Japan Resumes Entry of Foreign Tourists Starting June 10, 2022
Latest news on procedures for entering Japan starting June 10th, 2022
As you may know, Japan has been implementing strict border measures since the beginning of the pandemic. However, finally, Japan will start to let in foreign tourists beginning on June 10, 2022.
There will still be strict rules around this easing of border measures and it’s not that anyone can come into Japan all of a sudden. but it is a start.
An announcement regarding this (and other points) was made on May 26, and in this article, we will show you the details of this announcement.
Announcement on May 26th, 2022
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (外務省) made an announcement on May 26th, 2022 regarding the new border measures that will take place starting next month.
Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida also talked about this to the media on the same day.
The main points of this announcement are the following four.
Point 1.
Starting on June 1st, 2022, Japan will double the capacity of people who can enter the country per day. Up to 20,000 people will be able to enter Japan starting June 1st.
People who can currently enter Japan include Japanese citizens, foreign students, and business travelers. And as I will explain in “Point 3”, package tour visitors will also be able to enter Japan starting on June 10th.
Point 2.
Starting on June 1st, the vaccination and quarantine requirements for entering Japan will change.
A list of three groups of countries and regions was newly created based on the latest COVID-19 infection rates. Depending on the country or region you’re coming from, the vaccination and quarantine requirements will vary.
*I will explain the details of this later on in this article.
Point 3.
Starting on June 10th, 2022, Japan will allow the entry of foreign visitors on packaged tours with fixed schedules and guides.
Individual visitors (not incorporated in tours) will not be allowed at this moment yet.
Point 4.
New Chitose Airport (新千歳空港) in Hokkaido and Naha Airport (那覇空港) in Okinawa are planned to reopen to international flights starting June 2022.
Currently, Japanese airports that are open to international flights are Narita International Airport (成田国際空港), Haneda Airport (羽田空港), Chubu Centrair International Airport (中部国際空港), Kansai International Airport (関西国際空港), and Fukuoka Airport (福岡空港).
Changes in Vaccination and Quarantine Requirements
Now, let me explain the details of the changes in vaccination and quarantine requirements that I previously mentioned in “Point 2”.
As I mentioned, a list of three groups of countries and regions was created based on the latest COVID-19 infection rates. The three groups are “Blue Group”, “Yellow Group”, and “Red Group”.
Countries or regions with low COVID-19 infection rates are allocated in the blue group, countries or regions with medium COVID-19 infection rates are allocated in the yellow group, and countries or regions with high COVID-19 infection rates are allocated in the red group.
The requirements for each group are as follows.
Blue Group
All people coming from these countries or regions (fully vaccinated or not) won’t need to take the COVID test at the airport nor they will need to quarantine.
In other words, people coming from these countries or regions will be able to enter Japan the same way as prior to the pandemic.
Countries and regions allocated in the Blue Group (98): Iceland, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Israel, Italy, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia, Uganda, UK, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, El salvador, Australia, Austria, Netherlands, Ghana, Qatar, Canada, Cameroon, Korea, Cambodia, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Guatemala, Croatia, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Costa Rica, Columbia, Zambia, Djibouti, Jamaica, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Thailand, Taiwan, Tanzania, Czech, China, Chile, Denmark, Germany, dominican republic, Nigeria, new, zealand, Norway, Bahrain, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Paraguay, Hungary, Bangladesh, East Timor, Philippines, Finland, Brazil, France, Bulgaria, usa, Benin, Belgium, Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, South Africa, South Sudan, Myanmar, Mexico, Mozambique, Monaco, Morocco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Jordan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Luxembourg, Rwanda, and Russia. (*in no specific order)
Yellow Group
Case 1:
People coming from these countries or regions with a Full-vaccination certificate (3 vaccines) won’t need to take the COVID test at the airport nor they will need to quarantine.
In other words, people coming from these countries or regions will be able to enter Japan the same way as prior to the pandemic.
Case 2:
People coming from these countries or regions without a Full-vaccination certificate (2 vaccines or less) will need to take the COVID test at the airport after landing. If the result is negative, you will then need to self-quarantine at your home or hotel for 7 days. You can choose to take another COVID test after the 3rd day(at your own expense), and if you present your negative certificate, you can cut short your quarantine period.
Countries and regions allocated in the Yellow Group (99): Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Andorra, Yemen, India, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Egypt, Eswatini, Eritrea, Oman, Cape Verde, Guyana, Kazakhstan, Gabon, Gambia, North Korea, North Macedonia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cyprus, Cuba, Kiribati, Kuwait, Cook Islands, Grenada, Kosovo, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia, Samoa, Sao Tome Principe, San Marino, Georgia, Syria, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Suriname, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Somalia, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Chad, Central African Republic, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Togo, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Tonga, Nauru, Namibia, Niue, Nicaragua, Niger, Western Sahara, Nepal, Haiti, Vatican City, Vanuatu, Bahamas, Barbados, Palestine, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Brunei, Burundi, Vietnam, Venezuela, Belarus, Belize, Peru, Botswana, Portugal, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Macau, Mali, Malta,Micronesia, Mauritius, Mauritania, Maldives, Moldova, Libya, Liechtenstein, Liberia, Lesotho, and Lebanon. (*in no specific order)
Red Group
Case 3:
People coming from these countries or regions with a Full-vaccination certificate (3 vaccines) will need to take the COVID test at the airport after landing. If the result is negative, you will then need to self-quarantine at your home or hotel for 7 days. You can choose to take another COVID test after the 3rd day(at your own expense), and if you present your negative certificate, you can cut short your quarantine period.
Case 4:
People coming from these countries or regions without a Full-vaccination certificate (2 vaccines or less) will need to take the COVID test at the airport after landing. If the result is negative, you then need to quarantine for 3 days at a designated facility. After the 3rd day, you will need to re-take the COVID test, and if you test negative, you are free to enter the country.
Countries and regions allocated in the Red Group (4): Albania, Fiji, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone.
Regarding public transportation during quarantine
If the former “case 2” or “case 3” applies to you, you should know that for the first 24 hours, you are allowed to use public transportation. However, this usage of public transportation should be for the sole purpose of getting to your quarantine location.
COVID test will still be required for entering Japan
When traveling to Japan, you will still need to take a COVID test such as a PCR test. This test must be taken no longer than 72 hours prior to your flight to Japan.
Where to get a COVID Test?
If you are looking for a clinic to get a COVID test, either for traveling out of Japan or for shortening your quarantine period after arriving in Japan, Clinic Nearme is a clinic that will provide this.
COVID tests for shortening the quarantine period after arriving in Japan costs 12,000 yen.
▶Official Website: https://clinicnearme.jp/
▽Subscribe to our free news magazine!▽
Other articles that may help you:
▽Related Articles▽
Written by
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.