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 19, 2020, 2:13 am
#226
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
Hong Kong seem to be doing something similar, as are Canadians. Altogether, I think those removed by those countries alone will near enough to halve the 2,000+ passengers who will be freely roaming in Japan.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Feb 19, 2020 at 9:21 am
Feb 19, 2020, 3:09 am
#227
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,437
Only 443 released from the boat today.
Another 79 infections recorded, bringing the total from the boat up to 621.
Another 79 infections recorded, bringing the total from the boat up to 621.
Feb 19, 2020, 5:26 am
#228
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Join Date: Sep 2009
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The Princess CEO was interviewed on CNN and basically said that the people being released pose no threat because Japan says they don't. Crew will do a fourteen day quarantine (presumably again it will end on day fourteen regardless of what happens) and then two months' paid leave. I didn't hear it all, but the part I saw didn't have any details regarding the crew quarantine location or other logistic details.
Feb 19, 2020, 5:58 am
#229
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,512
Maybe they could do the quarantine on the boat with the Japanese helping to make sure they infect any crew they missed the first time round.
Feb 19, 2020, 6:00 am
#230
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Feb 19, 2020, 7:11 am
#231
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,321
Shameful.
Feb 19, 2020, 7:34 am
#232
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: DL PM, 1MM, DL SC, Kimpton Inner Circle
Posts: 2,416
There's a sliding scale for everything, and for me a trip to Japan right now is a risk I don't need to take. Since you feel differently just be comfortable with your decision.
Last edited by KevinDTW; Feb 19, 2020 at 7:43 am
Feb 19, 2020, 8:45 am
#233
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 44
What? Have you been paying attention to the news in Japan? Even excluding the cruise ship it's clear containment has been lost.
Feb 19, 2020, 8:48 am
#234
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,321
I stand by my assessment that saying the situation in Tokyo is the same as in Wuhan is irresponsible hyperbole, at best.
Feb 19, 2020, 9:12 am
#235
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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You'd better keep those fingers crossed. Thanks to Japanese government insanity, about 2000 passengers and crew are about to be released from the Diamond Princess into Tokyo. There will be few if any foreign countries that will be willing to take them for the next 2 weeks, so they'll be "out and about" in Tokyo. In the last few days, we've been seeing almost 100 people from the boat get diagnosed with WuFlu, so if those numbers hold after release, you'll have several hundred active cases in Tokyo in the next week. I would say this is a "worst case scenario," but I'm not so sure about that. If that occurs, the US airlines will almost certainly end flights to Japan (the crews will immediately refuse to fly) and the US government, and many others, will impose a China-like travel quarantine on Japan. Good luck.
I think this action likely seals our decision to postpone our trip to Japan. Especially in light of the situation in Cambodia with the Westerdam where "healthy passengers" were released only for them to later show symptoms and be carriers of the disease.
It's painful for me to say that too -- I love visiting Japan and have been planning this trip for nearly 10 months but it's not worth going, especially if we're going to be worried the entire trip.
Feb 19, 2020, 9:39 am
#236
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: DL PM, 1MM, DL SC, Kimpton Inner Circle
Posts: 2,416
And apparently for weeks afterwards as the people on that Delta flight just found out. That's what sealed it for us, even though like you we love Japan and had this trip planned for months. In addition to everything else we had a long Shinkansen trip planned from Tokyo to Hiroshima, which was another public transportation situation I didn't feel good about anymore.
Feb 19, 2020, 10:03 am
#237
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 24
I would be grateful if anybody can speculate with me here.
US pax departing the Princess won't be allowed to return to US for at least 14 days, per the gov't.
Our itinerary is as follows:
March 3: USA->NRT->BKK, 3 hour layover in Tokyo.
March 10: BKK->NRT, spend 5 days in Tokyo.
March 15: NRT-> USA
My biggest concern is that additional cases crop up in Tokyo either while we're in Thailand or Tokyo, and that the US Gov't says, anybody returning from Japan is now subject to a 14 day quarantine. How likely do you think that is?
Additionally, currently AA does not have a travel advisory for Japan, so there's nothing I can do (for free) right now regarding flight changes.
What else am I missing?
US pax departing the Princess won't be allowed to return to US for at least 14 days, per the gov't.
Our itinerary is as follows:
March 3: USA->NRT->BKK, 3 hour layover in Tokyo.
March 10: BKK->NRT, spend 5 days in Tokyo.
March 15: NRT-> USA
My biggest concern is that additional cases crop up in Tokyo either while we're in Thailand or Tokyo, and that the US Gov't says, anybody returning from Japan is now subject to a 14 day quarantine. How likely do you think that is?
Additionally, currently AA does not have a travel advisory for Japan, so there's nothing I can do (for free) right now regarding flight changes.
What else am I missing?
Feb 19, 2020, 10:15 am
#238
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: DL PM, 1MM, DL SC, Kimpton Inner Circle
Posts: 2,416
When I canceled my trip I explained my concerns to Delta and just asked nicely if they might consider waiving the cancellation fees under the circumstances, which they did immediately and with no pushback. If you want to cancel or change your itinerary it's at least worth a call.
Feb 19, 2020, 10:18 am
#239
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
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Posts: 100,417
Some hotels seem to be allowing even nonrefundable reservations to be cancelled due to the WuFlu. IIRC Hyatt has posted such an announcement while with other chains, it might be the hotel's decision. With bookings that aren't nonrefundable, pay attention to deadlines and of course retain a copy of the written terms for the reservation.
Feb 19, 2020, 3:17 pm
#240
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 44
I would be grateful if anybody can speculate with me here.
US pax departing the Princess won't be allowed to return to US for at least 14 days, per the gov't.
Our itinerary is as follows:
March 3: USA->NRT->BKK, 3 hour layover in Tokyo.
March 10: BKK->NRT, spend 5 days in Tokyo.
March 15: NRT-> USA
My biggest concern is that additional cases crop up in Tokyo either while we're in Thailand or Tokyo, and that the US Gov't says, anybody returning from Japan is now subject to a 14 day quarantine. How likely do you think that is?
Additionally, currently AA does not have a travel advisory for Japan, so there's nothing I can do (for free) right now regarding flight changes.
What else am I missing?
US pax departing the Princess won't be allowed to return to US for at least 14 days, per the gov't.
Our itinerary is as follows:
March 3: USA->NRT->BKK, 3 hour layover in Tokyo.
March 10: BKK->NRT, spend 5 days in Tokyo.
March 15: NRT-> USA
My biggest concern is that additional cases crop up in Tokyo either while we're in Thailand or Tokyo, and that the US Gov't says, anybody returning from Japan is now subject to a 14 day quarantine. How likely do you think that is?
Additionally, currently AA does not have a travel advisory for Japan, so there's nothing I can do (for free) right now regarding flight changes.
What else am I missing?
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/n...19_48/amp.html