Japan Travel, COVID-19, And You: Tourism, Discussion, & Pandemic News Update Thread – August 2021

##**August 2021 -** [**The ban on all New Entries has been confirmed to continue indefinitely,**](https://www.japan.travel/en/coronavirus/) **unless there are special exceptional circumstances – tourism/tourist visas do not fall under this definition. We do not anticipate the borders reopening to International Tourism until 2022. Although there is much speculation on dates, nothing firm has been announced by the Japanese Government at this time.**

##**At present, entry is only permitted for Japanese Nationals, Permanent Residents, or Foreign Nationals with current residency IN Japan, or Spouses of those groups. If you need to travel to Japan as a non-resident in special exceptional circumstances, please contact the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate for further information. In order to be allowed to board a plane to Japan,** [**you will need to confirm your negative PCR test result on a specific form,**](https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page25e_000334.html) **and you must ensure you confirm with both airline and Japanese embassy/consulate which testing facilities are recognized by airline in question & Japanese immigration. We strongly urge you to check with the** [**Embassy of Japan in your departure county to confirm your entry**](https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/index.html) **in advance. ANY Questions regarding this topic will be removed, and should only be approached with the Government Agencies in charge of deciding.**

**Please check** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/search?q=Japan+Travel%2C+COVID-19%2C+And+You%3A+Guidelines+On+Travel+%26+Pandemic+News+Update+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all) **for previous Pandemic Megathreads on this topic, dating back to 2020.**

##**Frequently Asked Questions – August 2021**

>- **”Will Japan reopen to those who have already been fully vaccinated against the virus?”**

>- **According to The Japan Times,** [**Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a news conference on March 19th, 2021**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/03/19/national/vaccine-passports/) **that Japan has no plans to ease travel restrictions for travelers with vaccine certificates issued overseas. Further to this, an** [**article from The Nikkei Asia**](https://archive.ph/Sa3G1) **quoted the ministry’s Office of Quarantine Station Administration, as saying “There is no precedent” for shortening quarantine periods based on vaccination status. The LDP shares a strong reluctance to relax ease port-of-entry restrictions as does the opposition party. The Constitutional Democratic Party is also pushing strict port-of-entry measures under its “zero corona” strategy.**

>- [**”What about the Vaccine Passport I’m hearing about?”**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/61252db2ea56-japan-to-begin-accepting-requests-for-vaccine-passports-from-july-26.html)

>- **The vaccination certificates will be official records issued by municipalities showing a person has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Japan, with information such as name, passport number and date of vaccination also included. Currently only Italy, Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, & Poland are accepting the certificates. They are not reciprocal, as the borders are still closed to tourism INTO Japan by Foreign Citizens. More information can be found** [**here.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/04a5fb697422-italy-turkey-to-accept-japans-vaccine-passport-from-next-week.html).

>- **”I am still in Japan and need to renew my Tourist Visa, what do I do?”**

>- **You will need to contact the Authorities at the** [**Immigration Services Agency Of Japan**](http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/) **to confirm you are still able to renew and continue your stay if necessary.**

>- **”I am arriving in Japan for a stopover while on the way to another country, what do I do?”**

>- **Transit through Japan is ONLY possible through [Narita Airport,](https://www.narita-airport.jp/en) [Haneda Airport,](https://tokyo-haneda.com/en/index.html) or [Kansai Airport](https://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/) at this time. Those looking to transit in Japan are generally allowed off the plane first, and expected to move to their next gate as quickly as possible and wait there for the connecting flight. *At no time are you allowed to depart the airport after arriving via flight from another country, regardless of the length of your stopover. To do so will subject you to mandatory 14 day quarantine before you would be able to continue your journey.* Any questions or concerns should be directed to your airline.**

>- **”I need more information as a potential New Entrant for work or school, as I am affected by the ban. Where should I post?”**

>- **Please go to /r/movingtojapan.** [**They usually have a Megathread pinned to the top of their subreddit for discussion.**](https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/)

>- **”I need more information on re-entry with the new restrictions, as I am affected by the ban. Where should I post?”**

>- **Please start with** [**past /r/japanlife Megathreads, especially in regards to quarantine measures.**](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/search?q=covid-19+discussion+thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all) **As restrictions change frequently, you will want to speak with your Embassy in regards to the permissions required in order to enter at this time. Further information on the Quarantine process on arrival is available** [**here.**](https://soranews24.com/2021/05/27/everything-you-need-to-know-about-quarantining-in-japan/)

