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Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for global unity and timely access to healthcare for all including multilingual and intercultural societies. This study aimed to identify barriers to healthcare access due to the COVID-19 crisis among Nepalese migrants in Japan and explore ways to counter these barriers, both in routine and crisis situations. Methods This study used an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study design. The researchers conducted 11 focus group discussions including 89 participants and an online survey involving 937 respondents. The integration of focus group discussions and logistic regression analysis from the survey was reported via a ‘joint display’. Results Twenty-six themes on barriers to and six on facilitators of healthcare accessibility were identified by the focus group discussions among which 17 barriers like lack of knowledge of health insurance, language barriers, lack of hotline services, unawareness of available services, fear of discrimination etc. had significant association in our logistic regression analysis after adjusting for all confounders. Similarly, the only facilitator that had a significant impact, according to the multivariable logistic regression analysis, was receiving health information from Nepali healthcare professionals (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = (1.01 – 1.82), p-value

Migrants in Japan often face difficulties accessing healthcare due to language barriers, lack of information, shortage of interpreters, amongst other barriers. With an increase in the number of foreigners in Japan, it is also expected that health and safety concerns for migrants will rise during times of crisis or disaster. The purpose of this article is to present recommendations from Nepali migrants themselves about various actions that stakeholders or policymakers could take to improve healthcare access during future disasters, emergencies, or crises in Japan. Recommendations from Nepali migrants in this study include mobilization of Nepali healthcare professionals, self-preparedness, a disaster information centre by the embassy, Nepali hotline services, telehealth services, and mutual help. By working together and leveraging available resources, it is possible to ensure that migrants are not left behind in the face of disasters and emergencies. Further research is required to determine the most effective ways to improve healthcare access for migrants in Japan during disasters, crises, or emergencies.