Last week, the NHK and Nikkei Asia websites reported that the Japanese government was considering further relaxing anti-infection border regulations and allowing visitors to enter Japan without “sponsors” or a travel agency link within the nation. The administration moreover intends to lift the daily entrance restriction and to reinstate short-term visa exemptions for travelers from 70 different nations. As early as October, according to NHK, these modifications may become effective.

On September 7, the Japanese government increased the daily cap on entry into the nation to 50,000. Additionally, the government started to permit travelers without local advisers. However, a representative of the tourism ministry claimed at the time that foreign visitors would still need “sponsors” or a contact at a Japanese travel agency in order to enter the nation.

Additionally, if a passenger has gotten at least three doses of the COVID-19 vaccination, the government will not need them to show documentation of a negative COVID-19 test (including one booster).

Beginning on March 1, Japan’s COVID-19 entrance restrictions for foreign students and business visitors (if they have sponsors) started to loosen. The government also reduced the COVID-19 quarantine period from seven to three days, and raised the number of persons (including Japanese and foreign citizens) who are permitted to enter from 3,500 to 5,000 each day. The daily quota was then increased by the government to 7,000 on March 14 and then to 10,000 on April 10.

After that, on June 10, the government only authorized guided tour groups to go, and it increased the daily cap on visitors from 10,000 to 20,000.

In response to the global spread of the COVID-19 Omicron strain, border controls were implemented starting in November of last year. To stop the spread, the Japanese government had also put a limit on new foreign arrivals and prolonged border restrictions until February.

In the early stages of the epidemic in 2020, Japan forbade admittance to any foreign travelers.

Currently fixed: the connection to NHK World Japan.

Thanks, ravager as well as Joe Mello.