Mar 5, 20, 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 5, 22, 4:10 pm
#9211
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Who really cares
Programs: Kind of a 2012 question
Posts: 650
Originally Posted by musehead
Well, most countries in Europe removed their testing and travel restrictions when cases got very high with the Omicron wave earlier in the year, because they become increasingly pointless as domestic infection levels increase. When infection levels are high, testing and travel restrictions are redundant.
That said, Japan's pre-departure test is probably at the bottom of the list of measures I'd like to see abolished!
That said, Japan's pre-departure test is probably at the bottom of the list of measures I'd like to see abolished!
Jul 5, 22, 4:12 pm
#9212
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Who really cares
Programs: Kind of a 2012 question
Posts: 650
Originally Posted by williamluk
People may not be aware but Chinese government has NOT been issuing (nor renewing) passports to its citizens for tourism since 2020. The only people who can get a passport nowadays are those able to prove they need to make necessary biz trip or students for overseas study. I seriously doubt there are much Chinese tourists in Japan. Chinese shoppers you saw are probably residents.
Jul 5, 22, 4:40 pm
#9213
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Diamond (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 18,005
Originally Posted by williamluk
People may not be aware but Chinese government has NOT been issuing (nor renewing) passports to its citizens for tourism since 2020. The only people who can get a passport nowadays are those able to prove they need to make necessary biz trip or students for overseas study. I seriously doubt there are much Chinese tourists in Japan. Chinese shoppers you saw are probably residents.
While the Chinese government may not have been issuing new passports, they probably did not void the existing ones? And since they need to get a business trip visa to enter Japan, probably not too difficult to document a business trip for a necessary renewal?
Jul 5, 22, 4:59 pm
#9214
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Thanks for the Memories !!!
Posts: 10,599
Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer
Resident shoppers that stayed away from shopping for 2 years, and suddenly show up in high numbers?
While the Chinese government may not have been issuing new passports, they probably did not void the existing ones? And since they need to get a business trip visa to enter Japan, probably not too difficult to document a business trip for a necessary renewal?
While the Chinese government may not have been issuing new passports, they probably did not void the existing ones? And since they need to get a business trip visa to enter Japan, probably not too difficult to document a business trip for a necessary renewal?
Jul 5, 22, 5:08 pm
#9215
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Who really cares
Programs: Kind of a 2012 question
Posts: 650
Even with the assumption that the wealth in China is concentrated with 1 percent of the population, that's a crap load of wealthy people that probably have multiple passports including those that allow easier transit to ask for some favors. Remember Meng whatever her name was with a Hong Kong and China passport. That's not isolated and she sure as crap did not enter Canada on her Chinese one..that's in her own records filed with the courts. Even looking to the next level of wealth, many many many people with "business" in Japan and many prepared to look and bend the rules for some cash. Oh wait, Japan never bends the rules...please
Jul 7, 22, 2:11 am
#9216
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,670
https://japantoday.com/category/nati...onavirus-cases
One wonders what’s fueling the uptick. Biz visa travelers? More Japanese and residents traveling? Lack of arrival testing? Or purely domestic?
One wonders what’s fueling the uptick. Biz visa travelers? More Japanese and residents traveling? Lack of arrival testing? Or purely domestic?
Jul 7, 22, 2:48 am
#9217
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Diamond (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 18,005
Originally Posted by ainternational
https://japantoday.com/category/nati...onavirus-cases
One wonders what’s fueling the uptick. Biz visa travelers? More Japanese and residents traveling? Lack of arrival testing? Or purely domestic?
One wonders what’s fueling the uptick. Biz visa travelers? More Japanese and residents traveling? Lack of arrival testing? Or purely domestic?
Jul 7, 22, 2:55 am
#9218
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 285
Originally Posted by ainternational
https://japantoday.com/category/nati...onavirus-cases
One wonders what’s fueling the uptick. Biz visa travelers? More Japanese and residents traveling? Lack of arrival testing? Or purely domestic?
One wonders what’s fueling the uptick. Biz visa travelers? More Japanese and residents traveling? Lack of arrival testing? Or purely domestic?
Jul 7, 22, 4:46 am
#9219
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 112
Originally Posted by musehead
There doesn't need to be anything in particular fuelling it - the BA.4 and BA.5 variants are more infectious than the previous dominant variants, so will result in an increase in cases compared to before, even with no change in behaviour.
But it does seem truly random when the waves come and go, and trying to explain what caused each rise and fall is a complete waste of time. Masks, hand spray, travel, etc make no material difference in the bigger picture.
I want to smash my TV every time I see them announce a gazillion cases without mentioning hardly anyone is actually sick.
Jul 7, 22, 4:52 am
#9220
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,670
Originally Posted by CalNaughtonJr
Also the dumb close contact protocols probably result in more people getting tested than otherwise would have, so I guess it’s natural to see the positives expanding.
But it does seem truly random when the waves come and go, and trying to explain what caused each rise and fall is a complete waste of time. Masks, hand spray, travel, etc make no material difference in the bigger picture.
I want to smash my TV every time I see them announce a gazillion cases without mentioning hardly anyone is actually sick.
But it does seem truly random when the waves come and go, and trying to explain what caused each rise and fall is a complete waste of time. Masks, hand spray, travel, etc make no material difference in the bigger picture.
I want to smash my TV every time I see them announce a gazillion cases without mentioning hardly anyone is actually sick.
Jul 7, 22, 5:05 am
#9221
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Diamond (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 18,005
From the people I know who have been infected with BA.5, it seems to have more obvious symptoms than what has been the case with some of the other recent variants. So maybe people do tend to get tested more as they are more keenly aware that they are sick.
Jul 7, 22, 5:12 am
#9222
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Who really cares
Programs: Kind of a 2012 question
Posts: 650
Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer
Just one of those random waves. Most countries have them, for a while Portugal had massive growth of BA.5 but it subsided again. No big panic, no material impact on serious cases in the hospitals.
Jul 7, 22, 5:14 am
#9223
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Who really cares
Programs: Kind of a 2012 question
Posts: 650
Originally Posted by CalNaughtonJr
Also the dumb close contact protocols probably result in more people getting tested than otherwise would have, so I guess it’s natural to see the positives expanding.
But it does seem truly random when the waves come and go, and trying to explain what caused each rise and fall is a complete waste of time. Masks, hand spray, travel, etc make no material difference in the bigger picture.
I want to smash my TV every time I see them announce a gazillion cases without mentioning hardly anyone is actually sick.
But it does seem truly random when the waves come and go, and trying to explain what caused each rise and fall is a complete waste of time. Masks, hand spray, travel, etc make no material difference in the bigger picture.
I want to smash my TV every time I see them announce a gazillion cases without mentioning hardly anyone is actually sick.
Jul 7, 22, 5:24 am
#9224
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 136
Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer
I want to smash my TV every time I see them announce a gazillion cases without mentioning hardly anyone is actually sick.
Jul 7, 22, 10:46 am
#9225
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: TYO
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,649
Nothing random about it. Japanese nationals enjoying their maskless vacations in Florida and Hawaii then flying right back home with it.
