Mar 5, 2020, 5:17 pm
Last edit by: CPH-Flyer
This thread is for discussion of the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to Japan. Non-Japan-related discussion should be taken either to the most relevant forum, the Coronavirus and Travel forum, or the OMNI forums.
UPDATE FOR TOURISTS LOOKING TO VISIT JAPAN AFTER COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASE
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. And quarantine as described for the countries and territories below.
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
From March 1st, business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa. For business travelers, there will be one point of contact with the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. Though the full details are not published yet (as of typing on the 27th of February, please add them if you have seen them)
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than. 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf
From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required.
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines are Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, Covaxin.
Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue.
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
UPDATE FOR TOURISTS LOOKING TO VISIT JAPAN AFTER COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASE
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. And quarantine as described for the countries and territories below.
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
From March 1st, business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa. For business travelers, there will be one point of contact with the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. Though the full details are not published yet (as of typing on the 27th of February, please add them if you have seen them)
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than. 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf
From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required.
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines are Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, Covaxin.
Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue.
- Group “Red”：On-arrival test is required. 3-day quarantine at a government-designated facility is required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate may have 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) instead.
- Group “Yellow”：On-arrival test and 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) are required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate are not required to have on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures.
- Group “Blue”：Regardless of the vaccination status of the entrants/returnees, on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures are not required.
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]
Feb 16, 2020, 2:20 pm
#166
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
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Posts: 20,432
I think there is zero chance that Japan just decides on their own to cancel the Olympics.
HOWEVER, if countries start pulling their athletes out of the Olympics over safety concerns, and you get up to dozens of nations that choose not to come, then I think it would be very difficult for them to carry on.
The silver lining would be that Tokyo would become the first city ever to have two Olympic games cancelled. That would likely be an all-time unbreakable record.
HOWEVER, if countries start pulling their athletes out of the Olympics over safety concerns, and you get up to dozens of nations that choose not to come, then I think it would be very difficult for them to carry on.
The silver lining would be that Tokyo would become the first city ever to have two Olympic games cancelled. That would likely be an all-time unbreakable record.
Feb 16, 2020, 2:25 pm
#167
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,752
It is kind of a catch-22 regarding China. Close the ranks and they'll remember the slight. Keep it open, have an outbreak during the Olympics, and they'll also shun tourism to Japan and their products. East Asia accounts for 61%, including China at 28.1%, of the inbound tourism in December 2019. It's not an insignificant percentage of travel and consumer spending from cultures which value face.
It's an extraordinarily difficult decision, and one that's incredibly complex and nuanced. Just taking my personal experience, and I'm as far from the PRC's ruling philosophy as one can possibly be, I remember each person who made an effort to avoid me, even though I self quarantined. Just as China would, I'll remember the slight and will only be too happy to return the favor should the situation ever be reversed.
Reciprocity is the one area I do have in common with the PRC's philosophy.
Feb 16, 2020, 3:35 pm
#168
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,303
America is offering voluntary evacuation tonight from the Diamond Princess for American citizens and their immediate family.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/15/p...hip/index.html
If they choose to do this, they will have to undergo another 14 days of quarantine in the United States, i.e., into the beginning of March.
This is a stunning rebuke of Japan's quarantine policy.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/15/p...hip/index.html
If they choose to do this, they will have to undergo another 14 days of quarantine in the United States, i.e., into the beginning of March.
This is a stunning rebuke of Japan's quarantine policy.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51524460
Feb 16, 2020, 4:15 pm
#169
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
40 of 400 American evacuees tested positive for coronavirus and will be quarantined at a hospital in Japan.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51524460
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51524460
In any case, you can't justify putting them on the same flight as other people if they are infected, so it makes sense to hospitalise them in Japan.
Feb 16, 2020, 4:46 pm
#170
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Feb 16, 2020, 5:37 pm
#171
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tokyo, Japan (or Vienna whenever possible)
Posts: 6,379
The timeline of getting them off the boat last night to identifying new cases would seem to indicate an instant test or a whole bunch of really sick looking people trying to get off the boat. Do we think the CDC has some great new test they should be sharing with Japan?
Feb 16, 2020, 5:40 pm
#172
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How do you know the timing of the tests? I certainly don't.
