Effective October 11, 2022, the ban on short-term visas will be lifted for foreign travelers entering Japan, including for business travel. This relaxed measure will apply to foreign travelers from 68 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong. All travelers from countries not subject to the lift on the ban
Effective from September 7, 2022, Japan will waive the pre-departure PCR test requirement for triple-vaccinated travelers (currently all travelers entering Japan are required to show proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to departure). Business executives will still need to apply for visas as all visa waivers remain suspended. Tourist and
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
As previously reported, starting November 8 the Japanese government will begin permitting entry into the country for business purposes of fully vaccinated foreign travelers. Such foreign travelers and all Japanese nationals will only be subject to a three-day self-quarantine. The requirements for business travel have not yet been formally announced, but as per a
With dramatic declines in COVID-19 infections, Japan is removing domestic business restrictions. Despite calls by influential business circles to reopen Japan to foreign business travelers, the country remains largely closed to all foreigners and entry for even business purposes remains in principle suspended. For example, over 370,000 foreign nationals with Japanese government-issued precertification for entry
The Japanese government has continued strict entry restrictions for essentially all foreigners due to COVID-19. At the same time, there have been heated debates amongst government officials and Japanese business groups on whether and how to loosen the entry restrictions for business travel, which have impacted both global business and the Japanese economy since the
From June 4, 2021, the Japanese government is to implement stricter quarantine measures for travelers from New York, California, Nevada and 12 other states, as well as certain other countries, due to COVID variant infection rates. Under the stricter quarantine measures, travelers from the applicable states and countries (regardless of nationality) will be required to
Business entry and visa processing continue to be frozen, even weeks after the state of emergency declaration has ended. With a rebound in COVID infections in major cities, the issuance and processing of new visas into the country will likely continue for the foreseeable future. See the current measures with respect to visa restrictions.
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As a first step to implementing a system for broadening entry into the country, the Japanese government is currently engaging in discussions to begin permitting entry of certain individuals from Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand for business purposes, including management, executives, specialists, technical trainees and internal company transferees. As discussed in our prior blog
Effective May 27, 2020 at midnight Japan time, the Japanese government will ban the entry of foreigners who have visited India, Argentina, South Africa or eight other countries for the past 14 days prior to arriving in Japan. On May 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had placed a Level 3 travel warning level on