Latest coronavirus news Japan

Last updated 13 November 2020, 09:00 GMT

November summary

Early November has seen cases rise again in Japan as temperatures begin to fall, with scientists in some parts of the country referring to this as a 'third wave'. Until recently cases had largely plateaued after declining in September. Despite this rise there have been encouraging signs in October and early November regarding the easing of travel restrictions to Japan, including the first plans to open the country to tourists, potentially in April 2021. There have also been successful test events in preparation for the country to hold the Olympics and Paralympics in 2021.

We have the latest news, statistics, travel updates and reports from our team on the ground in Japan.

Latest Japan Coronavirus News

The Japanese government is considering opening its borders for foreign tourists in time for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next year, according to Economic Revitalisation Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.
Nishimura said that as the government considers how it should relax strict travel bans on foreign visitors in time for next summer, it will also strengthen its airport quarantine and coronavirus testing measures (Nippon.com)
Rumours from sources close to the Japanese government are that such a roadmap may include a trial period which could begin in April 2021 (Japan Times). The sources also indicated that measures could include:
- a consultation centre for foreign tourists regarding coronavirus
- requesting tourists to provide updates on their health using a smartphone app
- requirements for all visitors to have passed negative for the coronavirus prior to departure and upon entering Japan
- requirements for all visitors to have private medical insurance should they become infected in Japan
- an exemption of the current quarantine period of 14 days if visitors report their health condition via the app
While the government has announced that they are considering whether to allow foreign tourists into Japan in time for the Olympic Games, there has been no official government announcement on when this may resume. Therefore, if you have travel booked arriving before April 2021, we recommend that for now you sit tight and wait for any official government announcement before making any alterations to your plans.

We will continue to keep our eyes peeled for any official updates across English and Japanese news outlets over the coming days and will update this news page regularly.
The Japanese government is considering exempting international spectators at the Olympic and Paralympic Games from quarantining for 14-days upon arrival in the country, as is currently the case for travellers. A two-week quarantine preventing people from using public transport is would be a big obstacle to spectators being able to get to get to venues and stadiums (The Mainichi)
Japan will lift its entry ban on Australia, New Zealand, six other countries and Taiwan from November for non-tourist arrivals, government officials announced Friday 30th October. This is the first time Japan has lifted its entry ban on any country region since February, so while it does not include tourist arrivals, it is an encouraging step towards re-opening the country. The countries have also seen their travel advisories lowered from Level 3 to Level 2 (Kyodo News) For more details, check out our Travel Updates page
Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has vowed to revive inbound tourism by compiling measures to maintain the target of 60 million visitors by 2030. He again stressed his determination for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to go ahead, which has previously been backed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (Kyodo News).
Japan has made progress in preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics in 2021, successfully holding trials of near-capacity crowds at baseball games in late October, and the first international sports event since the outbreak of the pandemic. The Friendship and Solidarity Gymnastics Competition saw 30 gymnasts from Japan, China, Russia and USA compete in front of a crowd of thousands in Yoyogi National Gymnasium (Japan Times). IOC chief Thomas Bach will visit Tokyo in mid-November for the first time since postponing the games to 2021, to visit a number of venues. Cancellation is not going to be discussed, he said (The Mainichi)
Japan Airlines is offering discounted coronavirus tests to travellers in order to ease concerns over infections and encourage people to still travel during the pandemic. The saliva-based PCR tests are almost a third of normal test prices, at 11,000 yen as opposed to 30,000 yen (Kyodo News).
See our International Flights section here
The Japanese government will draw up plans for a third economic stimulus package to help support businesses hit hard by the pandemic. The draft is likely to be submitted in January, and could include an extension to the domestic "Go To" campaigns (Kyodo News).
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has reiterated his promise to provide every Japanese citizen with Covid-19 vaccines by the first half of 2021. The majority of these vaccines have been agreed to be provided by Pfizer, which has recently announced the efficacy of its vaccine at 90% in a late-stage clinical study with 43,000 participants. (Kyodo News)
Life in Japan has returned to a 'new normal' with bars, restaurants and services largely back to normal operating hours. Museums, tourist attractions, cinemas, swimming pools, gyms and Japan's favourite karaoke establishments are all back open across the country. With internal travel restrictions lifted and a domestic travel campaign in full swing, Japan is seeing a big return of domestic tourism (Japan Times).
See our Everyday Life section here
Medical experts and doctors have pointed to the effective use of two drugs that have prevented a great number of cases from developing severe symptoms, compared to the first wave (Asahi Shimbun).

