I have a bunch of Delta credit that needs to be used by December, 2022, but I am ready to travel again and am planning a trip to Japan for December, 2021. I am tentatively flying direct from MSP to HND both ways.

A friend that has traveled to Japan numerous times was telling me that Japan is about to re-enter a state of emergency to combat Covid.

https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html

I am already vaccinated and my personal plans and dates are set. I may also purchase additional travel coverage from a 3rd party.

Does anyone know how Delta is dealing with situations where a flight is canceled at the request of the host country?

I would rather book a non-refundable ticket and save money, but don't want to be stuck if Japan closes their borders.

The other scenario that I would be concerned about is flying over there and having a mandatory quarantine for 14 days. It would essentially defeat the purpose of the trip.

Buying a refundable ticket is 2-4 times the cost of a non-refundable ticket for my dates of travel, so that isn't something I've seriously considered.