey revealed a 20% growth in operation," it said.

More than half of Japanese companies registered a decline in orders in both Malaysia and overseas.

Other issues included decline in sales and new business opportunities, financial difficulty, manpower crunch and SOPs imposed.

The survey also showed that many respondents requested for more allowances, tax incentives, easing of standard operating procedures, explicit guidelines and swab tests.