The confirmation of the first case of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Japan on Tuesday has rekindled anxiety among businesses over an economic downturn, as the threat of restrictions looms close once again. Koichiro Sakaue, 51, a director of agricultural production company Sakaue in Kagoshima Prefecture, said his farm has already been suffering a labor shortage due to existing border restrictions. “If they become even stricter, technical trainees from Vietnam won’t be able to enter Japan again,” he said. Concerns over the variant have prompted a number of countries to tighten tra…

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