Mar 5, 2020, 5:17 pm
Last edit by: CPH-Flyer
This thread is for discussion of the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to Japan. Non-Japan-related discussion should be taken either to the most relevant forum, the Coronavirus and Travel forum, or the OMNI forums.
UPDATE FOR TOURISTS LOOKING TO VISIT JAPAN AFTER COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASE
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. And quarantine as described for the countries and territories below.
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
From March 1st, business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa. For business travelers, there will be one point of contact with the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. Though the full details are not published yet (as of typing on the 27th of February, please add them if you have seen them)
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than. 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf
From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required.
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines are Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, Covaxin.
Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue.
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
UPDATE FOR TOURISTS LOOKING TO VISIT JAPAN AFTER COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASE
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. And quarantine as described for the countries and territories below.
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
From March 1st, business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa. For business travelers, there will be one point of contact with the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. Though the full details are not published yet (as of typing on the 27th of February, please add them if you have seen them)
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than. 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf
From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required.
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines are Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, Covaxin.
Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue.
- Group “Red”：On-arrival test is required. 3-day quarantine at a government-designated facility is required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate may have 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) instead.
- Group “Yellow”：On-arrival test and 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) are required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate are not required to have on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures.
- Group “Blue”：Regardless of the vaccination status of the entrants/returnees, on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures are not required.
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]
Jul 24, 2022, 5:27 pm
#9466
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
In Tokyo 3,412 people are currently hospitalised (including critical)
The population of Tokyo is around 14 million.
So, about 1 in 4000 is hospitalised.
Tourists of typical demographic would be (much) less likely to be hospitalised than the typical resident of Tokyo, but even if we saw say 20k tourists entering Tokyo every day (which would require a significant increase in the arrivals cap), and they had the same hospitalisation rate, that's only 5 people per day. Hardly a flood.
In order to get "thousands of non Japanese speaking people further flooding the care system every day" there would need to be a HUGE number of tourists. Millions of entries every single day. Something like 100x the 2019 levels of arrivals, obviously impossible.
It's been the repeated experience of many countries this year - fully opening to tourism barely makes a dent on hospitalisation and care systems.
The population of Tokyo is around 14 million.
So, about 1 in 4000 is hospitalised.
Tourists of typical demographic would be (much) less likely to be hospitalised than the typical resident of Tokyo, but even if we saw say 20k tourists entering Tokyo every day (which would require a significant increase in the arrivals cap), and they had the same hospitalisation rate, that's only 5 people per day. Hardly a flood.
In order to get "thousands of non Japanese speaking people further flooding the care system every day" there would need to be a HUGE number of tourists. Millions of entries every single day. Something like 100x the 2019 levels of arrivals, obviously impossible.
It's been the repeated experience of many countries this year - fully opening to tourism barely makes a dent on hospitalisation and care systems.
Also there is the quarantine / isolation issue for all those infected tourists (who have no home), and as noted, the language barrier for arranging all of it (a poster here a couple weeks ago documented his ridiculous quarantine in Yokohama and how none of the related authorities or health workers he spoke with could do so in English, let alone any other language, and all needed a 3rd party translator. Doing this at scale and available everywhere across the country, would be an issue). And quarantine isn't a simple x-number of people per day, it compounds daily since it lasts about a week.
Certainly many other countries have successfully implemented the ability for tourists to isolate in hotels, etc but this is mainly due to a general acceptance of the virus. Unfortunately (and annoyingly), covid is still stigmatized in Japan and normal hotels shun covid positive guests. So figuring out how and where to quarantine a sick tourist, particularly one who is out in the countryside and can't speak the language, needs to be determined.
But then again, I guess that is only an issue if a sick tourist chooses to cancel their reservations, stop traveling, and hunker down for a multi-day cold-bento quarantine in a dinky hotel room during their once-in-a-lifetime vacation. So its the more likely fact that most tourists probably would not electively do so and just continue roaming around while infected is what the government is fretting about.
Jul 24, 2022, 5:37 pm
#9467
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
Out of those 200,000+ people, I'm sure there are a good many that want to be hospitalized, and a good many that probably should be hospitalized. In a properly functioning health care situation, they would be. But in the current situation, they cannot.
That is Tokyo. In other areas, especially Okinawa, the situation is much worse.
Jul 24, 2022, 5:57 pm
#9468
Join Date: Aug 2020
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 182
the more likely fact that most tourists probably would not electively do so and just continue roaming around while infected is what the government is fretting about.
Jul 24, 2022, 7:18 pm
#9470
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
From my post last week:
"The number of severely ill patients based on the characteristics of the Omicron strain is the number of patients in the bed for which the specific intensive care unit management fee or the critical care hospitalization fee is calculated, and the number of patients who are equipped with a ventilator or ECMO or perform high flow therapy."
