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]
#9421
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Programs: JAL Global Club & oneworld Sapphire, ANA SFC & Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 3,746
This has been true of Japan for as long as I've lived here (20+ years). People catch a cold and then run to the doctor to get antibiotics (even though colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria). When I catch a cold, I go to my medicine cabinet and take the OTC cold medicine that I bought in advance for such occasions.
#9422
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
But who is connecting at Ibaraki or Hakodate? I can understand increasing flights to HND/NGO/NRT/KIX for cargo/connection purposes but these are O/D flights.
Last edited by kevincrumbs; Jul 22, 2022 at 10:40 am Reason: Typo
#9423
Join Date: May 2013
Location: SAN, LAX
Programs: JMB, Bonvoy, Hyatt
Posts: 237
Except that it's literally airlines increasing/resuming service. Using Tigerair Taiwan as an example, it's all a resumption. EVA is also increasing service too, as is Peach between NRT/TPE. Are Taiwanese passport holders going to be allowed access to Japan before everyone else? Are Japanese passport holders going to be allowed access to Taiwan before everyone else? The whole thing seems odd.
#9424
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
I would imagine that any plans for flight schedule increases would be set in motion several weeks before being announced (aside from the cost analysis, there's the arranging of the planes, staff, maintenance routine, and securing the runways slots and gates). So I can also imagine back in May and June the Covid and re-opening situation was looking much more favorable than now.
But it seems JAL is now realizing they may have overstepped themselves, and are adjusting accordingly:
JAL to reassign 3,000 employees as international air travel struggles
But it seems JAL is now realizing they may have overstepped themselves, and are adjusting accordingly:
JAL to reassign 3,000 employees as international air travel struggles
Japan Airlines Co. will transfer around 3,000 employees to low-cost carrier and other non-core operations as international and business travel continue to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, company sources said Wednesday.
#9425
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,436
This has been true of Japan for as long as I've lived here (20+ years). People catch a cold and then run to the doctor to get antibiotics (even though colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria). When I catch a cold, I go to my medicine cabinet and take the OTC cold medicine that I bought in advance for such occasions.
#9426
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,166
We have universal healthcare in Denmark, yet I have been conditioned not to run to the doctor for every small ailment that a doctor can't possibly do anything about anyway. Last time I visited a medical institution was about 25 years ago for a broken arm from a rollerblade hockey incident. The rest have been DIY cures. I really don't understand this Japanese propensity to run to the doctor for everything.
#9427
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 14
We have universal healthcare in Denmark, yet I have been conditioned not to run to the doctor for every small ailment that a doctor can't possibly do anything about anyway. Last time I visited a medical institution was about 25 years ago for a broken arm from a rollerblade hockey incident. The rest have been DIY cures. I really don't understand this Japanese propensity to run to the doctor for everything.
#9428
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,166
#9429
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,436
We have universal healthcare in Denmark, yet I have been conditioned not to run to the doctor for every small ailment that a doctor can't possibly do anything about anyway. Last time I visited a medical institution was about 25 years ago for a broken arm from a rollerblade hockey incident. The rest have been DIY cures.
If I'm an old person in Japan, I can choose to either take advantage of an opportunity to talk with my friendly neighborhood doctor and then get some highly discounted medicine, or pay full price for some Paburon and sit at home. I can see how option A is desirable to a lot of people (especially the doctors).
Excessive middlemen and services have been an integral part of the Japanese society and economy for generations, though it's slowly changing due to Western pressures. When I first came to Japan, there were no self serve gas stations. A lot of people never even considered that such a "dangerous" operation could be done on their own. Now, they are the norm. And I imagine more and more people will start avoiding the doctor over time, but overcoming the ingrained right/desire to seek medical help for anything will probably require a lot more time to take hold here.
This has been true of Japan for as long as I've lived here (20+ years). People catch a cold and then run to the doctor to get antibiotics (even though colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria). When I catch a cold, I go to my medicine cabinet and take the OTC cold medicine that I bought in advance for such occasions.
A lady I know once had a cough and thought she had a cold, but went to the doctor anyway. He thought something wasn't right, and ordered some tests. Eventually, lung cancer was found in its very early stages. That was 11 years ago, and she is still with us today.
Last edited by hailstorm; Jul 22, 2022 at 7:12 pm
#9430
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kobe, Japan
Programs: Bonvoy Platinum, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 1,532
This has been true of Japan for as long as I've lived here (20+ years). People catch a cold and then run to the doctor to get antibiotics (even though colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria). When I catch a cold, I go to my medicine cabinet and take the OTC cold medicine that I bought in advance for such occasions.
