Showing posts with label Japan and Covid-19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan and Covid-19. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Japan Welcomes You Again, Starting October 11
Friday, September 23, 2022
Japan To Loosen Travel Restrictions Imposed During Pandemic
Japan’s strict border restrictions will be loosened next month, the prime minister announced Thursday, allowing tourists to easily enter for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
In a news conference at the foot of Central Park in New York, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said independent tourists would again be welcomed as of Oct. 11, not just those traveling with authorized groups.
A cap on the number of tourists who are granted entry — which has been gradually increased this year — will be nixed altogether. And visa requirements that were imposed in response to the pandemic will also be rescinded.
Japan’s tough COVID-19 restrictions have sent the number of visitors plummeting and its tourism industry reeling. Though foreign tourists were welcomed back in June after a pause of more than two years, the reopening has been confusing to many seeking to visit.
A previous announcement billed as an easing of the group tour rule turned out, for many tourists, to be anything but — introducing a convoluted process requiring obtaining clearance via a Japanese travel agent, often with hefty fees or commissions attached.
Now, the country appears to be returning to normal, in time for some to book travel for Japan’s fall foliage. Kishida said a campaign aimed at bolstering the tourism industry would be rolled out offering discounts.
“We hope that many citizens will take advantage,” he said as he wrapped up a trip to New York.
Until now, Japan persisted in pandemic travel rules that many other countries have long since dropped. Some tourists have shifted vacations to countries including South Korea and Thailand, which have had looser rules of late.
Kishida spoke on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. In other remarks, he called for reform of the U.N. Security Council and dismissed any skepticism about Japan’s increased military spending, saying it remained a “peace-loving nation.”
He also said Japan would “boldly take necessary steps” to combat excessive fluctuation of the yen, which has dropped to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in more than two decades.
In a news conference at the foot of Central Park in New York, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said independent tourists would again be welcomed as of Oct. 11, not just those traveling with authorized groups.
A cap on the number of tourists who are granted entry — which has been gradually increased this year — will be nixed altogether. And visa requirements that were imposed in response to the pandemic will also be rescinded.
Japan’s tough COVID-19 restrictions have sent the number of visitors plummeting and its tourism industry reeling. Though foreign tourists were welcomed back in June after a pause of more than two years, the reopening has been confusing to many seeking to visit.
A previous announcement billed as an easing of the group tour rule turned out, for many tourists, to be anything but — introducing a convoluted process requiring obtaining clearance via a Japanese travel agent, often with hefty fees or commissions attached.
Now, the country appears to be returning to normal, in time for some to book travel for Japan’s fall foliage. Kishida said a campaign aimed at bolstering the tourism industry would be rolled out offering discounts.
“We hope that many citizens will take advantage,” he said as he wrapped up a trip to New York.
Until now, Japan persisted in pandemic travel rules that many other countries have long since dropped. Some tourists have shifted vacations to countries including South Korea and Thailand, which have had looser rules of late.
Kishida spoke on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. In other remarks, he called for reform of the U.N. Security Council and dismissed any skepticism about Japan’s increased military spending, saying it remained a “peace-loving nation.”
He also said Japan would “boldly take necessary steps” to combat excessive fluctuation of the yen, which has dropped to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in more than two decades.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Japan To Ease COVID-19 Border Controls Sept. 7
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced plans to ease border controls from early September by eliminating requirements for pre-departure COVID-19 tests for travelers who have received at least three vaccine doses, and he will also consider increasing daily entry caps as soon as next month.
Japan, which has imposed some of the toughest border measures for the coronavirus, currently requires negative PCR test results within 72 hours of departure for all entrants, a practice that has been criticized as cumbersome.
Kishida, after holding virtual meetings with government ministers and medical advisors earlier Wednesday, told reporters in an online news conference that entrants who have received at least one booster vaccine can waive the pre-entry test beginning Sept. 7.
“We plan to gradually ease border controls to allow entry procedures to be as smooth as those of other Group of Seven countries,” Kishida said from his official residence, where he has been on duty while isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
Kishida said his government also plans to increase the daily cap for incoming travelers, currently set at 20,000, “as soon as possible.” Media reports say the government is considering more than doubling the daily cap to 50,000 as early as next month.
