Japan to allow business travellers and students from March
The government will permit entry to 5,000 incoming travellers per day under the new rules, and triple-dosed travellers from low-risk countries will now be able to bypass quarantine requirements
The Japanese government will allow entry to a limited number of foreign business travellers, students, and technical trainees from March, following an announcement by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Under the new rules, there will be a daily limit of 5,000 incoming travellers. This includes Japanese workers posted abroad who are set to return to the country before the end of the fiscal year on 31 March. However, tourists will still be barred from entering the country under the new rules.
Mandatory quarantine requirements will also be loosened, with triple-dosed travellers from a designated low-risk now able to skip quarantine altogether. Other travellers will also now able to end their one-week quarantine period after three days following the submission of a negative Covid test.
Easing border restrictions further may be politically challenging
The move comes as other countries across the world ease Covid restrictions in the face of growing evidence that Omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than earlier strains. However, in a country where infection rates remain high – with 4.54 million active cases and 51,909 new ones reported for 21 February – as well as a high proportion of elderly citizens – approximately a 30 per cent of citizens are over the age of 65 – further easing remains a challenge.
According to a poll by public broadcaster NHK in February, 57 per cent of respondents felt that the government should continue its border policy, compared with 32 per cent who felt it should be loosened. The effect of this strong sentiment is only intensified by the upcoming election of representatives to Japan’s upper house in July, which makes any further easing of restrictions before this date unlikely.
In a press conference, Kishida said: “The pace of the spread of omicron across the country is beginning to slow down. Thirty-six prefectures are beginning to see a decline in the number of infected people. However, it is not realistic to loosen [the rules] all at once.”
Japan previously attempted to ease restrictions in November
Japan briefly eased its Covid border restrictions for international business travellers on 8 November 2022. However, this change was quickly reversed in early December following the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Under current rules, all foreign nationals who do not have existing resident status are not permitted to enter the country for any purposes, other than under exceptional circumstances, ‘at least until the end of February’ according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA).
In addition, the validity of visas issued before 2 December 2021 was suspended as an emergency measure, except for holders who are the spouse or child of a Japanese national, permanent resident or diplomat.