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 22, 2021, 11:18 pm
#5251
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My work (in the US) vaccinated a bunch of us back in February/March because we work with at risk populations. I would say younger people had more side-effects than older people with Moderna. That said, the side-effects were extremely mild, generally comparable to a minor hangover, sometimes with a light fever, after the second. The first had very minimal impacts on us.
Pfizer does seem to have a bit fewer side effects, as some people I work with got that a bit later and really had very few issues.
Its all anecdotes. The one thing I will note is we had a bunch of covid cases and a few deaths in 2020, and any side-effects were minimal compared to any symptomatic covid case.
Pfizer does seem to have a bit fewer side effects, as some people I work with got that a bit later and really had very few issues.
Its all anecdotes. The one thing I will note is we had a bunch of covid cases and a few deaths in 2020, and any side-effects were minimal compared to any symptomatic covid case.
In the US we are experiencing people who refused vac asking for the vac as their docs tell them they need to be intubated (and of course having to tell them that it's "too late")!
Jul 23, 2021, 2:38 am
#5252
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With yesterday being a holiday, I was pretty sure we would finally end our streak of days higher than the previous week, but even with way fewer tests yesterday, today's 1359 still beat out last Friday's 1271.
If we beat out last Saturday's 1410 even after a double holiday, then may Amaterasu have mercy on our soles.
If we beat out last Saturday's 1410 even after a double holiday, then may Amaterasu have mercy on our soles.
Jul 23, 2021, 5:22 am
#5253
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 813
I saw a segment on CBC about how open Japan is. I was completely unaware. Normally they play things up but did not look like it. I am not surprised the numbers are up and will probably continue.
Jul 23, 2021, 7:02 pm
#5254
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There was another update to the quartine requirements entering Japan.
For hotel quarantine duration:
Pakistan was moved to 6 days from 10 and thus resident foreigners can reenter Japan from Pakistan, Uganda to 3 from 6 days. Myanmar and was added to 6, Iran and Oman to 3 days. For US travellers, Oklahoma and Missouri was added to the 3 day regime.
Non moved to only home quarantine this time.
For hotel quarantine duration:
Pakistan was moved to 6 days from 10 and thus resident foreigners can reenter Japan from Pakistan, Uganda to 3 from 6 days. Myanmar and was added to 6, Iran and Oman to 3 days. For US travellers, Oklahoma and Missouri was added to the 3 day regime.
Non moved to only home quarantine this time.
Jul 23, 2021, 7:11 pm
#5255
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The one card that the government hasn't played yet is requesting a broader variety of establishments to close, such as in the first emergency. I think that that's the only thing left that can be done to bring the numbers down until more of the population can be vaccinated.
Jul 23, 2021, 7:21 pm
#5256
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Japan has never once been "locked down", because the Constitution doesn't allow for it. Any time the streets of Tokyo became bare, it was entirely due to the self restraint of its residents. But they are no longer willing to refrain from doing things in numbers significant enough to have any effect on the usual crowding, so we're kind of in unchartered territory here.
The one card that the government hasn't played yet is requesting a broader variety of establishments to close, such as in the first emergency. I think that that's the only thing left that can be done to bring the numbers down until more of the population can be vaccinated.
The one card that the government hasn't played yet is requesting a broader variety of establishments to close, such as in the first emergency. I think that that's the only thing left that can be done to bring the numbers down until more of the population can be vaccinated.
Domestic flights are still quite empty. I was in Sapporo for a quick stint Thursday, and while first class and Class J were full, Y was more than plenty open. If you want social distancing flying domestic these days, just stay in the back rows.
Jul 23, 2021, 7:40 pm
#5257
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Jul 24, 2021, 2:39 am
#5259
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Jul 24, 2021, 2:42 am
#5260
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Well, I don't feel the burning heat of the licking on my feet of the Podophilic Shinto Sun Goddess, since we "only" had 1128 cases today.
