October 30, 2019. Japanese KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2020 - 10:43 | All, World, Coronavirus Japan expanded its entry ban Saturday over the coronavirus pandemic to include Mexico and 12 other countries. Mexico Japan relations were superficial in the latter 19th to mid 20th century but immigrants to Mexico had favorable treatment, as Mexico needed additional workers for modernization efforts. Latin America and the Caribbean Japan-Mexico Relations. Most of the immigration to Mexico occurred from 1900 to the beginning of World War II. The other 12 are Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Kazakhstan, the Maldives, Sao Tome and Principe, and Uruguay. Many of the immigrants in the first half of the 20th century were skilled laborers or illegal immigrants.