Latest Japan travel updates

Last updated 29 January 2021, 09:00 GMT

Travel entry status and restrictions
Latest travel updates
When will travel to Japan be possible?
Subsidised travel to Japan?

Travel Entry Status and Restrictions

As of the time of writing, entry into Japan is not possible from at least 150 countries including the UK, US, Canada and Australia. The Japanese government has placed a state of emergency in 11 prefectures, and alongside it, announced a blanket ban on all non-nationals from entering the country during the state of emergency. This ban also includes those travelling for business purposes (including the travel corridors with some countries in Asia that were created towards the end of 2020) and foreign residents of Japan (except when there are special circumstances such as attending a funeral abroad).
Government advisories and your travel to Japan
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
During the national lockdown in the UK, travelling internationally is restricted from the UK except in limited circumstances. Short-term visitors who have been in the UK and other select countries are unable to enter Japan. Japan has also suspended its visa waiver system for anyone travelling on a British passport. See the latest official government information on travel to Japan from the FCO here.
US State Department and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
US State Department has listed Japan as a 'Level 3: Reconsider travel' advisory. See the latest official government information on travel to Japan from the US State Department here.
Canadian Government
The Canadian government continues to advise against all non-essential travel outside of Canada. See the latest official government advice on travel to Japan here.
Australian Government
There is currently a ban on travelling overseas from Australia. The official Australian government advice regarding travel to Japan is do not travel. See the latest official Australian government information on travel to Japan here.

Latest travel updates

The Japanese government is considering opening its borders to tourists in time for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next year, according to government minister Yasutoshi Nishimura (Nippon.com). Travellers may also be exempt from any quarantine period upon arrival (The Mainichi). 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), however there has been no official announcement of a roadmap yet. Measures are rumoured to 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 this story has been run by The Japan Times and a couple of Japanese outlets, there has been no official government announcement of a roadmap yet. If you have travel booked arriving before June 2021, we recommend that for now you sit tight and wait for any official government announcement before making any alterations to your plans.

Japan Airlines is offering complimentary cover for medical, testing, and quarantine costs to international travellers in order to ease concerns over infections and encourage people to still travel during the pandemic (Japan Airlines).

For a full list of countries with Japan entry restrictions visit: www.japan.travel/en/coronavirus/

When will travel to Japan be possible again?

This is the trillion-yen question for Japan. Tourist arrivals have been down 99.9% in 2020 based on the previous year's levels for three consecutive months since April. The number of arrivals from foreign travellers was just 2,500 in June. These are the lowest totals recorded since records began in 1964 when the previous low for monthly foreign visitors was 17,543, recorded in February of that year(Kyodo News)
As one of the country's boom sectors over the past 10 years the question of how and when to re-open Japan's borders, currently closed to nationals from over 110 countries around the world, is near the top of the agenda.

Current Japanese government plans
Japan is considering ways to lift the travel ban for tourists in time for next year's Olympics, according to sources close to the Japanese government.
These rumours have yet to be confirmed on the record by a government official. However, they are the first time a roadmap for re-opening the country has been outlined in any form since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic which is good news for anyone hoping to visit Japan in 2021. The proposals mentioned in the article may include a trial period which the sources indicated could begin in April 2021. Measures 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 this story has been run by The Japan Times and a couple of Japanese outlets, there has been no official government announcement. 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.
Since the arrival of Yoshihide Suga into the Prime Minister's office, the Japanese government has stepped up its plans to re-open the country.

At InsideJapan Tours, we will be keeping a very close ear to the ground for all official announcements and general information from the Japanese government this and future developments.
Japanese citizens can now freely cross prefecture boundaries after advisories from the government were lifted, though it is not recommended to and from prefectures currently under the state of emergency.

Subsidised travel to Japan?

Numerous news outlets had reported that the Japanese government may be looking to subsidise travel around Japan in an effort to kick start the tourist economy once COVID-19 is considered under control.

https://onemileatatime.com/japan-may-cover-half-the-cost-of-your-visit/
The Guardian (27-May-2020)
Sounds exciting right? Sadly, all is not as it first appeared. When we asked JNTO in LA where we could sign up, they informed us that sadly this has been misreported by an over-eager press. The real story is that the Japanese government is considering a campaign targeting Japanese residents to boost domestic travel in the wake of COVID-19 - the Go To Travel Campaign.

We're as disappointed as you that at the present time the Japanese government has no plans to subsidise inbound tourism from foreign visitors. But you never know - maybe this situation with change! Watch this space. We'll be sure to post any big announcements on our web site.
The Japanese government had officially announced it's 'Go To Travel' campaign, targeted at boosting domestic tourism in the country by providing discounts to Japanese residents on hotels and travel, as well as vouchers for restaurants and other services. However, due to the recent surge in confirmed infections, the travel campaign has been temporarily suspended. Nonetheless, from its inception on 22nd July, 2 million people used the campaign in its first month of operation (Japan Times).

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