##**Confirmed Cases & Vaccination Rates – Updated: 08/30**

As of this writing, [**Japan has 1,491,352 (+17,713) confirmed cases, and 16,083 (+65) people have died.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/82/)

>- **Total number of 1st vaccine doses administered to the general population as of 08/31:** [**71,390,309 – 56.2% of total pop.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/vaccine/)

>- **Total number of 2nd vaccine doses administered to the general population as of 08/31:** [**57,369,554 – 45.1% of total pop.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/vaccine/)

>- **Total number of 1st vaccine doses administered to the Elderly as of 08/30:** [**31,776,968 – 89.5% of total pop.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/vaccine/)

>- **Total number of 2nd vaccine doses administered to the Elderly as of 08/30:** [**31,000,276 – 87.4% of total pop.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/vaccine/)

##**PANDEMIC NEWS UPDATES – August 2021**

**08/31** – [**From The Mainichi – Tokyo Aug. coronavirus cases top 125,000, nearly triple last month’s record.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210831/p2g/00m/0na/073000c)

**08/31** – [**From The Japan Times – Japan confirms first case of new type of delta variant.**](https://archive.ph/75dwt) A research team from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, headed by associate professor Hiroaki Takeuchi, announced Monday in a statement that the first case of this delta variant sublineage was confirmed in a COVID-19 patient in mid-August. Based on genome analysis, “it is highly likely the latest case mutated domestically,” the researchers said, adding that the patient had no history of traveling abroad.

**08/30** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Fewer than 2,000 new virus cases in Tokyo for 1st time in a month.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14429591)

**08/29** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Tainted Moderna vaccine found in Okinawa under 4th lot number.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14428818) A batch of COV19-19 vaccines manufactured by Moderna Inc. not covered by those suspended by the health ministry due to contamination fears turned out to be tainted, Okinawa prefectural authorities said late Aug. 28. Following the discovery, officials canceled a mass vaccination of the Moderna vaccine at a site in Naha planned for late in the afternoon that day. They also called off a scheduled inoculation at the venue set for Aug. 29.

**08/27** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Metal substance tainted Moderna jabs, dealing setback to rollout.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14427323) The ministry said the contaminant was found in a total of 390 doses, which were scheduled to be used at eight vaccination centers in Tokyo and Saitama, Aichi, Ibaraki and Gifu prefectures. Staff detected tainted vials and removed them from the lineup for use, the ministry said. The health ministry said there have not been any reports that a tainted jab was administered to someone or any reports of safety concerns as of Aug. 26. But the ministry said there are about 1.6 million doses of Moderna vaccines that may have also been tainted because they were manufactured on the same production line.

**08/27** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Japan breaks record of serious COVID-19 cases 15 days in a row.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14427606) The health ministry said on Aug. 27 that a record 2,000 patients were listed as seriously ill nationwide as of Aug. 26, the 15th consecutive day the figure topped the previous high. The number rose by 26 from Aug. 25 following a surge in new infections.

**08/25** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan decides to expand COVID-19 state of emergency to 8 more prefs.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/c45c45cd3ddb-japan-to-expand-covid-19-state-of-emergency-to-8-more-prefectures.html) The addition of Hokkaido, Miyagi, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Okayama and Hiroshima means that 21 of Japan’s 47 prefectures are now under the state of emergency that includes Tokyo and Osaka, affecting over 75 percent of the population. The measure will run from Friday to Sept. 12.

**08/25** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan halts use of 1.63 mil. Moderna vaccine doses over contamination.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/7fb949bf9198-urgent-unused-moderna-vaccine-doses-may-contain-foreign-materials-japan.html) Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., which is in charge of sales and distribution of the vaccine in the country, said it has yet to see any reports of safety concerns.

**08/23** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – COVID-19 testing failing to catch up to speed of coronavirus.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14423945) One of the major reasons why the number of administrative tests has grown at such a sluggish pace is because a massive epidemiological study being carried out at public health centers is running behind. The research aims to identify infected people as soon as possible to prevent the virus from spreading quickly.

**08/22** – [**From NHK News – Virus response minister warns of tougher measures.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210822_16/) Japan’s minister in charge of the coronavirus response has suggested the government may introduce tougher measures to curb infections under the current law.

