Japan Reinstitutes Ban on Foreigner Entry Due to Omicron Variant

Due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, effective November 30, 2021 all new foreign travelers are in principle banned from entering Japan.  This ban on foreign entry will be effective for a month and may be extended further depending on the infection rates in Japan and globally.  Visa applications and valid new visa holders are also prevented from entering the country.

The recent measures to allow entry into the country for business travel and reduce quarantine to three days have also been suspended.  All travelers, regardless of nationality or vaccination status, are now required to quarantine for 14 days.  Daily permitted entry into the country has also been reduced from 5,000 travelers (which was announced just this past Friday) back down to 3,500 travelers.

The measures regarding Japanese government-designated quarantine facilities for a certain period of time have also been strengthened again.  Effective December 1 at midnight, travelers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Israel will be subject to a six day Japanese government-designated quarantine, while travelers from Hong Kong, Australia, Germany and certain other countries will be subject to a three day Japanese government-designated quarantine (followed by a self-quarantine for the remaining days).

Please refer to the recent article published by Nikkei Asia (in English) and the most up-to-date news from the Japanese government’s COVID-19 Information and Resources page (in Japanese) for more information.

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