Feb 16, 2020, 5:47 pm
#173
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tokyo, Japan (or Vienna whenever possible)
Posts: 6,379
I am working from the information that Americans were offloaded Sunday night. Unless the ship had the CDC aboard before that unbeknownst to the public the CDC would have had a short window to make these results known. If they had tests long enough for cultures to be checked via the standard test in Japan the authorities here would have known. Of course this could simply be the subset of the previously identified cases that were American.
Feb 16, 2020, 5:48 pm
#174
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tokyo, Japan (or Vienna whenever possible)
Posts: 6,379
Feb 16, 2020, 6:22 pm
#175
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Posts: 22,127
Feb 16, 2020, 10:13 pm
#176
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Tokyo Marathon organizers are reportedly asking Chinese nationals to voluntarily defer their entry until next year.
Other sites are suggesting stricter measures, up to banning all recreational runners from the race.
Other sites are suggesting stricter measures, up to banning all recreational runners from the race.
Feb 16, 2020, 11:56 pm
#177
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,377
Zero chance or cancellation. Even if the situation goes exponential with the virus. Just cannot fathom the cancellation as the economic impact would be judged to be more costly than that of lives. That’s not MY opinion, but I personally think the Japanese government will weigh it like that and opt for the “group good” economically. Sorry.
I think there is zero chance that Japan just decides on their own to cancel the Olympics.
HOWEVER, if countries start pulling their athletes out of the Olympics over safety concerns, and you get up to dozens of nations that choose not to come, then I think it would be very difficult for them to carry on.
HOWEVER, if countries start pulling their athletes out of the Olympics over safety concerns, and you get up to dozens of nations that choose not to come, then I think it would be very difficult for them to carry on.
Jpn takes Olympics very (very) seriously.
Feb 17, 2020, 12:23 am
#178
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,377
It would be a huge loss of face if a significant outbreak happens during the Olympics if COVID-19 isn't significantly more understood and less feared by then. I don't know if it would be a Fukushima-like tourism slump applied to the entire country for several years, to say nothing of the impact it would have on Japan's soft power. Much of Tokyo 2020 is to support Japan's goal of promoting tourism and boosting the economy. It's also a huge campaign to promote "Cool Japan" soft power and implicit superiority of retail goods. I'm sure they have economists running the numbers.
It is kind of a catch-22 regarding China. Close the ranks and they'll remember the slight. Keep it open, have an outbreak during the Olympics, and they'll also shun tourism to Japan and their products. East Asia accounts for 61%, including China at 28.1%, of the inbound tourism in December 2019. It's not an insignificant percentage of travel and consumer spending from cultures which value face. Many of these governments are also running their own cultural globalization influence campaigns. South Korea's recent media wave, Parasite and BTS, is good awareness for them. Japanese companies like Muji's parent and Uniqlo/GU Fast Retailing are feeling the effects of S. Korea trade war and tension in Hong Kong.
Morbidly, I have wondered what an outbreak would do to the elderly population of Japan and the challenges they pose to pension and economy.
It is kind of a catch-22 regarding China. Close the ranks and they'll remember the slight. Keep it open, have an outbreak during the Olympics, and they'll also shun tourism to Japan and their products. East Asia accounts for 61%, including China at 28.1%, of the inbound tourism in December 2019. It's not an insignificant percentage of travel and consumer spending from cultures which value face. Many of these governments are also running their own cultural globalization influence campaigns. South Korea's recent media wave, Parasite and BTS, is good awareness for them. Japanese companies like Muji's parent and Uniqlo/GU Fast Retailing are feeling the effects of S. Korea trade war and tension in Hong Kong.
Morbidly, I have wondered what an outbreak would do to the elderly population of Japan and the challenges they pose to pension and economy.
With regards to the Olympics, of course the IOC will have a say, but Jpn should be prepared to do the right thing whatever that may be.
Feb 17, 2020, 1:11 am
#179
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 44
They officially announced a ban of all voluntary runners (i.e. only the invited top pro-level athletes will be running).
Feb 17, 2020, 1:49 am
#180
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,303
How are the evacuating countries running their tests, if Japan wasn't able to run them at a similar speed and volume?