**08/21** – [**From The Mainichi – 2-week delay in announcing Japan’s first lambda coronavirus variant case draws criticism.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210821/p2a/00m/0na/011000c) “It is unknown whether the lambda variant will spread in Japan moving forward. However, given that the strain is highly resistant to vaccines, it is possible for it to spread even after inoculations have reached a majority of the public. When it comes to these mutant strains, the very notion that we’ll be OK as long as we obtain herd immunity following 60 to 70% vaccination rates becomes unreliable,” said Tetsuya Matsumoto.

**08/20** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – New guidelines eyed for issuing, ending state of emergency.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14421871) Nishimura said that as more people are vaccinated, having more than 25 infected people per 100,000 residents over a week may no longer be considered a major problem. He also indicated that other factors would have to be taken into consideration when reviewing the guidelines, including rate of vaccinations among those in their 40s and 50s, who are now most vulnerable to developing serious symptoms, as well as the hospitalization rate and the number of those with serious symptoms.

**08/20** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan’s governors call for COVID lockdown amid spike in infections**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/966785b4e77c-covid-19-state-of-emergency-takes-effect-in-7-more-prefectures.html) In a set of proposals compiled by the association and to be submitted soon to the central government, the governors seek a lockdown as a temporary COVID measure, saying the state must swiftly consider steps enabling tougher restrictions on people’s movements such as legislation to impose a lockdown.

**08/20** – [**From NHK News – Over 60% of COVID patients denied hospitalization.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210820_14/) The sources say there were 2,259 requests for ambulances from patients recuperating at home during the week from August 9 to 15. The figure was up 591 from a week earlier. The sources say 1,414, or 63 percent, of the patients were not taken to medical institutions. They say this was because paramedics could not find hospitals that could admit patients, and in many cases public healthcare officials determined that home recuperation should be continued.

**08/19** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – 40 prefectures now at ‘explosive growth’ in new virus infections.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14421041) The number of new cases across Japan for the latest week was 131 percent of the figure for the week earlier. Only Fukui and Tottori prefectures have seen decreases in new infections over that period.

**08/19** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Japan to release details about Lambda variant infections**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14421032) The government will include Lambda variant cases “in a way that will alleviate public concerns,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a news conference on Aug. 18.

**08/19** – [**From The Mainichi – ‘Don’t rock the boat’: LDP lawmaker pressured virus expert over Olympics**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210819/p2a/00m/0na/005000c) “You’d better not have your name on those recommendations,” a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker was quoted as telling one of the experts on the Advisory Board of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare over the phone in early June. Drafting of the risk assessment proposals had begun in April.

**08/19** – [**From NHK News – Japan’s daily infection cases top 25,000**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210819_20/)

**08/18** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Daily COVID-19 cases set records across Japan as counts surging**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14420452) The total national daily record was broken as more than 23,000 cases were reported as of 6 p.m., topping the previous record of 20,362 on Aug. 13. There were also 1,716 COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms across the nation as of Aug. 17, the sixth consecutive day the record has been rewritten.

**08/17** – [**From The Mainichi – Suga unlikely to call election in early Sept., late Nov. possible.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210817/p2g/00m/0na/068000c) When a prime minister has no plan to dissolve the lower house before its members’ term expires, an election needs to be held within 30 days before the expiry date under the public election law. If the expiration of the term comes during or soon after a parliament session, an election must be held in 24 to 30 days after the session closes. Given that an election is typically held on Sunday, a possible polling date would be Sept. 26 at the earliest and Nov. 14 at the latest. If the lower house is dissolved, an election must be held within 40 days of the dissolution. The chamber’s dissolution on the last day of the current four-year term on Oct. 21 could push back the election to Nov. 28 at the latest.

**08/17** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – LDP considering to vote Sept. 29 to decide party president, sources say.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14419654) Some of the party’s Diet members are urging that Suga’s term as president be extended as the government has had its hands full containing the pandemic. But calls are growing from junior and mid-level LDP legislators for holding the presidential poll as scheduled for September, ahead of the Lower House election.

**08/16** – [**From The Japan Times – Why the delta variant is both more potent and more contagious.**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/14/national/delta-variant-spread-japan/) COVID-19 vaccines effectively provide a lid for the spike protein to prevent the virus from binding to the receptor and enter respiratory and digestive cells, explained Akira Nishizono, a professor of microbiology at Oita University’s Faculty of Medicine. But even a slight change to the surface structure of the spike protein, as seen in new variants, may weaken the defense of the immune system triggered by the vaccine by causing it to fail to recognize the spike protein and produce antibodies against it. This results in increased contagiousness among vaccinated individuals compared to the original strain, he added. Some scientists describe the delta variant as significantly more “sticky” than other variants in that it doesn’t let go easily once it gets hold of the target cells.

