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 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.
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 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.
Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]
#5462
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,356
My theory is that Japanese (and some other nationalities) have much higher acquired immunity (maybe because of BCG vaccinations.) There aren't any other good explanations for the lower transmission rates in Japan. I don't think it can be explained by behavior.
#5463
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,446
Stage 4 infection level prefectures (as of yesterday, in order of highest to lowest):
Okinawa, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Fukuoka, Ishikawa, Ibaraki (declared its own State of Emergency from today), Kyoto, Tochigi, Hyogo, Gunma, Fukushima, Hokkaido, Nara, Yamanashi, Tottori, Kumamoto, Wakayama, Fukui, Shiga, and Okayama
Stage 3 infection level prefectures (as of yesterday, in order of highest to lowest):
Shizuoka, Aichi, Kagawa, Saga, Kochi, Mie, Toyama, and Niigata
Okinawa further extends its lead over Tokyo in weekly infections per 100K of population, 179.15 to 167.82. Ten deaths nationwide yesterday, Tokyo leading the way with 7.
Tokyo now has over 14,000 COVID-19 patients recovering in their home, with a further 8400 in the "processing" state. Positivity rate is over 20% for the first time since the first wave.
Okinawa, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Fukuoka, Ishikawa, Ibaraki (declared its own State of Emergency from today), Kyoto, Tochigi, Hyogo, Gunma, Fukushima, Hokkaido, Nara, Yamanashi, Tottori, Kumamoto, Wakayama, Fukui, Shiga, and Okayama
Stage 3 infection level prefectures (as of yesterday, in order of highest to lowest):
Shizuoka, Aichi, Kagawa, Saga, Kochi, Mie, Toyama, and Niigata
Okinawa further extends its lead over Tokyo in weekly infections per 100K of population, 179.15 to 167.82. Ten deaths nationwide yesterday, Tokyo leading the way with 7.
Tokyo now has over 14,000 COVID-19 patients recovering in their home, with a further 8400 in the "processing" state. Positivity rate is over 20% for the first time since the first wave.
Okinawa (196.70) is now so far ahead that Tokyo (174.92) really isn't competition anymore. They lead the nation in every bad measurement that exists, with the notable exception of positivity rate. Tokyo now exceeds 20%, which leads me to believe that its actual infection numbers are far higher than test numbers would indicate, so maybe we're back in the post-factual era again, where statistics are more entertainment than a true measurement of the situation on the ground.
PM Suga's decision to limit hospitalization to only the most critical of patients and leaving everyone else to suffer at home has, as expected, received a lot of flak. What wasn't expected was that he would be receiving this flak from his own party, with the Liberal Democratic Party demanding that the government scrap the policy. Apparently, he didn't discuss the plan either within his party or with the health advisory board before proceeding to announce it. Good luck with that election next month, guys...
#5464
formerly wunderpit
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ONT-SNA-LAX
Programs: UA1K-HHDiamond
Posts: 1,344
As much as some of you crack on Japan, Japan looks like geniuses compared to this...I mean, right on cue with the new deaths. I just canceled travel to Indiana next week. Give me Japan any day.
#5465
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If I wasn't clear enough in my previous posts, Japan's stats are a lie. Especially Tokyo. They are not testing nearly enough people to get anything close to an accurate number. A better comparison is the hospital situation, which I believe in the hotspots are both equally FUBAR at this point.
#5466
formerly wunderpit
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ONT-SNA-LAX
Programs: UA1K-HHDiamond
Posts: 1,344
"Looks like" being the operative term.
If I wasn't clear enough in my previous posts, Japan's stats are a lie. Especially Tokyo. They are not testing nearly enough people to get anything close to an accurate number. A better comparison is the hospital situation, which I believe in the hotspots are both equally FUBAR at this point.
If I wasn't clear enough in my previous posts, Japan's stats are a lie. Especially Tokyo. They are not testing nearly enough people to get anything close to an accurate number. A better comparison is the hospital situation, which I believe in the hotspots are both equally FUBAR at this point.