“Our fight against the virus is not easy, but we should not be too afraid and instead take into consideration the characteristics of the omicron variant,” Kishida said. “We will speed up our responses while balancing the infection measures and social and economic activities as much as possible.”
Kishida said Japan plans to shorten the self-isolation period for COVID-19 patients from the current 10 days for those with symptoms and one week for those without symptoms. Officials are finalizing those details, he said.
In June, Japan partially opened its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in two years but only allowing those who agree to join package tours with guides. The number of entrants has dwindled under those restrictions.
Business organizations in and outside Japan have called for the country to ease its border controls to support the economy, especially the tourism industry, which has been badly hurt by the pandemic. But many Japanese are wary of further easing border measures because the country has been struggling with a seventh wave of infections.
Clinics have been flooded with patients with mild symptoms such as fever, sore throat and coughs, amid a lack of testing and test kits at pharmacies and online.
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Japan, which has imposed some of the toughest border measures for the coronavirus, currently requires negative PCR test results within 72 hours of departure for all entrants, a practice that has been criticized as cumbersome.
Kishida, after holding virtual meetings with government ministers and medical advisors earlier Wednesday, told reporters in an online news conference that entrants who have received at least one booster vaccine can waive the pre-entry test beginning Sept. 7.
“We plan to gradually ease border controls to allow entry procedures to be as smooth as those of other Group of Seven countries,” Kishida said from his official residence, where he has been on duty while isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
Kishida said his government also plans to increase the daily cap for incoming travelers, currently set at 20,000, “as soon as possible.” Media reports say the government is considering more than doubling the daily cap to 50,000 as early as next month.
“Our fight against the virus is not easy, but we should not be too afraid and instead take into consideration the characteristics of the omicron variant,” Kishida said. “We will speed up our responses while balancing the infection measures and social and economic activities as much as possible.”
Kishida said Japan plans to shorten the self-isolation period for COVID-19 patients from the current 10 days for those with symptoms and one week for those without symptoms. Officials are finalizing those details, he said.
In June, Japan partially opened its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in two years but only allowing those who agree to join package tours with guides. The number of entrants has dwindled under those restrictions.
Business organizations in and outside Japan have called for the country to ease its border controls to support the economy, especially the tourism industry, which has been badly hurt by the pandemic. But many Japanese are wary of further easing border measures because the country has been struggling with a seventh wave of infections.
Clinics have been flooded with patients with mild symptoms such as fever, sore throat and coughs, amid a lack of testing and test kits at pharmacies and online.
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Friday, June 10, 2022
Japan Eases Foreign Tourism Ban, Allows Guided Package Tours
Japan on Friday eased its borders for foreign tourists and began accepting visa applications, but only for those on guided package tours who are willing to follow mask-wearing and other antivirus measures as the country cautiously tries to balance business and infection worries.
Friday is the first day to start procedures needed for the entry and arrivals are not expected until late June at the earliest, even though airport immigration and quarantine offices stood by for any possible arrivals.
The Japan Tourism Agency says tours are being accepted from 98 countries and regions, including the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore, which are deemed as having low infection risks.
Japan’s partial resumption of international tourism that was halted during the coronavirus pandemic is being carried out under guidelines based on an experiment conducted in late May. It involved about 50 participants, mostly tour agency employees from Australia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.
In one case, a tour for a four-member group was cancelled when one of the participants tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Japan.
“We expect the resumption of inbound tourism will help stimulate the local economy,” Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito told reporters Friday. “We will continue to make effort to recover demand for tourism while balancing anti-infection measures and social and economic activities.”
Under the guidelines, participants are requested to wear face masks most of the time and to purchase insurance to cover medical costs in case they contract COVID-19. The rules don’t set a cap for the number of people in one group, but tour guides must be present throughout the tour.
After facing criticism that its strict border controls were xenophobic, Japan began easing restrictions earlier this year. On June 1, it doubled its cap on daily entries to 20,000 people a day, including Japanese citizens, foreign students and some business travelers.
The daily limit will include the package tour participants for the time being, and officials say it will take some time before foreign visitors can come to Japan for free, individual tourism.