#9431
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
We have universal healthcare in Denmark, yet I have been conditioned not to run to the doctor for every small ailment that a doctor can't possibly do anything about anyway. Last time I visited a medical institution was about 25 years ago for a broken arm from a rollerblade hockey incident. The rest have been DIY cures. I really don't understand this Japanese propensity to run to the doctor for everything.
If they did not have a horrendous underlying misallocation problem, hospital beds would not be an issue with Covid.
#9432
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: NGS
Programs: UA Silver, ANA MC, HH Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist, Bonvoy Plat, IHG Plat, Shangri-La GC, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,233
This has been true of Japan for as long as I've lived here (20+ years). People catch a cold and then run to the doctor to get antibiotics (even though colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria). When I catch a cold, I go to my medicine cabinet and take the OTC cold medicine that I bought in advance for such occasions.
Last edited by Nagasaki Joe; Jul 22, 2022 at 10:39 pm
#9433
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,166
Well, that's your tax dollars that you're choosing to let go fallow.
If I'm an old person in Japan, I can choose to either take advantage of an opportunity to talk with my friendly neighborhood doctor and then get some highly discounted medicine, or pay full price for some Paburon and sit at home. I can see how option A is desirable to a lot of people (especially the doctors).
Excessive middlemen and services have been an integral part of the Japanese society and economy for generations, though it's slowly changing due to Western pressures. When I first came to Japan, there were no self serve gas stations. A lot of people never even considered that such a "dangerous" operation could be done on their own. Now, they are the norm. And I imagine more and more people will start avoiding the doctor over time, but overcoming the ingrained right/desire to seek medical help for anything will probably require a lot more time to take hold here.
>90% of the time, when you think you have a cold, you have a cold (well, at least pre-COVID). But sometimes, you don't.
A lady I know once had a cough and thought she had a cold, but went to the doctor anyway. He thought something wasn't right, and ordered some tests. Eventually, lung cancer was found in its very early stages. That was 11 years ago, and she is still with us today.
If I'm an old person in Japan, I can choose to either take advantage of an opportunity to talk with my friendly neighborhood doctor and then get some highly discounted medicine, or pay full price for some Paburon and sit at home. I can see how option A is desirable to a lot of people (especially the doctors).
Excessive middlemen and services have been an integral part of the Japanese society and economy for generations, though it's slowly changing due to Western pressures. When I first came to Japan, there were no self serve gas stations. A lot of people never even considered that such a "dangerous" operation could be done on their own. Now, they are the norm. And I imagine more and more people will start avoiding the doctor over time, but overcoming the ingrained right/desire to seek medical help for anything will probably require a lot more time to take hold here.
>90% of the time, when you think you have a cold, you have a cold (well, at least pre-COVID). But sometimes, you don't.
A lady I know once had a cough and thought she had a cold, but went to the doctor anyway. He thought something wasn't right, and ordered some tests. Eventually, lung cancer was found in its very early stages. That was 11 years ago, and she is still with us today.
#9434
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: NGS
Programs: UA Silver, ANA MC, HH Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist, Bonvoy Plat, IHG Plat, Shangri-La GC, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,233
You're still taxed regardless of whether you see the doctor for your cold or not, instead, your tax dollars go to those who do see a doctor for every random cold. I don't see how that is saving your tax dollars. Unless you mean saving it for others to use for the same purpose you won't, in which case it might better be called "passing the buck" instead of "saving tax dollars."
Last edited by Nagasaki Joe; Jul 23, 2022 at 12:12 am
#9435
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,436
Featured Articled: Are Danes Too Pampered?
On the part of politicians and healthcare professionals there is plenty attention focused on the population's demand for healthcare services and regulation of the ever-increasing pressure on the healthcare system and its resources. The Danish Liberal Party's (Venstre) proposal to introduce user fees in general practice is the latest example.
And the pressure is real. In 2013, each Dane on average contacted their own general practitioner (GP) eight times, either by email or telephone or consultation, and our contact with our own GP has overall increased by around 20 per cent in the past two decades.
And the pressure is real. In 2013, each Dane on average contacted their own general practitioner (GP) eight times, either by email or telephone or consultation, and our contact with our own GP has overall increased by around 20 per cent in the past two decades.