Issuance and Accessibility of Public Services Information for Thai Citizens and Foreigners in Japan During Covid-19: Analysis and Praxis for Effective Communication
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Abstract
This article studies public service information provision policies, channels, and formats and the accessibility of health protection information for Thai citizens and foreigners living in Japan during the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic. It explores five primary communicative channels that the Japanese government uses to inform non-Japanese citizens about public services and health safety: website, social media, handbook for non-citizens, foreigner service center, and immigrant service hotline. To examine the efficacy of these channels, the authors conducted a survey study of 179 Thai citizens living in Japan during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Findings indicate that Japanese government launched policies to promote translation of relevant information into foreign languages, using Plain Japanese and automatic translation programs, and the local government followed established protocol and policy in communicating public services or safety information.
Among the available channels of services and communication, Thai citizens in Japan relied on handbook for non-citizens, government websites and social media most. Moreover, although Thai citizens in Japan could access general public service information to some degree, 31.4% of them never receive any information about COVID-19; information given was mostly in Japanese; only about 50% of Thai expatriates could understand the information written in Japanese; and 64-65% could understand Plain Japanese or information translated into Thai language.
As providing timely and comprehensible information about public services and health protection are vital for individual and communal safety during the pandemic, the article concludes with practical implications on how public officials can make public communication channels and content more effective and accessible for foreign citizens.
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