Michael Luzia of Abbotsford has made his way to Tokyo and could be home as early as next week, his mom Susanne said today (Friday).
She said she was relieved to hear that the federal government will now issue emergency travel documents to enable Canadians to return home faster than going through the passport process.
Luzia, who has been teaching English in Japan for the last 2 1/2 years, has been stranded in the country since the earthquake and tsunami struck on March 10.
He was teaching on the small island of Izushima at the time, and his apartment in Onagawa was flattened by the tsunami. He lost everything, including his passport.
On Thursday, Luzia and his girlfriend, Hui Wen Shi of China, made their way to Tokyo, where they were planning to obtain new passports, which would have taken up to 10 days or longer.
Now, once Luzia obtains the emergency documents, he can return home and go through the passport process in Canada.