Jul 24, 2021, 6:55 pm
#5261
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kobe, Japan
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Posts: 1,532
There was another update to the quartine requirements entering Japan.
For hotel quarantine duration:
Pakistan was moved to 6 days from 10 and thus resident foreigners can reenter Japan from Pakistan, Uganda to 3 from 6 days. Myanmar and was added to 6, Iran and Oman to 3 days. For US travellers, Oklahoma and Missouri was added to the 3 day regime.
Non moved to only home quarantine this time.
For hotel quarantine duration:
Pakistan was moved to 6 days from 10 and thus resident foreigners can reenter Japan from Pakistan, Uganda to 3 from 6 days. Myanmar and was added to 6, Iran and Oman to 3 days. For US travellers, Oklahoma and Missouri was added to the 3 day regime.
Non moved to only home quarantine this time.
Jul 24, 2021, 7:36 pm
#5262
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Are the state requirements on where you have been for most of your stay, or where you are departing from? I could see someone driving across state lines to get to an airport in a state that does not have the 3-day requirement. Or getting stuck if a transit included a state on the "bad" list. Or perhaps transit doesn't count?
If have not heard of anyone being questioned more than "Have to you been to any other places?" to which a quick no ends the discussion. But maybe if you come on a JAL flight from Seattle and claim to not have been to Washington (the state) they might want to see a copy of your ticket, which they could already have, as Japan requires API from the airlines.
Jul 24, 2021, 9:31 pm
#5263
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Transit does not count. But if you have stayed in the named states within 14 days of arriving in Japan, the hotel quarantine kicks in. Of course they don't have a way of verifying, apart from the passenger filling in and signing a government form to the best extend of their knowledge.
If have not heard of anyone being questioned more than "Have to you been to any other places?" to which a quick no ends the discussion. But maybe if you come on a JAL flight from Seattle and claim to not have been to Washington (the state) they might want to see a copy of your ticket, which they could already have, as Japan requires API from the airlines.
If have not heard of anyone being questioned more than "Have to you been to any other places?" to which a quick no ends the discussion. But maybe if you come on a JAL flight from Seattle and claim to not have been to Washington (the state) they might want to see a copy of your ticket, which they could already have, as Japan requires API from the airlines.
For the poster with the questions, indeed, they will simply ask you where you were and they have no real way to confirm anything except for where your flight originated from. And if that city was a transit stop on a separate ticket, how would they know except to ask you to see the other ticket perhaps, but even still, it’s basically the honors system with the quarantine officers in Japan. Let’s just be glad they don’t treat all 50 states the same and lowest common denominate the rules based on the worst conditions.
Jul 24, 2021, 11:08 pm
#5264
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I was somehow under the impression that transit did count based on posts above. Does the documentation specifically say transit is actually ok? If so, I wonder what qualifies as transit (how many hours, what if you leave the airport during a long or overnight layover, etc). Seems difficult to police.
For the poster with the questions, indeed, they will simply ask you where you were and they have no real way to confirm anything except for where your flight originated from. And if that city was a transit stop on a separate ticket, how would they know except to ask you to see the other ticket perhaps, but even still, it’s basically the honors system with the quarantine officers in Japan. Let’s just be glad they don’t treat all 50 states the same and lowest common denominate the rules based on the worst conditions.
For the poster with the questions, indeed, they will simply ask you where you were and they have no real way to confirm anything except for where your flight originated from. And if that city was a transit stop on a separate ticket, how would they know except to ask you to see the other ticket perhaps, but even still, it’s basically the honors system with the quarantine officers in Japan. Let’s just be glad they don’t treat all 50 states the same and lowest common denominate the rules based on the worst conditions.
From an international perspective, transit would generally mean not entering the country, but staying airside. Though with the added complication that a few countries like the US does not actually allow for airside international transit. And once you come to domestic transits in the US it gets quite murky on what is a transit, though I'd still probably say not leaving the airport counts as a transit not a stay.
Jul 25, 2021, 2:07 am
#5265
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