**08/16** – [**From Kyodo News – Tokyo Paralympics to be held without spectators due to COVID.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/57231f368834-paralympic-committee-chief-arrives-in-japan-for-tokyo-games.html) The exception will be students participating in a government-backed education program, said the organizers, which also staged the recently concluded Olympics largely behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.

**08/16** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan to declare COVID emergency in 7 more prefectures.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/adeb53348109-japan-pm-suga-inspects-covid-19-antibody-cocktail-treatment.html) The quasi-state of emergency already declared in parts of the seven prefectures — Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka — will be expanded to a prefecture-wide state of emergency from Friday to Sept. 12.

**08/13** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – COVID-19 panel: Pedestrian traffic must be halved in Tokyo in 2 weeks**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14417055) The panel pointed out that outings are increasing not only among younger Tokyo residents but also middle-aged people who are at greater risk of developing serious symptoms if they have yet to be vaccinated. The panel said one key goal is to bring the “effective reproduction number,” or how many people a COVID-19 patient has infected, to under 1, which would mean new infections have stopped spreading.

**08/13** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Olympics now ended, Japan races to vaccinate as virus surges.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14417138) Suga said his goal of fully vaccinating all willing elderly people by the end of July has been mostly achieved. As he pushes to inoculate younger people, Suga aims to fully vaccinate 40 percent of all those 12 years and older by the end of August, and to complete shots for all those who wish to do so by October or November. But vaccines alone might not be enough, experts and officials say. ‘With the ongoing surge accelerated by the delta strain, it is extremely difficult to deal with the infections just by promoting the vaccines,’ Kono told a recent online program.

**08/13** – [**From Kyodo News – Woman infected in Japan’s 1st Lambda variant case linked to Olympics**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/264a8a7bfb1b-breaking-news-woman-infected-in-japans-1st-lambda-case-was-involved-in-olympics.html) The woman in her 30s had traveled to Peru where the variant, feared to be more contagious and more resistant to vaccines, was first detected. She arrived at Haneda airport in Tokyo on July 20 with her Olympic accreditation card, according to the sources.

**08/13** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan’s daily coronavirus cases top 20,000 for 1st time**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/f3d9e36f61af-breaking-news-tokyos-daily-new-covid-19-cases-hit-record-5773.html) Cases of seriously ill COVID-19 patients have been rapidly increasing nationwide since mid-July. Such cases have risen among those in their 40s and 50s due to the slowness of vaccinations, mainly in Tokyo, while young people have also been among patients with serious symptoms, defined as those requiring assistance by ventilators, artificial heart-lung bypass devices or treatment in intensive care units.

**08/12** – [**From The Japan Times – Tokyo Paralympics likely to be held with no spectators**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/12/national/paralympics-no-spectators/) Suga has shown a strong desire to allow spectators at Paralympic venues if the coronavirus infection situation improves in Tokyo and other areas. “We’ll monitor the infection situation a bit more, but we want to have spectators at Paralympic venues if possible,” a source close to the prime minister said.

**08/12** – [**From The Japan Times – Sri Lanka among new regions recognizing Japan’s vaccine passports.**](https://archive.ph/PqSZI#selection-1093.0-1093.65) Along with Belize, Papua New Guinea, Slovakia and Sri Lanka, other countries and regions that have recently begun to recognize Japan’s vaccine passports are: Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Lithuania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Thailand’s islands of Phuket, Samui, Ko Pha-Ngan and Ko Tao. The documents can also be used in Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey and Poland.

**08/12** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Experts say virus ‘out of control’ as Tokyo logs 4,989 cases in one day.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14416509) Omagari said if the current pace were maintained, the seven-day average of new cases could hit 5,113 on Aug. 25. “We will not be able to save people’s lives” that can be saved under the normal circumstances, he said. “We are at a stage where each of us need to act to protect our own lives.”

**08/12** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Panel: COVID-19 situation in Japan becoming ‘natural disaster’.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14416315) Hiroshi Nishiura, a professor of theoretical epidemiology at Kyoto University, said if the current pace of new infections continues, Tokyo would have more than 10,000 new cases a day by late August, and the figure could approach 20,000 by early September.

