Latest Japan travel updates

Last updated 03 November 2020, 06:00 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. While there are some exceptions for citizens, residents and mid- and long-term visa holders, tourists are still not allowed into the country.
Non-Japanese nationals who need to move to Japan to study, work or join family should be able to do so, subject to necessary visa requirements. Non-Japanese nationals wishing to visit for short-term business purposes are also permitted to enter, provided that they have a visa. However, the number of people permitted to enter Japan under these rules will be restricted, with priority given to those moving to Japan.
Government advisories and your travel to Japan
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
From 5 November to 2 December 2020, travelling internationally is restricted from England except in limited circumstances such as for work or education. 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 will also hopefully 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 April 2021, we recommend that for now you sit tight and wait for any official government announcement before making any alterations to your plans.
Mutual business trips between Japan and China have resumed on 30th November, with visa holders exempt from a 14-day quarantine. This significant easing of coronavirus-related travel restrictions follows similar agreements already in place with Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam (Kyodo News). Japan has also lifted its entry ban on Australia, New Zealand, six other countries and Taiwan from November for non-tourist arrivals, however in reality there are still a number of barriers to entry (Japan Times).
Japan has re-opened its borders to mid- and long-term visitors, although tourists will still have to wait. International students, and other foreign nationals with permits to stay for longer than three months, including for purposes such as engaging in medical, cultural and sports-related activities, are now allowed into the country. Arrivals will have to self-quarantine for two weeks and follow other health protocols (Japan Today).
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).
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% 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, announcing that it will allow mid- and long-term travellers into Japan from the beginning of October. While tourists themselves will have to wait a while longer, foreign students will now have all travel restrictions lifted. The government has set a quota of a maximum of 1000 entrants per day, and arrivals will need to self-quarantine for two weeks and follow other health protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The decision was made based on the findings that recently resumed business travel between Japan and 16 other largely Asian countries and regions has not led to a surge in coronavirus cases, which is encouraging as the government seems to be taking a more evidence-based approach.
After cases began declining again at the end of August, it was announced that all foreign residents would finally be allowed back into the country from September. Until that point Japan was the only G7 country to discriminate between residents and citizens in allowing re-entry to 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 newspapers began reporting on 11th June that this would begin with quotas of 250 travellers per day from each country (Kyodo News), however this has since been denied by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (Asahi Shimbun). Discussions with the four countries remain ongoing.
The EU lifted a travel ban on 14 countries outside the bloc, including Japan, on 1st July. While Japan has not yet reciprocated, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga hinted it may now look to include the European Union in easing travel restrictions (Kyodo News). Talks could also begin this month (July) with Taiwan and Brunei (Japan Times).
In encouraging news for Europeans and Americans, the Nikkei Asian Review reported that Japan is considering easing travel restrictions for business travellers from the US and EU.
Japanese citizens can now freely cross prefecture boundaries after advisories from the government were lifted, paving the way for domestic tourism to return to the country (Japan Times). Japan Airlines also plans to operate its domestic flights at full capacity by October, in another encouraging sign for domestic tourism (Kyodo News). Some travel reservation systems have reported recoveries of up to 70% of pre-coronavirus demand for domestic hotels and accommodation (Japan Times).

Subsidised travel to Japan?

Numerous news outlets have been reporting 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.

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.
Since then, the Japanese government has 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 numbers of coronavirus cases in the capital, residents of Tokyo are exempt from this campaign, and there are calls from other parts of society to halt or delay the campaign altogether as cases rise nationwide. Nonetheless, from its inception on 22nd July, 2 million people used the campaign in its first month of operation (Japan Times).

What will travel in Japan be like now?

Are tourist sites affected? Are restaurants open? Is transport safe to use?
Read more >
What will flying to Japan be like now?

Airline covid policies and staying safe on the flight
Read more >
Latest covid news Japan

How many cases are there in Japan? How does it compare to other countires? Was their a lockdown in Japan?
Read more >