- 14 Mar 2002
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Today, PM Kishida announced that on 7 September, the daily cap of foreign visitors would increase from 20,000 to 50,000. Fewer than 8,000 international tourists visited the country in July.
If there is a cap then you will still need to get a visa, so that is unfortunate as its another prerequisite to travel. I hope the former visa-waiver system is resumed prior to our next trip. Its busy enough without adding more to the to-do list before travel.What I forgot to add is that - according to the PM - individual tourists will no longer be required to bring pre-arrival PCR tests as well as hire tour guides: non-escorted individual travel will be possible as of 7 September, limited only by the cap of 50,000 daily entries (and perhaps other local restrictions).
Japan to ease tourism restrictions and raise daily arrival cap to 50,000
Starting Sept. 7, entry will be allowed for nonescorted visitors on package tours and the daily arrival cap will be raised to 50,000.www.japantimes.co.jp
Before Wednesday, guided tourists from nations designated as having a low risk of COVID-19 – referred to as "blue" countries, were able to enter. But now, Japan will allow tourists from higher-risk "yellow" and "red" countries as well. With the eased restrictions, the only tourists who won't be allowed will be those who want to stay in accommodations not offered by travel agencies in their package tour bookings, such as private rentals and smaller inns, as well as backpackers or others who don't want to book hotels in advance.
"It'll cost money to have someone on call around the clock in case something happens," said a travel agency official who asked to remain anonymous. "We'll need to look for interpreters, alternative accommodation and whatnot, and the cost would not cover the margins that we get from just arranging flights and hotels." In unguided tours, travel agencies are required to contact travelers to make sure they understand the protocols. If they develop symptoms of the coronavirus during the trip, they will be required to contact the travel agencies so they can be connected with necessary hospitals and public health centers, or accomodation where they can self-isolate. All Japan Tours, based in California, is offering a little bit of both — guided tours on some days and free time without a guide on the rest — to make sure visitors get sufficient support if they get sick.
Japan continues to suspend its visa exemptions, in contrast to neighbor South Korea which recently extended its visa waiver for Japanese citizens until the end of October. Travelers to Japan must apply for a visa, which takes five days to be issued in principle, and the fees for a single-entry visa are about 3,000 yen ($21). Additionally, packaged tours remain -- a particular turnoff.
The removal of the 50,000 people-per-day cap alone won't return Japan's border to its pre-Covid openness, as non-resident foreigners are also currently required to obtain visas for short-term stays, and may enter for tourism only as part of approved package tours. According to the Nikkei, government officials are divided on when to remove these restraints. One proposal is to lift all three barriers at the same time, while others call for ditching the entry cap first and observing the results before allowing the return of individual tourism and visa waivers, the paper said.
Yes but probably it will go back to normal soon. I don't think the restrictions on length of time were changed. (Max 90 days).So, currently Americans need a visa to enter Japan? If they have family here, how long can they stay?
OK, thanks.Yes but probably it will go back to normal soon. I don't think the restrictions on length of time were changed. (Max 90 days).
My visa was for 30 days I believe, much shorter than the 90 days you have with the visa waiver.So, currently Americans need a visa to enter Japan? If they have family here, how long can they stay?
It may be dependent on your plan and visa application though. If you had planned to go for over a month maybe it would have been granted. I dunno.My visa was for 30 days I believe, much shorter than the 90 days you have with the visa waiver.
That could be, maybe they just built in some leeway incase of cancelled flights or something. My application listed the arrival and departure dates.It may be dependent on your plan and visa application though. If you had planned to go for over a month maybe it would have been granted. I dunno.
The government will submit a bill at an extraordinary session of parliament next month that would revise the law governing hotels and inns, allowing them more power to enforce infection measures, the network said. The move would come at a time when Japan is expected to further ease its COVID-19 border controls, waiving visa requirements for certain tourists and removing a limit on daily arrivals.
Currently, if a traveler to Japan has proof of having received three doses of coronavirus vaccines or a negative test within 72 hours prior to departure, no mandatory testing upon entry is needed. All positive test results will be subjected to genome analysis to determine if any new variants have been detected. The government will not allow airlines to increase the number of flights from and to China. [...] Meanwhile, China's National Health Commission announced late on Monday that inbound passengers will only be required to present a negative test result obtained within 48 hours of boarding. The NHC also said citizens will be allowed to go abroad "in an orderly manner." With the Chinese New Year coming up in late January, the number of travelers to Japan is expected to increase.
The numbers are higher than the daily deaths at the peak of an earlier wave in August when they exceeded 300. Experts say the latest increase is unclear but could be linked to worsening chronic illnesses among older patients. Japan on Friday put into effect tightened border measures it announced earlier in the week: The antigen test that was already conducted on entrants suspected of having COVID-19 is now mandatory for all people arriving from mainland China. Those who test positive will be quarantined for up to seven days at designated facilities, and their samples will be used for genome analysis. The measures began ahead of the New Year's holidays, marked by travel and parties. Government officials said direct flights between China and Japan would be limited to four major Japanese airports.
XBB is very quickly becoming the dominant variant in the U.S.Last Friday, Japan started testing all passengers coming from China for Covid-19. Japan also sees increasing infections (over 200,000 daily) and record deaths (over 400 daily, especially among those over 70).
"We firmly oppose discriminatory entry restrictions against China by a few countries, and we will take reciprocal measures," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters on Tuesday in a briefing. The Chinese Embassy in South Korea earlier in the day said it has stopped issuing short-term visas for family visits, business, tourism, medical and other matters. Japanese travel agencies, meanwhile, told Nikkei that they can no longer apply for business visas or other visas for China for non-humanitarian purposes.
I consider it normal practice to require a test from tourists, since the situation in China is not very good.China stopped issuing visas for visitors from South Korea and Japan on Tuesday in a retaliatory move against neighbours that have stiffened entry restrictions on Chinese travellers due to a surge of COVID infections in the country. The visa suspension was notified to travel agencies in Japan, as the Chinese Embassy in South Korea announced earlier that similar measures for South Korean visitors would be effective "until discriminatory entry restrictions against China are lifted." After Beijing reopened its borders and abandoned quarantine measures on Sunday, Japan further tightened its border controls for travellers from mainland China and Macau, requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test before departure amid a surge of cases in the neighbouring country.
Paywall alert:
China suspends visa issuance for South Koreans and Japanese
Tokyo protests against China's retaliation; official says move 'out of proportion'asia.nikkei.com