Japan is set to allow package-tour visitors from June 10. Although a limit on arrivals from overseas will be doubled to 20,000 people per day, that’s just a trickle compared with pre-pandemic visitor levels.Â
In order to visit Japan as a tourist, the following three conditions will apply:
1. Travellers must visit Japan on a guided tour with a predetermined itinerary that is organized by a Japan-based travel agency or operator. The travel agency or operator will handle application procedures and be held responsible for the tour participants.
2. Travellers must have spent the 14 days before arrival in Japan in a country on the “blue list”, which lists countries where the risk of catching the coronavirus is considered low. There are currently 98 countries on the “blue list”, including most countries in North America, East Asia, Europe and Oceania. Prominent countries not on the list include India, Vietnam, Portugal and Turkey.
3. During their stay, travellers must adhere to basic infection prevention measures, such as wearing masks and disinfecting hands, and they need to be enrolled in a travel insurance plan that covers medical expenses related to the coronavirus.
A negative result from a PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to departure is required to enter Japan; however, there will be no test and no quarantine upon arrival in Japan for foreign tourists regardless of vaccination status.
All travellers will need to apply for a visa in order to enter Japan.
Japan’s reopening involves allowing entry from countries and regions where infection levels are low. They will be divided into three categories — red, yellow and blue — depending on their assessed virus risk, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Travellers arriving from the 98 countries or regions on the blue list will be able to bypass quarantine as long as they pass a pre-departure Covid test, according to the Foreign Ministry. Those on the yellow list will also require proof of vaccination to skip quarantine.Â
Countries on the “blue list”:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, USA, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Zambia
