Presently, as of January 13, Japan is not allowing the new entry of any non-resident foreign citizens and is mandating that allowed travelers get tested for Covid before boarding their plane. These measures will continue until the state of emergency in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures is lifted, which is currently set for February 7 but may be prolonged.
Due to variants of the coronavirus being confirmed in numerous countries, the Japanese government began imposing stricter entry restrictions in late December. This includes refusing the entry of non-resident foreign visitors, as well as suspending exemptions from the 14-day quarantine period.
As of January 13, those able to enter Japan must show proof of a negative test within 72 hours of arrival and be tested upon entering Japan. Those unable to provide this proof will spend three days at a designated facility and undergo another test afterwards. Those who test negative may go to their address of stay (while avoiding public transport) but are asked to download the COCOA contact-tracing app and self-isolate for 11 further days.
Those previously eligible for exemption from the quarantine included Japanese nationals and long-term foreign residents returning from short trips. Another exemption, allowing for business-related travel from eleven Asian countries and regions, has been scrapped as of January 13.
Long-term visas for students and business professionals will no longer be issued, but those who already received theirs should still be able to enter the country.
The Go To Travel campaign has been suspended indefinitely as of December 28. The government may discuss restarting it in the future, but only after the state of emergency has been lifted.
If you want to give feedback on any of our articles, you have an idea that you’d really like to see come to life, or you just have a question on Japan, hit us up on our Facebook!
Title image credit: LuTiE78 / PIXTA
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
