TOKYO – Japan has announced to end the existing border control measures on international travelers in line with its decision to categorise Covid-19 as a common disease, the government said Monday.
In a major shift toward normalising social and economic activities, the government has announced that from May 8th, travelers will no need to present Covid-19 vaccination documents with records of three vaccine doses or proof of a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival.
As part of fresh announcement, it has been revealed that the government will simultaneously start a new genomic surveillance programme, under which entrants who show symptoms symptoms like fever are tested voluntarily, to help detect new infectious diseases.
It has been disclosed that travelers arriving at five major airports – Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai and Fukuoka -– will be subject to the new framework, which would begin next month when the legal status of Covid-19 is downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza.
At present, all travelers are required to present certification of three Covid-19 doses or a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of departure. The Covid restrictions for entrants from Chinese has also been relaxed from April 5th and they don’t need to present a negative result of a Covid-19 test conducted 72 hours prior to departure though sample testing would continue.
“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.
The border control measures were first introduced in February 2020 when the pandemic sent shockwaves across the country. Observers said at that time that the measures introduced by Japan were the most stringent among the Group of Seven industrialised nations.
In November 2021, Japan tightened border controls by banning the entry of nonresident foreigners and compelling returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine at designated facilities at a time when the Omicron variant of the coronavirus surged in the region.
The measures were so strict that they sparked protests from foreign exchange students and businessmen; however, the country started easing the daily entry cap in March 2022 before completely lifting it in October.
The relaxation of rules is expected to help tourism rebound as the country expects to welcome more and more travelers who spent whopping 4.8 trillion yen (US$36 billion) in 2019.
