Japan Travel, COVID-19, And You: Guidelines On Travel & Pandemic News Update Thread – August 2020

##**August 2020 – [Japan continues to be closed to International Tourism at this time.](https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html) Please wait until official Government announcements are made and protocol established before booking or rebooking any flights, hotels, or other forms of entertainment for any future trips.**

[**Travel Restrictions Arriving In Japan are noted here on the MOFA Website.**](https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html) Transit through Japan is ONLY possible through Narita Airport or Haneda Airport. You cannot depart the airport without facing quarantine measures, unless you take a cab from one airport to the other – *this is a cost of up to $400.00 USD for a one-way trip.* If you have booked your trip already, or are flying on a rebooked ticket, please speak to your airline right away if you have any further concerns.

[**Travel Restrictions returning FROM Japan are updated here by the IATA.**](https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm?fbclid=IwAR2WslrxafmyDs1xTrCFsdErfbjh646Bz6VypJDf-q_LZhX63nFhUOrZR7Y) An Interactive Map explaining restrictions is found [**here,**](https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm) sourced from IATA information.

[**If you are seeking information on your Work/School related entry, please go to /r/movingtojapan’s Megathread.**](https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/gdqrxl/coronavirus_covid19s_impact_on_moving_to_japan/)

[**If you are seeking information on re-entry as a Visa Holder, or information on how to renew your Tourist Visa while still in Japan, please check /r/japanlife’s latest Megathread.**](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/i5t5fl/coronavirus_megathread_16_travel_entryexit_mail/) As we only deal with short-term tourism, we cannot advise on these matters here.

**A backup of the original thread with minor changes is found in our** [**FAQ.**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel#wiki_.22i_need_some_information_about_the_covid-19_situation_in_japan._what_do_you_know_at_this_time.3F.22)
**Please check [**here**]( https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/evs3f9/japan_travel_the_2019ncov_and_you_guidelines_on/) for the original post from when this situation began, and [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/guf8zc/japan_travel_covid19_and_you_guidelines_on_travel/) for the most recent thread from this event.**

##**CONFIRMED CASES UPDATE: 08/30**

>**As of this writing, Japan has 68,200 confirmed cases, 1,285 people have died.**

>**NHK News Japan has a graph of existing cases in Japan by prefecture** [**here.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/data/) This breakdown is provided by NHK Japan, and this information is culled from the Ministry of Heath in Japan.

>[**NHK World, the english subsidiary, provides further information and a link to the toll-free information lines for tourists in Japan, as well as daily updates to total infections and deaths.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/82/)

>[**The Johns Hopkins CSSE map is another source for confirmation of cases in Japan.**](https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html) [This map](https://mhlw-gis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/0c5d0502bbb54f9a8dddebca003631b8) shows breakdown by location in Japan specifically.

##**TOURISM NEWS UPDATES**

**08/30** – [**From NHK News – Japan Airlines Try No-Contact Check-In Systems.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200830_17/) Two machines will be tested until September 15. After this, Japan Airlines will decide whether to go ahead with a full-scale roll out of the machines based on passengers’ reactions. All Nippon Airways has allowed passengers traveling with infants, and those transferring from international flights, to complete domestic check-in online. Until recently, the company had requested that such passengers stop by the check-in counter.

**08/18** – [**From NHK News – Expert: Japan In Second Wave Of Outbreak.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200819_33/)Tateda Kazuhiro of Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases said, “We are now in the midst of a second wave. People may think coronavirus infections have peaked out, both in Tokyo and nationwide. But we need to closely monitor the situation for whether a resurgence is underway.” Tateda said the situation may be worse now than a few months back.

**08/08** – [**From The Japan Times – Japan’s Summer Holiday Begins Quietly Amid Requests To Avoid Trips.**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/08/08/national/japan-summer-holiday-coronavirus/#.XzNzAehKiUk) Governors of prefectures hit hard by a recent surge in infections, including Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, have requested residents to refrain from traveling across prefectural borders, as they fear the move of people could spread the virus further.

**08/03** – [**From NHK News – Full-fledged Antigen Testing Starts At Narita.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200803_36/) The quarantine station had been conducting nostril-swabbing tests for those who returned to Japan. Such PCR tests took at least six hours before the results became available. But the saliva-based tests take about two hours to get the results back. This would enable passengers to wait for the results while staying in the airport, and return home if they test negative. (**14 Day Quarantine Is Still Required For All Arrivals To Japan.**)

**08/03** – [**From NHK News – Japan Mulls New Measures Ahead Of Holidays.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200803_40/) The government plans to convene an expert panel in the coming days to come up with further anti-virus measures. It comes as the clock ticks down to the summer vacation period that starts next week. Normally that’s the time when many people return to their hometowns. But this time, Tokyo’s Governor is calling on residents to stay home as much as possible.

##**MONTHLY SUMMARY**

>**July 2020 Summary**

>As July started, [**Tokyo confirmed another 67 cases**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200701_31/) and the Government began to prepare for a possible surge in infections citywide. While the IOC continued to state that [**the decision to hold off on the Olympics in 2021 can wait until later,**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200701_38/) Japan began to look to reopening the borders to specific people, [**as certain citizens are already allowed to begin travel to Japan for business and work purposes.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200702_01/) Major airports began to set up [**PCR test centers to help restore Int’l travel**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200702/p2a/00m/0na/006000c) but cases began to rise again in the city and around the country. [**Coronavirus cases exceeded 30,000 in late July,**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200726_03/) and [**the Governor of Tokyo is exploring the possibility of calling another State of Emergency for the city in August.**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/31/national/tokyo-second-emergency-coronavirus/) Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki is expected to also declare a state of emergency after the prefecture reported 72 new cases, posting a record for five straight days, according to the Okinawa Times.

