Japan to Ease Foreign Entry Restrictions from March... "5,000 People per Day, Quarantine Reduced to Three Days"

Number of Arrivals Increased from 3,500 to 5,000... Review of Expanded Entry Recognition Scope

The arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Narita Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is deserted due to the ban on foreign arrivals, with no passengers coming in. Japan has prohibited new entries of all foreigners worldwide since December last year to block the Omicron variant. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Japanese government is expected to ease the strengthened quarantine and entry restrictions currently in place to curb the influx of the COVID-19 Omicron variant sometime next month.

According to Kyodo News on the 16th, a government official stated that the Japanese government plans to relax the daily entry cap from the current 3,500 people to 5,000 starting in March.

Additionally, they are coordinating to reduce the quarantine period after entry from one week to three days.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that for those returning or entering from countries and regions with a high risk of infection related to the easing of quarantine measures (82 as of the 15th), the one-week quarantine will continue, but for those coming from other countries and regions, the quarantine period will be shortened to three days.

Currently, the Japanese government requires foreign entrants to self-quarantine at home or accommodation facilities for one week. They are also considering exempting quarantine for those who meet certain conditions, such as having received a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

So far, the Japanese government has exceptionally allowed entry only to certain groups such as international students and business personnel. From next month, they plan to allow entry of foreigners for purposes other than tourism within the entry limit.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said, "We are conducting reviews for easing measures by comprehensively considering the accumulation of scientific knowledge about the Omicron variant and changes in infection situations both domestically and internationally."

Prime Minister Kishida will hold a press conference on the 17th to explain the easing of quarantine and entry restrictions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.