Business groups based in Japan representing the Group of Seven countries and European Union, in a joint statement Friday, welcomed Japan’s gradual resumption of foreign tourism, but call on the government to “to further ease border control measures to facilitate an environment where people, goods, money and digital technologies can move freely, thus advancing Japan’s economic growth.”
They called on Japan to follow examples of other G-7 countries and resume individual tourism, eliminate testing at airports, lift the daily entry cap and resume international flights at more than a dozen regional airports.
Japan’s inbound tourism business has lain dormant during the pandemic and even though the country welcomes tourists and their spending, infection concerns persist among Japanese, especially in popular tourist destinations.
Unlike most Western countries where mask-wearing has largely been abandoned, most people continue to wear them even in situations, such as outdoors in uncrowded settings, where they are no longer requested.
Japan is still reporting more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases daily, though the number in Tokyo is below 2,000.
The latest mask wearing rules call for people to wear them on public transport systems, in hospitals and other public facilities. People can doff their masks outdoors when others are not around or talking loudly.
It’s unclear how popular the package tours options will be with foreign tourists, most of whom have to apply for tourist visas that can take weeks to obtain. But the yen is trading at 20-year lows against the U.S. dollar and weak against other major currencies, which would make traveling in the high-cost country something of a bargain.
Foreign tourist arrivals fell more than 90% in 2020 from a record 31.9 million the year before, almost wiping out the pre-pandemic inbound tourism market of more than 4 trillion yen ($30 billion).
Friday is the first day to start procedures needed for the entry and arrivals are not expected until late June at the earliest, even though airport immigration and quarantine offices stood by for any possible arrivals.
The Japan Tourism Agency says tours are being accepted from 98 countries and regions, including the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore, which are deemed as having low infection risks.
Japan’s partial resumption of international tourism that was halted during the coronavirus pandemic is being carried out under guidelines based on an experiment conducted in late May. It involved about 50 participants, mostly tour agency employees from Australia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.
In one case, a tour for a four-member group was cancelled when one of the participants tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Japan.
“We expect the resumption of inbound tourism will help stimulate the local economy,” Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito told reporters Friday. “We will continue to make effort to recover demand for tourism while balancing anti-infection measures and social and economic activities.”
Under the guidelines, participants are requested to wear face masks most of the time and to purchase insurance to cover medical costs in case they contract COVID-19. The rules don’t set a cap for the number of people in one group, but tour guides must be present throughout the tour.
After facing criticism that its strict border controls were xenophobic, Japan began easing restrictions earlier this year. On June 1, it doubled its cap on daily entries to 20,000 people a day, including Japanese citizens, foreign students and some business travelers.
The daily limit will include the package tour participants for the time being, and officials say it will take some time before foreign visitors can come to Japan for free, individual tourism.
Business groups based in Japan representing the Group of Seven countries and European Union, in a joint statement Friday, welcomed Japan’s gradual resumption of foreign tourism, but call on the government to “to further ease border control measures to facilitate an environment where people, goods, money and digital technologies can move freely, thus advancing Japan’s economic growth.”
They called on Japan to follow examples of other G-7 countries and resume individual tourism, eliminate testing at airports, lift the daily entry cap and resume international flights at more than a dozen regional airports.
Japan’s inbound tourism business has lain dormant during the pandemic and even though the country welcomes tourists and their spending, infection concerns persist among Japanese, especially in popular tourist destinations.
Unlike most Western countries where mask-wearing has largely been abandoned, most people continue to wear them even in situations, such as outdoors in uncrowded settings, where they are no longer requested.
Japan is still reporting more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases daily, though the number in Tokyo is below 2,000.
The latest mask wearing rules call for people to wear them on public transport systems, in hospitals and other public facilities. People can doff their masks outdoors when others are not around or talking loudly.
It’s unclear how popular the package tours options will be with foreign tourists, most of whom have to apply for tourist visas that can take weeks to obtain. But the yen is trading at 20-year lows against the U.S. dollar and weak against other major currencies, which would make traveling in the high-cost country something of a bargain.
Foreign tourist arrivals fell more than 90% in 2020 from a record 31.9 million the year before, almost wiping out the pre-pandemic inbound tourism market of more than 4 trillion yen ($30 billion).
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