Japan updates travel rules, waives coronavirus testing for tourists

Japan will make holidays in the country easier by eliminating pre-departure coronavirus testing for vaccinated travelers.

Since the start of 2020, the Asian country has imposed the strictest epidemic border measures among major economies.

These include requiring travelers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure, a written commitment to sign quarantine and self-isolation rules, and to complete a pre-travel health questionnaire online.

However, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed last week that fully vaccinated travelers will no longer need to undergo a pre-travel coronavirus test from September 7.

However, the maximum number of daily entries will remain the same, with a limit of 20,000 entries per day.

“We will continue to gradually ease these measures,” the prime minister said. “We hope to make some announcements as soon as possible based on the isolation settings and the infection situation.”

Kishida said in May that he wanted to bring Japan’s border measures more in line with those of other G7 countries, including Britain and the United States.

In early summer, Japan opened to tourists for the first time in two years, but tourists were required to apply for visas and insist on traveling in groups, resulting in a small number of actual inbound tourists.

The loosening of borders comes as Japan grapples with a seventh wave of infections caused by contagious BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

They forced companies to idle production lines and led to a record 343 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday.

Still, Kishida is pursuing a living “COVID-19” strategy to deal with a surge without restricting commerce or the movement of people, and to focus medical resources on the elderly and high-risk patients.

Travel restrictions can change rapidly during a pandemic. Before booking or traveling, be sure to check the latest Japan travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.