>**June 2020 Summary**

>In early June, [**Tokyo began the move to Step 2 of the recovery plan**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200601_11/) after the previous SOE was lifted, but faced a spike in infections shortly thereafter. [**They also added another 18 countries to the Ban Entry list**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200605_27/), and confirmed suspiciouns that the [**IOC would require the Olympics to be held in 2021 – or not at all.**](https://japantoday.com/category/2020-tokyo-olympics/it’s-2021-or-never-for-tokyo-confirms-senior-olympic-official) The IOC says they will have a [**plan finalized for the 2021 Olympics in September 2020.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200610_09/) Mid-month, the Japanese government revealed it was beginning a [**plan to allow up to 250 businesspeople into the country each day**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/06/11/national/japan-250-business-travelers-four-countries-daily/#.XuI2-UVKiUk) from areas like Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam. Cancellations continued with the announcement that the Formula 1 race held in Japan would be cancelled this year, but reopenings were also declared at Universal Studios Japan and Tokyo Disney Parks. [**Businesspeople from Vietnam became the first to be allowed into the country**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/06/cd172dae467b-urgent-travel-from-japan-to-vietnam-to-partially-resume-this-week-motegi.html)
after a long closure to flights due to the virus. At the end of the month, Japan declared the border closure to continue into July, and [**added another 18 nations to the entry ban.**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/06/29/national/japan-adds-17-nations-to-coronavirus-entry-ban/#.Xvn1iyhKiUk)

>**May 2020 Summary**

>[**The State of Emergency that began in April was extended in May**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200504_01/) due to the strain presented on the medical system, even though daily infections were seeing a downturn. A mere 10 days later, [**it was revealed the SOE would be lifted in 39 prefectures**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200514_17/), but remain in places like Tokyo, Hokkaido and Osaka to further alleviate concerns with the health care system. [**12 more countries were added to the Travel Ban list**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/05/0225fba263cd-japan-expands-entry-ban-to-mexico-12-other-countries.html) in the meantime. [**The SOE was later lifted for the areas still covered, such as Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200524_15/) after consultation with the COVID-19 panel. It was also revealed that [**if the Tokyo Olympics could not go on in 2021 due to COVID-19 spread, they would be cancelled outright,**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200521_25/) although the IOC advised they are doing their best to plan for as many possible outcomes as they could. [**Kitakyushu, newly reopened, began to see a rise in the spread of infections**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200528_21/) and immediately began closing attractions to curb the spread. The current round of closures is expected to last until at least June 18th. Finally, after widespread confusion, [**Japan quelled rumours it would pay for half of tourists’ expenses**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/27/national/japan-wont-pay-half-visitors-expenses/#.XtCSwDpKiUk) as a poorly sourced article had indicated. This article was clarified in english to state that the credit would only apply to local, domestic tourism within the country – and as there is no indication the borders will reopen any time soon it is prudent to advise this will not apply to International tourists at all. As new cases begin to surface again in Tokyo, the Minister in charge of the virus response says there are [**no plans in place to revive the State Of Emergency for Tokyo or Kitakyushu.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200531/p2g/00m/0na/044000c)

>**April 2020 Summary**

>With the virus increasing in spread [**Japan began increasing travel restrictions into the country on April 3rd,**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200401_35/) including Canada, the UK, Greece and most of Europe. As travel restrictions increased and flights were getting scarce, [**foreigners were given an automatic Visa Renewal of 3 months**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/04/504b65db2f19-foreigners-given-extra-3-months-to-renew-stay-due-to-coronavirus.html), no application necessary. A State of Emergency was declared, initially for only 7 prefectures, but it was then [**shifted nationwide on April 16th**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200416_38/) further restricting movement to, from, and within the country. On April 29th, [**Japan added 14 more countries to the ban list**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200427_14/), barring citizens or those who had traveled to many parts of Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.

>**March 2020 Summary**

>The reality of the pandemic spread began to set in worldwide and countries began issuing Travel Advisories to their citizens and urging them to return home immediately. 14 day quarantine on arrival for some countries was requested by officials, and towards the end of the month, Japan posted travel bans for citizens from China, Korea, the USA and parts of Europe that were already seeing a large increase in the spread of the virus. [**The Tokyo Olympics were postponed officially, with a re-start date of July 23rd, 2021 being selected.**](http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13254665) Trains in Japan began to set slower schedules, due to the lack of tourists and locals traveling in order to curb the spread of the virus.

>**January 2020 Summary**

>**01/31** – The NHK has published an article reporting that JNTO has a phone number to call should tourists *currently in Japan* require assistance. We have reprinted the information below, and ask that you check the JNTO’s official website for any further information.

>”The Japan National Tourism Organization is offering phone consultation services for foreign tourists who are concerned about the new strain of coronavirus.”

>”The Japan Visitor Hotline offers 24-hour services in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. The hotline can refer callers who may be infected with the virus to the nearest medical institution. It also provides information on measures to prevent infection such as hand washing and gargling. The organization encourages foreign tourists to call if they have any concerns.”

>”The hotline number is 050-3816-2787.”

>Calling from Overseas? Use: +81-50-3816-2787