**08/12** – [**From Kyodo News – Disease experts call to halve foot traffic in Tokyo to curb COVID-19.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/e37454b0cc1d-disease-experts-call-to-halve-foot-traffic-in-tokyo-to-curb-covid-19.html) The experts on a government subcommittee on the COVID-19 response also urged, in their draft proposal, strengthening measures to reduce crowds in situations where infection risk is high including underground food sections at department stores and shopping malls.

**08/11** – [**From The Japan Times – Japan may not lift COVID-19 emergency as planned.**](https://archive.ph/7bOq8) There are no signs yet of infection cases reaching a peak amid the rapid spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. Prefectural government officials are calling for stronger measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including shutdown requests for large-scale commercial facilities.

**08/11** – [**From NHK News – Tokyo Covid patients sent to other prefectures.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210811_17/) Saitama Medical Center in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, was asked to take in a woman in her 40s from Tokyo. The woman had been recuperating at home for five days. But the local public health office decided she needed to be hospitalized after her blood-oxygen level dropped. But no hospital in Tokyo could take her and the woman was forced to spend more than six hours in an ambulance. The emergency team eventually found her a spot in the hospital in Saitama, 50 kilometers from central Tokyo.

**08/11** – [**From Kyodo News – Experts warn Japan’s coronavirus fight in critical phase.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/536f2a488c38-tokyo-continues-to-report-high-coronavirus-infection-numbers.html) The number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide totaled 15,812 on Wednesday, topping the previous record of 15,753 reported on Saturday, according to a Kyodo News tally. Experts at a meeting of the health ministry’s pandemic response panel said the situation in Tokyo, currently under a fourth state of emergency, could deteriorate despite progress in getting people vaccinated.

**08/11** – [**From The Mainichi – Athletes’ Tokyo excursions in final Olympic days suggest ‘bubble’ has popped.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210811/p2a/00m/0na/021000c) The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games maintains that the rules remain unchanged regardless of whether athletes have been in Japan for more than 14 days or whether their participating events have ended. The rules, therefore, do not permit shopping at supermarkets even if they are close to the village. The athlete who spoke to the Mainichi Shimbun conceded he was probably violating Playbook rules. He went on to say that he was taking care and was just out shopping, before adding: “I don’t think we’re putting other people in danger, so I think it’s OK.”

**08/09** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Outside Olympic ‘bubble,’ 170,000 in Japan infected during Games.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14414269) Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has denied the possibility that the Tokyo Olympics were related to the skyrocketing number of new COVID-19 cases. He insisted that the movement of people in busy areas of Tokyo “has not increased from the pre-Olympics period.” The Tokyo metropolitan government and the International Olympic Committee have echoed that view. But sharp increases in congestion of pedestrian traffic have been recorded. According to GPS data of NTT Docomo based on smartphone usage outdoors, an estimated 5,200 people were around the National Stadium at noon on July 23, when Blue Impulse, the Air Self-Defense Force’s aerobatics team, flew over Tokyo to celebrate the opening of the Olympics.

**08/08** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Many Tokyoites ignore Koike’s plea not to travel outside capital.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14413779) Despite a state of emergency still in effect, cases of novel coronavirus infection driven by the highly contagious Delta variant continue to rise sharply.

**08/08** – [**From The Mainichi – Tokyo Olympics see total of 430 COVID-19 cases since start of July.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210808/p2g/00m/0na/018000c) The figures released by the organizing committee, however, do not include cases associated with the Olympics that have been announced by the Japanese central and local governments.

**08/08** – [**From Kyodo News – Tokyo’s daily COVID cases top 4,000 for 5th day on last Olympics day**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/c34ffa09e93f-stricter-covid-19-steps-introduced-in-8-more-prefectures-in-japan.html) Japan’s cumulative total of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 1 million on Friday amid a recent surge that has seen daily cases continue to rewrite record highs, reinforcing fears that the medical system could collapse. Also on Friday, Japan’s health ministry reported the country’s first case of the Lambda variant of the coronavirus, first detected in Peru. The variant was detected in a woman who arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on July 20 and had traveled to Peru, according to the ministry. According to Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Lambda variant might be more infectious and more resistant to vaccines.

