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]
#8536
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYZ
Programs: Ex-Bonvoyed, Hyatt, Hilton, BR, AC, AA
Posts: 1,277
Anything that isn't a strictly enforced rule is basically useless, because many Westerners can't be trusted to care about anyone other than themselves. Case in point, I've taken 2 flights recently where incessant coughing came from individuals that were decidedly European or North American, and of course they basically did not mask for the duration of the flight. This was on SQ.
#8537
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 20,889
The seven day average, a favorite among some posters here, has ticked up 100% over the previous week in Tokyo, indicating increasing cases.
However, if we just wipe out the previous week as an anamoly of Golden Week and check against two weeks ago, the numbers are still down slightly.
So plenty of room for everyone to continue seeing things in the way that they want to see them.
Okinawa is looking pretty rough though, with another all-time reported high for daily cases today, and their hospitals are starting to feel the pinch. Best of luck to everyone that needs medical care out there.
However, if we just wipe out the previous week as an anamoly of Golden Week and check against two weeks ago, the numbers are still down slightly.
So plenty of room for everyone to continue seeing things in the way that they want to see them.
Okinawa is looking pretty rough though, with another all-time reported high for daily cases today, and their hospitals are starting to feel the pinch. Best of luck to everyone that needs medical care out there.
Okinawa on the is showing quite an uptick in cases, though that started before GW and just accelerated through GW. Are the visitors more careful than the locals?
#8538
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
If you look at Tokyo moving average on the 29th, and again on the 11th, it is down 24%, so Golden Week has yet to produce a boom in new cases....
Okinawa on the is showing quite an uptick in cases, though that started before GW and just accelerated through GW. Are the visitors more careful than the locals?
Okinawa on the is showing quite an uptick in cases, though that started before GW and just accelerated through GW. Are the visitors more careful than the locals?
And when the positive rate is around 40-50% or more (as it has been for both places), then the more you test, the more you find.
#8539
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,423
Going forward, the good news for easing the burden on hospitals is that almost 90% of all senior citizens are now fully vaccinated and boosted. The bad news for stemming transmission is that the percentage of those in their 20's and 30's that are fully boosted remains under 40%. As I recall, pretty much everyone that wished to be vaccinated could have done so by the end of last October, after which more than six months have now passed, so pretty much everyone that wishes to be boosted could do so by now. So it seems that quite a few of the younger generation have opted out of getting additional shots.
#8540
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 199
From an actual diagnostic perspective there are many issues. Does the equipment work? Infrared gun thermometers are usually junk. Are the operators trained properly? If its honor system, are people actually doing it? Not to mention a fever in and of itself is neither sensitive nor specific enough on its own to rule in or out COVID. People without a fever may be infectious. People with one may not have COVID.
Im a bit of curmudgeon when it comes to things like this as it distracts from things that actually work such as policies that promote indoor usage of good quality masks, ventilation, and vaccination.
#8541
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 20,889
There's two ways to interpret this: either a gradual decrease in cases has continued over the past two weeks, or a sharp downturn over the past week has violently jolted us back upwards again. The next week's worth of data should make the picture clearer.
Going forward, the good news for easing the burden on hospitals is that almost 90% of all senior citizens are now fully vaccinated and boosted. The bad news for stemming transmission is that the percentage of those in their 20's and 30's that are fully boosted remains under 40%. As I recall, pretty much everyone that wished to be vaccinated could have done so by the end of last October, after which more than six months have now passed, so pretty much everyone that wishes to be boosted could do so by now. So it seems that quite a few of the younger generation have opted out of getting additional shots.
Going forward, the good news for easing the burden on hospitals is that almost 90% of all senior citizens are now fully vaccinated and boosted. The bad news for stemming transmission is that the percentage of those in their 20's and 30's that are fully boosted remains under 40%. As I recall, pretty much everyone that wished to be vaccinated could have done so by the end of last October, after which more than six months have now passed, so pretty much everyone that wishes to be boosted could do so by now. So it seems that quite a few of the younger generation have opted out of getting additional shots.
#8542
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 807
while I probably would have followed the request as I tend to be rules following type, this is very likely an ineffective intervention (as opposed to say, indoor masking or high quality air filtration) thats essentially like the hygiene theatre seen earlier in the pandemic.
I also find this response interesting juxtaposed to your violins reply to the hypothetical foreigner experiencing a major as opposed to a minor inconvenience.
I also find this response interesting juxtaposed to your violins reply to the hypothetical foreigner experiencing a major as opposed to a minor inconvenience.
#8543
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,423
Yeah, but we from GW21, new year 20 and 21, obon 20 and 21, and a number of long weekends, and the general behaviour on weekends we know that the reported results drop in these periods. So to assume that the true numbers dropped during golden week and suddenly had a surge again is probably rather unlikely. Just the usual drop in testing and reporting.