#5467
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,446
#5468
formerly wunderpit
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ONT-SNA-LAX
Programs: UA1K-HHDiamond
Posts: 1,344
#5469
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Thanks for the Memories !!!
Posts: 10,666
In speaking with a Japanese friend last evening , he got his first Moderna last weekend , his wife refused as she is afraid of side-effects. He will go back to his JIKA for Obon (they are quite religious), wife was told to stay in Tokyo because she was not going to be vaccinated. Seems both sets of elderly parents didn't the DELTA from Tokyo.
#5470
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Posts: 20,446
I hope he realises that one shot of Moderna offers little protection against the Delta variant, though I assume that the elderly parents are all fully vaccinated at this point.
#5471
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
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Posts: 21,535
Not just Lumine Est that has issues with infections, Shinjuku Isetan also has problems. I guess it is time to stop going to department stores.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7b...09a0b87ac95ba1
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7b...09a0b87ac95ba1
#5472
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,535
Shizuoka gets promoted to Stage 4, giving Stage 4 prefectures a majority. Miyagi gets promoted to Stage 3, leaving Stage 3 prefectures one shy of a supermajority.
Okinawa (196.70) is now so far ahead that Tokyo (174.92) really isn't competition anymore. They lead the nation in every bad measurement that exists, with the notable exception of positivity rate. Tokyo now exceeds 20%, which leads me to believe that its actual infection numbers are far higher than test numbers would indicate, so maybe we're back in the post-factual era again, where statistics are more entertainment than a true measurement of the situation on the ground.
PM Suga's decision to limit hospitalization to only the most critical of patients and leaving everyone else to suffer at home has, as expected, received a lot of flak. What wasn't expected was that he would be receiving this flak from his own party, with the Liberal Democratic Party demanding that the government scrap the policy. Apparently, he didn't discuss the plan either within his party or with the health advisory board before proceeding to announce it. Good luck with that election next month, guys...
Okinawa (196.70) is now so far ahead that Tokyo (174.92) really isn't competition anymore. They lead the nation in every bad measurement that exists, with the notable exception of positivity rate. Tokyo now exceeds 20%, which leads me to believe that its actual infection numbers are far higher than test numbers would indicate, so maybe we're back in the post-factual era again, where statistics are more entertainment than a true measurement of the situation on the ground.
PM Suga's decision to limit hospitalization to only the most critical of patients and leaving everyone else to suffer at home has, as expected, received a lot of flak. What wasn't expected was that he would be receiving this flak from his own party, with the Liberal Democratic Party demanding that the government scrap the policy. Apparently, he didn't discuss the plan either within his party or with the health advisory board before proceeding to announce it. Good luck with that election next month, guys...
#5473
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Posts: 20,446
Customers worried after major COVID-19 cluster infection hits Osaka dept. store staff.
I was going to get an Egg McMuffin for takeout this morning, but saw a gauntlet of maskless eating customers facing the long walk to the counter at the back of the restaurant and promptly changed my mind.
#5474
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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"Looks like" being the operative term.
If I wasn't clear enough in my previous posts, Japan's stats are a lie. Especially Tokyo. They are not testing nearly enough people to get anything close to an accurate number. A better comparison is the hospital situation, which I believe in the hotspots are both equally FUBAR at this point.
If I wasn't clear enough in my previous posts, Japan's stats are a lie. Especially Tokyo. They are not testing nearly enough people to get anything close to an accurate number. A better comparison is the hospital situation, which I believe in the hotspots are both equally FUBAR at this point.
#5475
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Japan/Thailand
Programs: AS, UA
Posts: 1,205
In speaking with a Japanese friend last evening , he got his first Moderna last weekend , his wife refused as she is afraid of side-effects. He will go back to his JIKA for Obon (they are quite religious), wife was told to stay in Tokyo because she was not going to be vaccinated. Seems both sets of elderly parents didn't the DELTA from Tokyo.
I just heard about a friend of a friend who is refusing to get the vaccine because she thinks getting COVID wouldn't be a big deal. However, she owns and runs a bar, and doesn't seem to realize that she might be at a bit of a high risk of getting it, not to mention irresponsible if if then spreads because of her.