Latest Japan coronavirus stats

For a more detailed breakdown on the information, including maps and a breakdown of cases by prefecture visit covid19japan.com
Read more >

How does Japan compare to other countries?

It is important to first point out that comparisons between countries is extremely difficult to do so accurately, as different countries have different amounts of testing, define COVID19 positive cases and deaths differently and release data at different times. To make things more comparable, we've included some graphs from ourworldindata.org using cases per million to help get a better idea of how Japan is faring compared to other parts of the world. Click here to find more comparisons and explanations of the data.

Country comparison: Daily new cases per million

This first graph really puts into perspective the spike in the above daily cases in Japan graph (on this graph it is the second 'spike' in burgandy). We can see that when compared to other countries that daily confirmed cases per million in Japan are significantly lower than the US and UK, and slightly lower than Australia. We need to bear in mind here that these are confirmed cases only, and actual cases are likely to be higher � this is due to limited testing. As we discuss in the commentary section, Japan has differed from other countries by focussing testing on clusters rather than making it more widely available.

Country comparison: Daily new deaths per million

Daily confirmed deaths in Japan from COVID19 are also significantly lower than the US, and slightly lower than the UK and Australia when measuring per million people. Again, we need to remember that due to limited testing and decisions on attribution of cause of death, the actual death toll is likely much higher. Countries may also record deaths differently and at different times.

To try and mitigate some of the issues with counting confirmed COVID19 deaths, analysts have been trying to compare what is termed 'excess mortality'. This refers to the number of deaths above what we would have expected to see under 'normal' conditions. Analysts like using it because it should give us a greater indication of the total death toll rather than the confirmed deaths due to COVID19. It should also avoid discrepancies such as not counting deaths in homes rather than hospitals, untested individuals, inaccurate death reporting systems and increased (or fewer) deaths from other causes due to the pandemic.
Unfortunately, the data here is less easy to come by - few countries have statistical agencies that can or will accurately report the number of people that have died in a given month, week or even day-to-day. The figures for Japan for example, are currently only available up until April 2020. However, the data shows that remarkably, excess mortality in Japan was down on previous years in the first 3 months of 2020 - a 0.7% fall from the average of the same period in the last five years (Japan Times).
By contrast, between 7th March - 5th June, the UK saw a 43% rise in deaths compared to ?normal' levels (BBC News). In the US the number of deaths was 16% higher than average between 16th February - 2nd May (BBC News). (Note that the BBC article reports Japan's deaths as being 0.3% higher than average). An ABC News study found that there was no significant rise in deaths in Australia when taking into account population increases.

What's happened so far in Japan?

What approach has the Japanese government taken regarding covid19? Was there a lockdown? Are things open now? We go into more detail below.

Commentary
What is most striking from these above statistics are the all-round low numbers. Confirmed cases, deaths, active cases and numbers tested are still all very low in Japan compared with hotspots such as Europe, the United States and Brazil. So why is this?
Numerous theories have been provided so far, from the more reasonable - residents' access to universal healthcare (Forbes), early and effective communication for the public to avoid closed, crowded spaces with close-contact (the three C's), and cultural norms of mask-wearing (Japan Times) - to the more far-fetched, for example that Japanese is spoken more delicately than other languages and therefore speakers emit fewer spit particles! (Japan Times)
The most comprehensive articles we have seen on this are to be found on BBC News and much earlier during the pandemic in the Nikkei Asian Review. In a piece titled "Japan's coronavirus response is flawed - but it works", Kitasato University visiting professor Andy Crump details how Japan's intense focus on clusters has helped the country defy the grim forecasts. Interestingly, Prof Crump highlights that this approach has resulted from lessons learned during the quarantine of the Diamond Princess back in February. Other news outlets have also since pointed to Japan's contact-tracing system as a key reason to it's low numbers (Straits Times).
With the low number of deaths and hospital occupancy and ICU in Japan now well within capacity, the head of the WHO stated on Monday 25th May that the Japanese response to the outbreak has to date been a success (Kyodo News).
A recent report from Nissei Research (Japanese only) that analysed countries' ability to control infections while maintaining economic activity ranked Japan 9th among 49 countries. The report, whose analysis included number of infected people, spread of infection, fatality rate, as well as reduction in GDP, ranked the UK 43rd, the US 41st, and Australia 7th.
It seems therefore at this stage we can be cautiously optimistic that despite the recent upturn in cases in Tokyo the country has managed the initial outbreak successfully. Prof Crump concludes that "It is impossible to predict what will happen now. But an objective, rational analysis of the data indicates that the Japan model for tackling COVID-19 appears to be sound and practical."