Additionally, the national definition of "serious condition", by which the Tokyo number exceeds 400, is "patient in the ICU, on a ventilator, and/or using ECMO"
"The number of severely ill patients based on the characteristics of the Omicron strain is the number of patients in the bed for which the specific intensive care unit management fee or the critical care hospitalization fee is calculated, and the number of patients who are equipped with a ventilator or ECMO or perform high flow therapy."
Additionally, the national definition of "serious condition", by which the Tokyo number exceeds 400, is "patient in the ICU, on a ventilator, and/or using ECMO"
Jul 24, 2022, 8:54 pm
#9471
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
It seems like you’re literally unable to comprehend the social contract of a universal healthcare system 
Nobody has thought of making unhealthy people pay more, because in every developed country except for the US access to healthcare is assumed to be a minimum requirement of a civilised society.
Nobody has thought of making unhealthy people pay more, because in every developed country except for the US access to healthcare is assumed to be a minimum requirement of a civilised society.2. Of course unhealthy people end up paying more. That's why many or most national systems have deductibles, co-pays and/or excluded services/treatments.
3. Insurance and access are totally different things. There is no data that suggest there is an access issue in the U.S. In general access is much better than in many countries where there are long waits for many types of medical treatment. As for insurance, anyone poor in the U.S. gets free medical insurance (Medicaid/CHIP) which provides a higher quality of care than the national schemes in most other countries.
4. As I said before, if Japan were not misallocating medical care resources, there would not be an issue with hospital beds as it relates to the Covid pandemic.
Jul 24, 2022, 9:31 pm
#9472
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Thanks for the Memories !!!
Posts: 10,657
Jul 24, 2022, 9:35 pm
#9473
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,146
Jul 24, 2022, 10:22 pm
#9474
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
From Wednesday, Fiji and Pakistan will graduate to the "Yellow" group, leaving only Albania and Sierra Leone in the "Red" group of countries subject to mandatory testing and three days quarantine upon arrival.
At the same time, Nepal, Peru, Moldova, and Western Sahara will be moved into the "Blue" group not subject to any tests or quarantine regardless of vaccination status.
At the same time, Nepal, Peru, Moldova, and Western Sahara will be moved into the "Blue" group not subject to any tests or quarantine regardless of vaccination status.
Jul 25, 2022, 12:54 am
#9475
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
The first news I've seen of the seventh wave affecting train services, as JR Kyushu announced the cancellation of 120 special express trains between July 27th and August 5th due to COVID related staffing issues.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/202...734821000.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/202...734821000.html
Jul 25, 2022, 2:49 am
#9476
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,146
Not quite a full picture being painted here. There are 5,872 people being monitored in quarantine hotels, 112,914 re-covering at home, and 95,021 people waiting for a decision on how their case will proceed.
Out of those 200,000+ people, I'm sure there are a good many that want to be hospitalized, and a good many that probably should be hospitalized. In a properly functioning health care situation, they would be. But in the current situation, they cannot.
That is Tokyo. In other areas, especially Okinawa, the situation is much worse.
Out of those 200,000+ people, I'm sure there are a good many that want to be hospitalized, and a good many that probably should be hospitalized. In a properly functioning health care situation, they would be. But in the current situation, they cannot.
That is Tokyo. In other areas, especially Okinawa, the situation is much worse.
Whether people want to be in a hospital is neither here nor there. The question is do they need to be in the hospital? The experience in the rest of the world with omicron and sub variants is that the heavy increase in infection numbers has not lead to the same level of increase in serious cases and fatalities as seen in the early part of the pandemic. Especially in populations that vaccinated.
People "monitored" in quarantine hotels, basically mainly means they have no place to isolate at home, and are thus being offered a spot. It does not automatically mean they are at death's door and can't get a hospital bed. I know people who have been "monitored" in Tokyo quarantine facilities, even some students who picked it for a week of free food rather than staying at home for a week.
Jul 25, 2022, 5:17 am
#9477
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 813
You don't think thousands of Japanese like in many other countries roam around sick? Some think it's a minor sniffle and can't get tested or a minor scratchy throat and no other symptom. I'd suggest that thr government ought to be more concerned with residents continue Roaming around sick. That's kind of what happens everywhere.
Jul 25, 2022, 5:26 am
#9478
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 1,574
You don't think thousands of Japanese like in many other countries roam around sick? Some think it's a minor sniffle and can't get tested or a minor scratchy throat and no other symptom. I'd suggest that thr government ought to be more concerned with residents continue Roaming around sick. That's kind of what happens everywhere.
Jul 25, 2022, 8:04 am
#9479
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: TYO
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,744
Yeah, even the guy who assassinated the ex prime minister was wearing a mask. How courteous of him.
Jul 25, 2022, 8:07 am
#9480
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 813
Interesting. 126000 cases on 140000 tests. So much for that wave cresting. Sure. People may wear masks with a scratchy throat or slight sniffle but I'm sure they eat lunch and dinner without them. I guarantee you they are not staying home for 10 days or until clear rapid tests. Numbers and positivity rate would suggest Japan is not unique.
And if masks so prevlaent, why such a high infection wave?
And if masks so prevlaent, why such a high infection wave?