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]
Jul 8, 2021, 6:22 pm
#5101
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
Maybe this provides momentum for banning spectators at all the other events too as it's probably up to the prefectural governments to decide. If you asked me a week ago I wouldn't have guessed that spectators would be banned anywhere at all, so anything is a step in the right direction.
The only way to hold a marathon truly without fans would be to cordon off an entire park and have them run laps entirely within that area, but I'm sure that changing the race venue at the last minute wouldn't fly with the PTB.
Jul 8, 2021, 6:36 pm
#5102
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
Jul 8, 2021, 11:43 pm
#5103
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: Alaska
Posts: 2,188
What's the chance that Japan will open to vaccinated travelers near the end of the year?
Jul 9, 2021, 12:01 am
#5104
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kobe/Osaka
Programs: Delta
Posts: 1,587
End of THIS year? Tourists? Low chance in my opinion, but that's just a guess.
Jul 9, 2021, 12:28 am
#5105
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: Alaska
Posts: 2,188
What more does Japan want to do to open to the world? Or will Japan look to be closed forever?
Jul 9, 2021, 12:41 am
#5106
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kobe/Osaka
Programs: Delta
Posts: 1,587
Edited to note that domestic tourism is much more important than foreign tourism in regard to related businesses making money. I think that will be the first focus.
Jul 9, 2021, 12:49 am
#5107
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: US/TYO/LON
Programs: Marriott Titanium; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 411
You basically answered your question there. There is still significant vaccine hesitancy in Japan, so just like in the US they will hit a plateau soon with vaccine rates. After that you will continue to have sporadic outbreaks as the un-vaccinated populace keeps the virus going. Opening up - don't see it before 2022, at least not fully.
Jul 9, 2021, 1:04 am
#5108
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: Alaska
Posts: 2,188
You basically answered your question there. There is still significant vaccine hesitancy in Japan, so just like in the US they will hit a plateau soon with vaccine rates. After that you will continue to have sporadic outbreaks as the un-vaccinated populace keeps the virus going. Opening up - don't see it before 2022, at least not fully.
maybe open-up will give it a stronger push.
Jul 9, 2021, 1:23 am
#5110
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: JMB
Posts: 132
As long as Japan does not trust in the various vaccines (even fully vaccinated Japanese people aren't allowed to enter Japan without quarantine), why should they open up for foreigners (first step would be business people)?
I'd really like to visit Japan but I fear that won't happen before 2023.
I'd really like to visit Japan but I fear that won't happen before 2023.
Jul 9, 2021, 1:55 am
#5111
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kobe, Japan
Programs: Bonvoy Platinum, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 1,531
Again just guessing. I wouldn't be surprised to see another spike in number of infections around September, based on summer activities. Give that two months to settle down and it's the end of the year.
Edited to note that domestic tourism is much more important than foreign tourism in regard to related businesses making money. I think that will be the first focus.
Edited to note that domestic tourism is much more important than foreign tourism in regard to related businesses making money. I think that will be the first focus.
Eagerly awaiting the resumption of GO TO so I can contribute (before the foreign hoards return, whenever that is).
Jul 9, 2021, 2:12 am
#5113
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kobe/Osaka
Programs: Delta
Posts: 1,587
Given the huge numbers of tourists pre-COIVD, I was going to suggest foreign tourist spending was very important, but a quick search shows it was still just 20% vs 80% domestic tourism.
Eagerly awaiting the resumption of GO TO so I can contribute (before the foreign hoards return, whenever that is).
Eagerly awaiting the resumption of GO TO so I can contribute (before the foreign hoards return, whenever that is).
Jul 9, 2021, 2:13 am
#5114
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
Over 70% of seniors in Tokyo have had at least one shot, so I think vaccine hesitancy is over-stated.
Biggest fly in the ointment right now is the Delta variant. How many breakthrough cases of that we see will likely determine the future course. So far the low number of cases in seniors despite the recent uptick is a good sign.
My ballpark guess is that everyone that wants to be vaccinated will be able to have done so by the end of October. After that they'll slowly pilot with business travelers, watch how that goes, wait until the end of year holiday season passes, and start bringing in tourists again before Chinese New Year.
This estimate gets thrown out the window if a vaccine-busting variant comes to the forefront at any time during this.
Biggest fly in the ointment right now is the Delta variant. How many breakthrough cases of that we see will likely determine the future course. So far the low number of cases in seniors despite the recent uptick is a good sign.
My ballpark guess is that everyone that wants to be vaccinated will be able to have done so by the end of October. After that they'll slowly pilot with business travelers, watch how that goes, wait until the end of year holiday season passes, and start bringing in tourists again before Chinese New Year.
This estimate gets thrown out the window if a vaccine-busting variant comes to the forefront at any time during this.
Jul 9, 2021, 2:18 am
#5115
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kobe/Osaka
Programs: Delta
Posts: 1,587
Over 70% of seniors in Tokyo have had at least one shot, so I think vaccine hesitancy is over-stated.
Biggest fly in the ointment right now is the Delta variant. How many breakthrough cases of that we see will likely determine the future course. So far the low number of cases in seniors despite the recent uptick is a good sign.
My ballpark guess is that everyone that wants to be vaccinated will be able to have done so by the end of October. After that they'll slowly pilot with business travelers, watch how that goes, wait until the end of year holiday season passes, and start bringing in tourists again before Chinese New Year.
This estimate gets thrown out the window if a vaccine-busting variant comes to the forefront at any time during this.
Biggest fly in the ointment right now is the Delta variant. How many breakthrough cases of that we see will likely determine the future course. So far the low number of cases in seniors despite the recent uptick is a good sign.
My ballpark guess is that everyone that wants to be vaccinated will be able to have done so by the end of October. After that they'll slowly pilot with business travelers, watch how that goes, wait until the end of year holiday season passes, and start bringing in tourists again before Chinese New Year.
This estimate gets thrown out the window if a vaccine-busting variant comes to the forefront at any time during this.