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Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]

Old Mar 5, 2020, 5:17 pm
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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.
  • 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.
Vaccine certificate does require three doses of vaccines.
​​​
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 dlvoire, 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.
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Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]

Old Feb 6, 2020, 9:31 am
  #31  
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The Associated Press has an article from Tokyo (printed in many USA newspapers today) saying that they don't plan to cancel the Olympics and Paralympics but the Olympics CEO is "seriously worried that the spread of the infectious disease could throw cold water on the momentum toward the Games" [apparently translated from Japanese by the reporter]. There's concern about the Olympic Village and whether athletes will be able to concentrate on sport.

Further discussion centers on travel restrictions, confusion, and possible fears of visitors.

The Wuhan virus is thrown in as a problem like cybersecurity and transportation. It's claimed that the IOC is confident regarding preparations.
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 9:45 am
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Originally Posted by groovbusta
A friend of ours works at one of the big department stores in Ginza and she said sales and visitors from China were about 50% lower than usual last week. They passed out masks to sales staff working the duty free and cosmetics counters, which made for a strange site, as sales associates are normally not allowed to wear masks.
I wonder what is the impact on Japan tourism $$?
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 10:53 am
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Originally Posted by allset2travel
I wonder what is the impact on Japan tourism $$?
China Tourism to Japan historical data
https://public.tableau.com/shared/C85BQPCHD?:toolbar=n&:display_count=n&rigin=viz_ share_link&:embed=y
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 8:03 pm
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I was under the impression that Jpns infection count included all the discovered cases on the cruise liner.

But this website which is really up to date shows Jpn as having 45 cases, even though 61 were positive from that ship.

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/a...23467b48e9ecf6

Does 45 not include people from that ship, or they only include people with Jpn citizenship, or whats the deal?
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 9:34 pm
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Originally Posted by evergrn
I was under the impression that Jpns infection count included all the discovered cases on the cruise liner.

But this website which is really up to date shows Jpn as having 45 cases, even though 61 were positive from that ship.

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/a...23467b48e9ecf6

Does 45 not include people from that ship, or they only include people with Jpn citizenship, or what’s the deal?
Maybe they're still officially not allowing non-Japanese passengers to enter the country, even if they're being treated in a Japanese hospital, and so not reporting those as part of it?

ETA: in the link they're listed under Others (61) for the country, which matches the red blob next to Yokohama.
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 10:33 pm
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Originally Posted by rustykettel

ETA: in the link they're listed under Others (61) for the country, which matches the red blob next to Yokohama.
If you click on 'Others' (or any country) in the left column the map will move focus.
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 11:07 pm
  #37  
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Originally Posted by evergrn
I was under the impression that Jpns infection count included all the discovered cases on the cruise liner.

But this website which is really up to date shows Jpn as having 45 cases, even though 61 were positive from that ship.

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/a...23467b48e9ecf6
Still showing U.K. as 2 (our third case, someone who had been to Singapore, isnt listed)
You might want to adjust your expectations for that website.
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 11:29 pm
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https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020...band-says.html

Some details of how this being handled.

A Japanese health official and a crew member told her that she had tested positive for coronavirus and her husband tested negative. She will stay at a hospital at least three days. If she gets better, Rebecca Frasure said, she will be taken back to the cruise ship to wait out the rest of the 14-day quarantine. Otherwise, she will stay in the hospital.
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Old Feb 6, 2020, 11:32 pm
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Originally Posted by rustykettel
Maybe they're still officially not allowing non-Japanese passengers to enter the country, even if they're being treated in a Japanese hospital, and so not reporting those as part of it?

ETA: in the link they're listed under Others (61) for the country, which matches the red blob next to Yokohama.
Stats changed in the last few hours then!
Jpn showed 45 when I last looked. But as you say, now it is down to 25 with that "others" blob next to it showing 61, meaning they must've decided to separate the cruise ship cases from Jpn stats.
And that means only 25 cases in Jpn, besides the ship ones. That is very encouraging, considering the fact that the number has only increased by 5 cases in the entire country over the past week or more.
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Old Feb 7, 2020, 12:26 am
  #40  
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And U.K. still showing as 2
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Old Feb 7, 2020, 2:24 am
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Originally Posted by rustykettel
https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020...band-says.html

Some details of how this being handled.

A Japanese health official and a crew member told her that she had tested positive for coronavirus and her husband tested negative. She will stay at a hospital at least three days. If she gets better, Rebecca Frasure said, she will be taken back to the cruise ship to wait out the rest of the 14-day quarantine. Otherwise, she will stay in the hospital.
Unless people who recovered are developing an immunity, what is the point to send her back into floating petri dish until it is declared virus free?
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Old Feb 7, 2020, 4:59 am
  #42  
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Originally Posted by KU104
I'm watching developments unfold so far and Japan seems to have the highest infection rate outside of China. I'm supposed to be traveling there in about 3 weeks time and still on the fence whether to go or not since we will have 70+ year olds in our group.

Any news about what precautions are being taken in Tokyo or if it is "business as usual" with masks being more prevalent.
You're far more likely to catch the flu in Japan than the new coronavirus.
If that doesn't convince you to cancel your trip, then you shouldn't.

Last edited by hailstorm; Feb 7, 2020 at 5:07 am
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Old Feb 7, 2020, 6:21 am
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NHK World and CNN just reported 86 cases in Japan now. Getting a bit crazy here!
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Old Feb 7, 2020, 6:35 am
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Originally Posted by ainternational
NHK World and CNN just reported 86 cases in Japan now. Getting a bit crazy here!
Seems like you guys are sprinting out to the lead in this race outside Mainland China.
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Old Feb 7, 2020, 6:49 am
  #45  
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Originally Posted by ainternational
NHK World and CNN just reported 86 cases in Japan now. Getting a bit crazy here!
To be fair, 61 of those are from the cruise ship docked at Yokohama. Lots of old frail folk, narrow passages, gently undulating floors; the hand rails and guard rails throughout the ship and on every set of steps and stairways will have been well used by a LOT of people who need that little bit of extra assistance standing and moving around.

Am still being targeted with adverts on British media content providers attempting to entice me to take cruises on ocean liners and experience Asia (with almost every image being of Japan).

NHK released a short documentary on the 2nd February following a young soba maker attempting to follow in his fathers footsteps in Yamagata prefecture. Starts off with shots of a glorious banquet where dozens of participants take soba with their chopsticks from a huge communal board.
Have a feeling that Kyotos riverside somen slides are going to be rather less popular this summer and some of those Autumn new soba events are going to be at least re-considered.
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