Resumption of Cross-Border Travel and other measures

On August 28, the Government of Japan decided on the following regarding the resumption of cross-border travel and other measures.
 
1  Re-entry into Japan by foreign nationals residing in Japan with the status of residence
Taking into account the expansion of the testing capacity at airports and other factors, foreign nationals residing in Japan with the status of residence (*1) will be permitted to re-enter Japan from the country/region designated as an area subject to denial of permission to entry into Japan if the person possesses valid re-entry permit and goes through specific procedures to be implemented from September 1.
(*1) The relaxation is only applied to those who pledge to abide by the additional quarantine measures and obtain the Receipt for request of re-entry from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan in advance.
 
2  Re-entry of foreign nationals with the status of residence who have already departed from Japan
Foreign nationals with the status of residence who have already departed from Japan between the day (*2) when the country/region where the foreign national is currently staying became an area subject to denial of permission to entry into Japan and August 31 will be permitted to re-enter Japan from September 1 by going through specific procedures (*3).
(*2) It will start form April 3. If the countries/regions were designated as areas subject to denial of permission to entry before April 2, this date is April 3.
(*3) The relaxation is only applied to those who obtained the Letter of Confirmation of Submitting Required Documentation for Re-entry into Japan at the Japanese overseas establishments.
 
3　 Measures to prevent the spread of infections and others

1. For those who re-enter Japan as referred to in 1 and 2 above, the additional quarantine measures such as the presentation of a certificate of being tested negative by a test conducted within 72 hours prior to the departure time of the flight will be taken for the prevention of the spread of infections
2. The testing capacity and system at airports will continue to be strengthened.

 
4  Continuation of the current border control measures and other steps
(1) Additional designation of areas subject to the denial of permission to entry into Japan
Designating the entire areas of 13 countries listed below as areas subject to the denial of permission to entry into Japan based on the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (*4). Entry into Japan by foreign nationals who have visited the designated areas within the last 14 days will not be permitted unless there are special exceptional circumstances (*5).
Belize, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tunisia, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
 
(*4) As a result of this additional designation, a total of 159 countries/regions are subject to the denial of permission to entry into Japan.
(*5) Foreign nationals with the status of residence who have left Japan with re-entry permits by August 29, are treated, in principle, as persons with special exceptional circumstances upon re-entering Japan when arriving from the abovementioned 13 countries subject to the denial of permission to entry into Japan. The "Special Permanent Resident" has not been subject to denial of permission to entry into Japan.
 
(2) Strengthened quarantine measures
Covid-19 testing will be conducted for those who arrive in Japan with the record of visiting the countries listed in 4 (1) above within 14 days prior to their entry into Japan.
The measures described in 4 (1) and (2) will be implemented from 0:00 am (JST) on August 30 and will remain in place for the time being. The measures will also be applied to those who will depart a country/region outside Japan before these measures become effective and arrive in Japan after they become effective.
 
(3) Continuation of the current border control measures
The period of strengthened quarantine measures, visa restrictions, limitation on the number of arrival airports for passenger aircraft and measures to curb the number of arrival passengers by flight to Japan to be implemented until the last day of August, which was decided at the 41^st meeting of Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters on July 22, 2020, will be renewed and such measures will be implemented for the time being.