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Japan Is Reopening to Visitors on Tours! Basic Information
Visitors from abroad will be able to enter Japan taking part in package tours from June 10, 2022. While some of the visitors will be exempt from on-arrival COVID-19 tests and quarantine, others will be required to undergo tests and at least three days of quarantine. Please read on for details.
Visitors to Japan taking part in package tours will be able to enter the country from June 10, 2022. This measure follows the easing of restrictions for those who enter the country for business, training, or study purposes implemented in March, as well as the reopening on a trial basis for tourists from four countries, which was announced last month.
From June 10, 2022, individuals who wish to visit Japan on tours provided by travel agencies will be regarded as visitors with “special exceptional circumstances” and will be allowed to enter Japan with the same status as those arriving for business and study purposes. The travel agencies who organize tours will act as "receiving organizations" located in Japan and complete prescribed applications for tour participants to enter the country as visitors with “special exceptional circumstances.”
Please note, however, that quarantine and on-arrival test requirements remain in place for visitors from specific countries. We explain the system below.
Three Risk Categories and the Requirements for Each
Photo by Pixta
Based on their response to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the world's countries and regions have been divided into three risk categories: blue, yellow, and red. The requirements regarding quarantine measures and on-arrival tests are different for each category.
The "Blue" Group
The "blue" category refers to 98 countries and regions from around the world. Home quarantine, on-arrival tests, and other measures are not required for visitors arriving from these countries, regardless of their vaccination status.
Included in the "blue" category are Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and other Asian countries, Canada, the United States of America, several countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, most of the countries in the European Union, and several countries in Africa. For the full list, please refer to the Group “Blue” paragraph on the official page of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The "Yellow" Group
The "yellow" category comprises 99 countries and regions. Included on this list are several countries from Europe (Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Ukraine, and others) and Latin America, many countries from Africa including Egypt, Libya, and Angola, as well as several countries from Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.
Visitors from these countries who possess valid certificates of being vaccinated three times are exempt from on-arrival tests and quarantine measures. Those who do not have vaccination certificates are required to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival and spend 7 days of home quarantine (or 3 days of quarantine and then present a negative result of a voluntary test).
For the full list of countries, please read the Group “Yellow” paragraph on the official page of Japan's MOFA.
The "Red" Group
This category currently includes four countries: Pakistan, Fiji, Albania, and Sierra Leone.
Visitors from these countries who do not possess vaccination certificates are required to undergo on-arrival COVID-19 tests and a 3-day quarantine at a government-designated facility. Visitors who can present valid vaccination certificates are required a 3-day home quarantine and the negative result of a voluntary test, or a 7-day home quarantine without test.
For details please check the official page regarding border measures from June, 2022.
Enjoy Your Trip to Japan
As a measure to keep the spread of COVID-19 infections under control, Japan imposed some of the harshest entry restrictions during the pandemic. The changes implemented from June 10, 2022, are an important step toward lifting travel restrictions.
Please refer to the official page of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for details and updates.
Main image by Pixta