Japan will end its border control measures on travellers from overseas on the 08th of May. This comes in line with the country’s decision to categorise Covid-19 as a common disease. According to the government, this is a major shift toward normalising social and economic activities.
The government will also launch a new genomic surveillance program to detect new infectious diseases among entrants experiencing symptoms such as fever.
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As of now, all visitors entering Japan have to present proof of three Covid-19 doses or a negative Coronavirus test within 72 hours of departure. The end of Covid-19 border controls is expected to help revive inbound tourism to Japan, where travel spending in 2021 plunged to a fraction of the record 4.8 trillion yen (£29 billion) in 2019.
Border controls were initially tightened in November 2021 by barring the entry of non-resident travellers and requiring returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine at designated facilities as the country began seeing a rise in the number of Omicron cases.
It was initially introduced for one month. However, it was later extended. This sparked protests from exchange students and businesspeople. Eventually, Japan started gradually easing the rules in March 2022 before completely lifting them in October of that year.
Travellers arriving at Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai and Fukuoka – the five major airports – will be subject to the latest rules, which are set to start when the legal status of Covid-19 is downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza.
Ahead of lifting the border control measures, Japan will also ease those on all arrivals from mainland China and give them the option of entering the country by presenting proof of being inoculated with three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“We have decided to alter the tentative measures currently in place in light of the infection status at home and abroad, as well as border control steps taken by other Group of Seven nations,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a news conference, adding the government will continue its sample testing for arrivals from mainland China at airports.
How does the elimination of border control affect your travel plans in 2023? Keep an eye out for more updates on the latest travel news.