**08/07** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Akihabara a hot destination despite Olympic virus restrictions.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14413295) Under the so-called playbook compiled by the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, athletes are only allowed to move between the village and the venues for competition or training. They are also required to use dedicated vehicles and avoid public transport. For those helping with organizing the event and working with media organizations, freedom of movement is only allowed after they have self-isolated for 15 days. Those individuals can use public transportation after that, however. One of the athletes in Akihabara said he was not well-versed in the playbook and wanted to see some of Tokyo while he was in Japan.

**08/07** – [**Frim The Asahi Shimbun – Warnings issued, accreditation revoked to enforce COVID-19 rules**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14413316) Hidemasa Nakamura, chief of Tokyo 2020’s main operation center, told reporters the accreditation of eight individuals had been revoked and those of another eight paused. Though organizers did not provide details on the individual cases, they said each case was discussed with the International Olympic Committee and other relevant organizations. “It was difficult to both carefully and speedily proceed, but I believe we have been successful (in enforcement),” said Nakamura.

**08/06** – [**From The Nikkei Asia – Japan balks at waiving quarantine for vaccinated travelers.**](https://archive.ph/Sa3G1) “There is no precedent” for shortening quarantine periods based on vaccination status, the ministry’s Office of Quarantine Station Administration said. The July 26 opening of applications for vaccine passports for people seeking to travel abroad “can become an important step leading to the reopening of international travel,” said Tomoyuki Yoshida, the foreign ministry’s press secretary, in a news conference Wednesday. The government should give the issue consideration while keeping an eye on discussions here and overseas, he said. Currently, even travelers with proof of vaccination have to self-quarantine after entering Japan. The strong reluctance to relax ease port-of-entry restrictions is shared by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition. “The LDP is receiving blowback because of the government’s port-of-entry measures,” said Masahisa Sato, head of the party’s diplomatic policy arm, in early July. The LDP is at risk of being tied to the mounting number of infections ahead of the general election around October. The Constitutional Democratic Party, meanwhile, is pushing strict port-of-entry measures under its “zero corona” strategy.

**08/06** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Virus surge propels Japan’s total infections above 1 million.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14412645) It took about six weeks for the accumulated number of novel coronavirus infections to increase from 700,000 to 800,000, while the figure rose from 800,000 to 900,000 over a four-week period. Japan reached 1 million in only eight days from July 29, when the cases hit 900,000. In May, during an earlier surge in infections, the overall number of COVID-19 cases jumped from 600,000 to 700,000 in 18 days. But the latest rise has been fueled largely by the highly contagious Delta variant. Japan has recently recorded more than 10,000 newly confirmed infections a day.

**08/06** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Omi: Japan could be forced to mull lockdowns if cases keep rising.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14412397) But the government has remained reluctant over imposing such a strong policy. “(Lockdowns) are foreign to Japan,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said. “If you implement penalties like those of Western countries, or even include arrests, it will be a law that severely restricts private rights,” Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said on Aug. 3 after a Cabinet meeting.

**08/06** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – COVID-19 ‘5th wave’ engulfs hospitals in Tokyo area.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14412384) Decreasing the number of ICU beds means that the hospital cannot take in some emergency patients, who may need major surgery or suffered a heart attack. “Cases in which we cannot save lives that can be saved under normal circumstances have already been occurring,” said Yasuyuki Seto, the director of the hospital.

**08/06** – [**From The Mainichi – Japan’s gov’t backpedals on COVID hospitalizations, says some moderate cases to get beds.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210806/p2a/00m/0na/032000c) The government had initially sought to limit hospitalizations to “severe cases or those at risk of becoming severe.” The revised document, however, states that beds should be provided to “those with moderate symptoms who also require oxygenation, or if they do not, those at risk of developing severe illness,” setting more concrete hospitalization criteria.

**08/05** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Pre-emergency measures to be expanded to 8 more prefectures.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14411595) The pre-emergency measures will cover the prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Aichi, Shiga and Kumamoto, and will be in place from Aug. 8 until Aug. 31. Five prefectures–Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka–were placed under the pre-emergency measures from Aug. 2.

**08/05** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Experts: Tokyo could see 10,000 COVID-19 cases a day in 2 weeks.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14411798) By Aug. 11, the daily average for the week would be 6,129, while by Aug. 18, the figure will skyrocket to 10,909. “That would mean that one out of every 1,000 Tokyo residents was infected,” Omagari said. “There is a need to share a sense of crisis about what the current reality is like.”