#8544
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
Going forward, the good news for easing the burden on hospitals is that almost 90% of all senior citizens are now fully vaccinated and boosted. The bad news for stemming transmission is that the percentage of those in their 20's and 30's that are fully boosted remains under 40%. As I recall, pretty much everyone that wished to be vaccinated could have done so by the end of last October, after which more than six months have now passed, so pretty much everyone that wishes to be boosted could do so by now. So it seems that quite a few of the younger generation have opted out of getting additional shots.
Vaccines are distributed by local govs in Japan, and my wife and I could not get vaccinated until late October last year since we were under 60 and that was just the schedule for our city. Some people I know had to wait till late November.
We finally got the application for our boosters in the mail in mid-April (no online reservations here). The 3 days they offered for getting shots in May weren't possible for us (though this is assuming all the slots in May weren't already full), so we had to ask for the next dates, and therefore we won't be able to get boosted until mid-June. I already know of one neighbor who won't be able to get his until July since he sent it in later than us and the date he requested for June was full.
So please, do not claim that people aren't boosted only due to opting out of it. Many many people in smaller cities and towns have literally been not allowed to get them yet. The national government already announced months ago that the booster program is to run until mid/late July.
(and before you start claiming I can go somewhere else since where you happen to live they give out boosters willy-nilly, yes this may be possible for me if I wanted to deal with the arrangements, annoying paperwork, and travel burden, but it is not a realistic option for the millions of others across the country who are in my same situation)
#8545
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,423
This is a false belief.
Vaccines are distributed by local govs in Japan, and my wife and I could not get vaccinated until late October last year since we were under 60 and that was just the schedule for our city. Some people I know had to wait till late November.
We finally got the application for our boosters in the mail in mid-April (no online reservations here). The 3 days they offered for getting shots in May weren't possible for us (though this is assuming all the slots in May weren't already full), so we had to ask for the next dates, and therefore we won't be able to get boosted until mid-June. I already know of one neighbor who won't be able to get his until July since he sent it in later than us and the date he requested for June was full.
So please, do not claim that people aren't boosted only due to opting out of it. Many many people in smaller cities and towns have literally been not allowed to get them yet. The national government already announced months ago that the booster program is to run until mid/late July.
Vaccines are distributed by local govs in Japan, and my wife and I could not get vaccinated until late October last year since we were under 60 and that was just the schedule for our city. Some people I know had to wait till late November.
We finally got the application for our boosters in the mail in mid-April (no online reservations here). The 3 days they offered for getting shots in May weren't possible for us (though this is assuming all the slots in May weren't already full), so we had to ask for the next dates, and therefore we won't be able to get boosted until mid-June. I already know of one neighbor who won't be able to get his until July since he sent it in later than us and the date he requested for June was full.
So please, do not claim that people aren't boosted only due to opting out of it. Many many people in smaller cities and towns have literally been not allowed to get them yet. The national government already announced months ago that the booster program is to run until mid/late July.
The vast majority of people who got vaccinated did so before November, and the number of people getting their third shot has already plateaued.
#8546
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
And my apologies for being a wrench in the system of your assumptions. But unfortunately, all your wonderful stats and government talking points still won't give us the availability to a booster anytime sooner.
#8547
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,423
I guess I'm just a lone anomaly, so thank you for dismissing the reality of my family's and neighbor's lives and situation (that is not by our choosing) as a "singular data point".
And my apologies for being a wrench in the system of your assumptions. But unfortunately, all your wonderful stats and government talking points still won't give us the availability to a booster anytime sooner.
And my apologies for being a wrench in the system of your assumptions. But unfortunately, all your wonderful stats and government talking points still won't give us the availability to a booster anytime sooner.
But of course, that remains an issue in every country. All will have to assess the risk levels and decide their way forward, although quite a few of them have already done that.
#8548
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,423
A baby step forward on mask recommendations:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/202...622491000.html
It will be recommended that, especially during periods of high heat and humidity, masks may be removed when outdoors and over 2 meters of separation between others can be secured.
However, "The infection route of the new corona is flying eyelids, inhalation of aerosols, and contact infection, and we recognize that wearing a mask, including children, is very important as a basic preventive measure for infection."
Thanks Google Translate!
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/202...622491000.html
It will be recommended that, especially during periods of high heat and humidity, masks may be removed when outdoors and over 2 meters of separation between others can be secured.
However, "The infection route of the new corona is flying eyelids, inhalation of aerosols, and contact infection, and we recognize that wearing a mask, including children, is very important as a basic preventive measure for infection."
Thanks Google Translate!
#8549
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: TXL
Programs: US, LH, HH
Posts: 723
I PMed you the hotel names, both are 4 star hotels in Osaka.
#8550
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,423