At last! The moment pretty much the whole world was waiting for is soon to arrive. Japan will be officially dropping the current border measures for COVID-19, starting on May 8, 2023.

These past three years have felt extremely long for not only people who love traveling but also people living in countries and regions that receive many tourists. And although some countries were pretty quick to drop their border measures, Japan was one of the last countries to even start loosening up on these measures.

Announcements regarding this have been made in these last few days, and in this article, we will show you the details of these announcements.

News on April 3rd, 2023

The Japanese government announced on April 3rd that the current border measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be lifted following May 8. There are three main points that are being discussed which are the following.

Point 1.

The Japanese government announced that starting from May 8, 2023, COVID-19 will no longer be classified as a “Quarantinable Infectious Disease”. Along with this, the current border measures taking place will be dropped starting on that same day (May 8).

This means you will not be required to present Covid-19 vaccination documents for entering Japan.

Point 2.

The Japanese government also commented that it will still be necessary to have measures to prevent any new infectious viruses as much as possible, especially after the experience of COVID-19. Japan is planning to have an “Infection Genomic Surveillance” (this name is not official yet) which will consist of testing passengers who arrive in Japan with symptoms such as fever or cough with a Genome analysis.

Point 3.

For travelers coming directly to Japan from mainland China, changes in the border measures have already been slightly changed starting on April 5. Travelers from China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) used to have to take a COVID test no longer than 72 hours prior to their flight. However, this is not necessary if you present Covid-19 vaccination documents (3 times).

What if you’re entering Japan before May 8?

These changes in Japanese border measures are huge news, but what if you’re planning on traveling to Japan before May 8? In that case, you will need to enter Japan following the current border measures. Check out the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s website or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the links below for more details.

▶Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official website

▶Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan official website

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Written by

Hiro K..

Born and raised in Costa Rica, I started living in Tokyo from college. I love traveling within Japan & around the world. Since I wasn’t born in Japan, I know the cultural impact that you can get when visiting Japan for the first time and what you might be worried about before your trip. And I’ve lived long enough to somewhat understand the nuances of the Japanese culture that make this country such an attractive place to visit. Hopefully I can provide to you both the information you’re looking for and the information you didn’t know you needed to know.