**08/05** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Japan, Tokyo each log highest COVID-19 cases on record.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14411841) Of the 5,042 cases, 1,600 patients were in their 20s, followed by 1,120 in their 30s, 811 in their 40s and 552 in their 50s. Patients aged between 10 to 19 accounted for 441 cases and 180 people were aged 65 or older. The number of serious cases in Tokyo requiring ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, also known as an ECMO lung bypass machine, rose by 20 from the previous day to 135 on Aug. 5.

**08/04** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Ruling coalition seeks retraction of policy to limit COVID-19 care.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14410719) “It is inconceivable that patients with moderate symptoms who require oxygen inhalation should be resting at home,” Komeito lawmaker Michiyo Takagi said on Aug. 4. “I want this proposal to be re-examined, including consideration that it be retracted.”

**08/04** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan sets new record of over 14,000 daily COVID infections.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/a0e05f670c20-breaking-news-tokyo-reports-record-4166-daily-coronavirus-cases.html)

**08/04** – [**From NHK News – Travel agents meet online to plan restart.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210804_36/) The travel agents’ association assumes overseas tours will start up again gradually from around the beginning of next year.

**08/03** – [**From Nikkei Asia – Japan vaccine passport struggles to open doors without reciprocity.**](https://archive.ph/2YcOS)

**08/03** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – ‘Serious COVID cases only’ policy for hospitals draws fire.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14409902) Yukio Edano, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, described the government’s new hospitalization policy as “unbelievable” at the party’s meeting on Aug. 3. “The government says it will ask patients (at low risk of becoming seriously ill) to recuperate at home, but that effectively means it is abandoning them,” Edano said. “The government has repeatedly assured the public that they are ‘safe and secure.’ And it suddenly says it can no longer provide hospital treatment to patients even if they have moderate symptoms.”

**08/03** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan logs 2nd highest daily COVID cases amid ongoing resurgence.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/78856a60c7bd-breaking-news-tokyo-reports-3709-daily-coronavirus-cases.html) Three weeks have passed since the central government placed Tokyo under a fourth state of emergency from July 12. But the measure, which mostly relies on a cooperative public and not a hard lockdown as in some countries, has had little effect in slowing infections.

**08/02** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Governors in call to cancel or delay travel across borders.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14409118) The association urged people to stagger their visits and undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests beforehand if they really feel the need to travel during the period. It also called on the government to “send a strong message to members of the public to share a sense of crisis and urge them to change their behavior.”

**08/02** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan’s ruling party policy chief seeks Diet debate on virus lockdown.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/7420420daa8e-japans-ruling-party-policy-chief-seeks-diet-debate-on-virus-lockdown.html) The policy chief of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday called for active debate in the Diet on legal revisions that would introduce lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

**08/02** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan expands COVID state of emergency to Osaka, 3 areas near Tokyo.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/79b8fa967393-japan-expands-covid-state-of-emergency-to-3-areas-near-tokyo-osaka.html) The government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided the same day that only patients with severe cases of COVID-19 can be admitted to hospital, an effective policy U-turn. It had said that all patients except for those with mild symptoms should be hospitalized in principle.

**08/02** – [**From The Mainichi – Severe COVID-19 cases increase among middle-aged amid 5th wave in Tokyo.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210802/p2a/00m/0na/015000c) Omori Hospital Director Nakase expressed a sense of crisis, saying, “At this rate, it is possible that there will be patients who are not able to be hospitalized even if it’s necessary.” Meanwhile, there has been a decrease in the hospitalization of the elderly, for which vaccinations have moved forward.

**08/01** – [**From Kyodo News – Japan starts giving COVID vaccine shots to citizens temporarily returning.**](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/068ebb62b73b-japan-starts-giving-covid-19-shots-to-citizens-temporarily-returning.html) The government plans to operate the venues at Haneda and Narita airports through early January next year to administer two doses of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine to people aged 12 and over who do not have certificates of residence in Japan.

**08/01** – [**From Nikkei Asia – Japan’s COVID test bureaucracy leaves returning citizens stranded.**](https://archive.ph/HntvI) In some cases, people were sent back after arriving in Japan because the form was not filled out correctly. Alarmed by a surge in such problems, the foreign ministry has urged the health ministry to accept forms that have the same information as the Japanese form. Still, uninformed airline personnel keep rejecting people who lack the government-designated document. If a passenger is turned back at the point of entry due to incomplete documentation, the airline assumes the cost of transporting the person. This naturally makes carriers more cautious in checking passengers’ documentation.