This bodes well for tourism and the Japanese economy at large. With countries around the world feeling huge economic ramifications from the spread of coronavirus, the Nikkei Asian Review has reported that Japan has seen a significant rebound in the stock market, along with Taiwan in 'leading the way in Asia'.
A great way to learn more about the situation in Japan is this recent podcast from the BBC, "Did Japan get lucky?" (also available overseas).

Did Japan have a lockdown?

Japan is an anomaly in how they handled the initial outbreak. Instead of enforcing a country-wide or city-wide lockdowns, the government declared a state of emergency in stages across the country. After a worrying rise in cases at the end of March and beginning of April, the government initially announced the state of emergency for seven prefectures (including Tokyo and Osaka) on 7th April, and later expanded this to the entire country on 16th April.
The state of emergency encouraged "non-essential" businesses to shutter their doors, companies to promote more "tele-working", and sports and other live entertainment events to be cancelled. Restaurants and bars were asked to reduce working hours and nightlife venues have received a lot of attention after a number of outbreaks in places such as karaoke bars.
The InsideJapan Tours' Nagoya office team has been working remotely since mid-April and our team reported that during the state of emergency when they used public transport, passenger volumes were down considerably. Recent statistics seem to back this up, with 34% of respondents to a government survey stating they had experienced telework, with this rising to over 55% in the Tokyo region (Japan Times).
Japan saw strong encouragment to follow guidelines rather than any punitive laws

Is Japan out of lockdown?

With Boris Johnson's controversial "Stay Alert" slogan in the UK and a decentralized state by state approach in the US, how countries move beyond the first phase of the fight against Covid-19 has certainly been a hot topic and Japan is no exception to that.
The Japanese government has been taking a decentralized approach and leaving much of the decision-making up to regional governors. This has not best pleased many Japanese citizens many of whom feel the government has not been taking responsibility for the fight against coronavirus.

However, with different prefectures having experienced very different levels of the virus, it is understandable that the easing of many restrictions should be handled at a local level.

Most of the focus on reopening is on Tokyo, where the majority of cases have occurred, and where the emergency declaration was in place longest. Tokyo is in its final, third stage of re-opening society, with the following guidelines:
- all facilities with no cluster histories will be allowed to reopen
- food establishments will be encouraged to operate until midnight
- public events will be limited to 5,000 people
The Tokyo government has also increased testing capacity and will focus more on the capacity of the medical system to handle patients.
Japan launched its coronavirus contact-tracing app on 19th June, designed to notify people who have come into close contact with individuals infected with the coronavirus (NHK World).

Everyday Life

How has all this affected people's lives in Japan? And what's the general attitude towards coronavirus and the government's handling of it? While blanket news coverage of coronavirus and Japan from Western media often points out numbers and statistics, there is very little information on what life is like on the ground and how people have been affected. Many of our staff, suppliers and friends call Japan home and have been living through the initial outbreak, emergency declaration and return to a more normal life. Below we detail some of the ways that people living in Japan have been affected by coronavirus, and how this changes drastically depending on where in Japan you are.

Regional Variation

So how has all this affected people in Japan? While this is obviously a very individual question, there are some obvious differences determined by region and how close residents are to large city centres.
Tokyo has seen by far the highest numbers, (over 12,000 confirmed cases on 1st August), and has experienced some of the strictest rules under the longest emergency declaration. As such, the percentage of teleworkers has been higher than the national average (Japan Times), and it has taken longer for many businesses to be allowed to re-open.
In other parts of the country it has been a completely different story. Iwate prefecture in the north-east of Japan had zero confirmed cases until 29th July (The Mainichi) and as of 1st August only had only 3 confirmed cases (Iwate prefectural government). Most of the 47 prefectures in Japan have confirmed a fraction of the cases in Tokyo. The measures implemented by many of these prefectures, aside from the closures of schools and promoting telework, has often been focussed on trying to deter visitors from areas of higher infection rates, including the many Tokyoites looking to move to more rural areas during the pandemic (The Mainichi).
As cross-prefectural travel is now again permitted, many areas are trying to find a balance between reigniting their local tourism industries and maintaining their low infection rates.
Many areas of Japan with smaller populations have had few coronavirus cases so far

Shrines have remained open throughout the pandemic
What's open in Japan now?

Reflecting this regional variance in case numbers, prefectures with low numbers of cases began to reopen from as early as 14th May (Kyodo News), with Tokyo and its surrounding areas being the final prefectures to see the coronavirus emergency declaration lifted around two weeks later. The following have been largely reopened across the country:

- Restaurants and bars have largely returned to normal business hours
- Schools (to get an idea of what school life is like now, see this video - in Japanese)
- Gyms and swimming pools
- Museums (for a full list see TimeOut Tokyo)
- Attractions such as Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, and Himeji Castle (Kyodo News)
- Sports events have had limited-capacity crowds attending since July, with the July Grand Sumo tournament returning after a four-month hiatus (Kyodo News).
Even during the state of emergency, there were no restrictions on visiting shrines and temples and these places remained open for people to enjoy. With inbound tourism on hold these have been much emptier than usual. While many wedding venues closed, an interesting cultural point is that there has been no need to delay getting married as all official marriages in Japan are just a formal signing of papers at City Hall. Very different to the west!

What safety measures are in place?

These re-openings have taken place with a number of measures to protect against further spread of coronavirus, including:

- Hand sanitizer at almost every building entrance, from supermarkets to offices
- Gyms and some shops have followed medical clinics in checking the temperature of anyone entering (NHK in Japanese)
- Many restaurants, cafes and bars aim to keep patrons socially distanced, by spacing out tables and limiting the number of people.
For a more in-depth look at what it's like to eat out, travel around and visit museums and attractions, see our page on What is travelling to Japan like now?
The government continues to advise people to:

- Wash hands regularly
- Socially distance 2m from other people
- Wear facemasks in public
- Avoid the 3 C's (mitsu no mitsu in Japanese) of closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings wherever possible.
Get more of an idea of what it's like to be in Tokyo right now by watching this short video taken by our Tokyo Department Manager, Tyler, on a recent local trip to Shibuya and the recently-opened Pok�mon Store!
Establishments are coming up with innovative ways to keep customers safe

What's the general attitude among Japanese people?

With over 1500 earthquakes a year, along with the threats of tsunamis, flooding, mudslides and typhoons, Japanese people are no strangers to adverse challenges. Their collective experience of natural disasters has built up a strong resilience and stoicism among the population, as well as thinking up practical solutions to seemingly overwhelming challenges.
People have generally been very diligent with regards to personal hygiene - Japanese culture places a great emphasis on cleanliness anyway - and adhering to the government's requests.
However there has been large concern when case numbers have risen, particularly back in April just before the government's emergency declaration, and more recently in July as numbers have risen slightly in Tokyo. There has also been criticism of the government regarding low testing numbers, a shortage of available hospital beds, and the timing and effectiveness of the declaration of the state of emergency.
Japanese advertising and PR company Dentetsu recently released the results from a series of surveys which measured how respondents' lives changed at different points between April and May (during which the nationwide state of emergency was introduced). They found that the psychological impact of the coronavirus increased with time, but also that by the end of the state of emergency respondents were starting to see positive aspects of their 'new normal'. They also found that in general younger people reported greater feelings of uneasiness due to the pandemic, and that the thing people most wanted to do after the pandemic was over was to travel around Japan - and we wholeheartedly agree with them!
As presenteeism is highly valued in Japanese culture, many office workers have still gone into work if their company has not supported teleworking, and the prevalence of hanko seals used to sign official documents and fax machines has also been criticised as ?old-fashioned' (NHK).

While mask-wearing has become a controversial and almost political issue in some parts of the world, it is already culturally-engrained in Japan. During flu-season, but also year-round, people often wear masks to try to prevent one's own germs or sickness from spreading in public places. This is seen as particularly important in Japan's densely-populated cities. Aside from health reasons, people also regularly wear masks as a defence against dust and pollen, to cover up blemishes or the fact they are not wearing make-up, and even to make the wearer's face appear smaller! Therefore, while mask-wearing has become a hot topic in other parts of the world, they have undoubtedly become the societal norm since the spread of coronavirus, and many commentators have argued this has helped keep Japan's infection rate low. From our own observations on the ground, it seems at least 90% of people are wearing masks whenever they are outside. They are required for entering most private shops and businesses, and taxi drivers can now refuse customers not wearing masks.
We loved reading this article by Nikkei Style (Japanese only) that describes the widespread use of masks from as early as the Meiji period (1868-1912), and as a fashion accessory in later years. The spread of coronavirus has given masks an even greater role in Japanese society and there have been all kinds of iterations, from breathable summer masks by popular fashion brand Uniqlo, to masks designed by kimono makers and famous artists such as Takashi Murakami. Even shinkansen (bullet train) masks have been created!
A shop sign reads "we are smiling under our masks"

Latest Travel Updates Japan

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