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Japan to require negative COVID test upon arrival for travelers from China

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39 Comments

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Fair enough. Perhaps largely lost among the debates around vaccines, mandates, lockdowns, masks and rising and falling case numbers, we must never forget the point of origin of this virus and who is responsible for the pandemic as a whole. If Chinese citizens have to jump through a few extra hoops due to the apparent ineptitude/downright insidiousness of the Chinese Communist Party, then I don't think any of us should really need to have a problem with that.

8 ( +20 / -12 )

The vaccines from China have been shown to be much less effective than the ones developed in Europe/North America, but the Chinese leadership refuses to take advantage of the open hand offered to them. Misdirected pride is counterproductive.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

A smarter/safer move would be to outright ban all travelers from China until that country gets its COVID situation under control.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Today outside the office in ginza, went out on lunch break. 4 Chinese young tourists all wearing fake branded goods, bad copies of the north face, offwhite and balenciaga, no masks, talking loudly, and about 15 Japanese in immediate area just were shocked, and the cluelessness of the visitors.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

Problem is that you can not trust Chinese documents. They can be forged quite or acquired quite easily through bribery. People coming from China (nationals specifically) should also be required to take a test at their destination. China is the original source of the COVID pandemic like SARs before that.

No one in Japan is excited for Chinese travelers or people coming from China to bring the next Chinese-born strain of COVID to its shores.

India is already dealing with the new variant from China and is now considering halting all flights from China and requiring mandatory masks again.

Omicron BF.7 is the variant killing people in China. It has already been traced from China to India. If india gets it then Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka will be next!

6 ( +12 / -6 )

Not good enough. Japan should reject all Chinese visitors. The CCP may be using some of them to spread the virus. More effective than shooting missiles at Japan.

5 ( +15 / -10 )

"and ban energy of any non-resident..."

Ban energy? How are you going to do that?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@painkiller, you fully vaccinated? If so you don’t need a pcr test, if not yes you do

4 ( +7 / -3 )

This whole thing went global in 2020 because China did nothing to prevent their citizens from travelling everywhere during the Chinese New Years holidays. A negative PCR test result should be combined with a quarantine period for anyone entering from China, either directly or otherwise. Not just Japan but all nations should implement such precautions for the time being, and lift them later as and when appropriate.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

@Stephen Chin. The PRC is doing nothing of sort. Pre 48 hour entry tests from January 8th.

Taiwan, if you are referring to the real China are not requiring pre flight tests.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@MIchael

Interesting concept. Kind of what the Chinese did for 3 years and realised they failed.. I wish the art of learning would be strong in politicians...

The difference is China is the source of the pandemic. The virus never left and the vast majority of the population did not get vaccinated. Thus, the 0-COVID policy was created to satisfy the anti-vaxxers in China. The CCP decided to listen to the protesters. Now the hospitals are overrun, and people dying left and right.

Inferior Chinese-made vaccines and a large population of unvaccinated people means another pandemic when China releases their Chinese travelers on the unsuspected global population.

They basically want other countries to suffer too because now, they look ridiculous being the only country still dealing with the same issues like in the Spring of 2020.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

New travel rules have been welcomed by many Chinese who will now be able to travel overseas again. The country's top online travel agencies reported a spike in traffic within hours of the announcement.

Since the protests, that some said weren't going to go anywhere, things have changed so much.

I can under stand why J gov is being cautious. The mess in China is a breeding ground for a strain as new travel rules come as China struggles with the virus's ferocious spread in the wake of restrictions being lifted. Reports says hospitals are overwhelmed and elderly people are dying.

China's about-turn on how it manages the pandemic has put Mr Xi in a tough spot. He was the driving force behind zero-Covid, which many blamed for restricting people's lives excessively and crippling the economy. 

But having abandoned it he now has to take responsibility for the huge wave of infections and hospital admissions. Many have questioned why the country was not better prepared

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Packed ICUs, crowded crematoriums: Covid roils Chinese towns

https://www.yahoo.com/news/packed-icus-crowded-crematoriums-covid-125545832.html

I prefer China gets its house order before they make their problems the world's problems again!

The Chinese government has reported only seven Covid-19 deaths since restrictions were loosened dramatically on Dec. 7, bringing the country’s total toll to 5,241. On Tuesday, a Chinese health official said that China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official Covid-19 death toll, a narrow definition that excludes many deaths that would be attributed to Covid-19 in other places.

China like Japan likes to play the numbers game when it comes to statistics!

2 ( +8 / -6 )

It’s hard for China right now but one can’t feel a bit of schadenfreude because the FT reports that Chinese are leaving for HK and Macao to get the evil western rna vaccine…. Let’s just hope China gets through this without too much further pain.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

If the travelers from China don’t want to be blamed they should not come to japan

1 ( +6 / -5 )

@Bronco: Nothing of the sort. They have a failed vaccine programme and should have purchased proper vaccines from the West at the first opportunity.

0 ( +11 / -11 )

Fair enough. The headline has been changed to reflect that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Stephen.

Because Japanese don't want to get covid .

China allows visitors without tests, and cases shoot up right?

0 ( +4 / -4 )

@painkiller, you fully vaccinated? If so you don’t need a pcr test, if not yes you do.

And what goes "fully vacinnated" even mean in 2022? In the US, Aust, Britain and elsewhere it is 2 shots. The original two. In Japan a just one booster (for some arbitrary reason) is considered fully-vaccinated. Don't know of anywhere where else that you need 3 shots to be considered fully-vaccinated. Gosh they might as well make it 5, an international standard. But since there isn't one, it just means we are being fed more non(science) and it has become highly politicised.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

I would say cut the direct air routes until this calms down and ban energy of any non-resident who has been in the PRC in the last x days.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

The quarantine procedures for inbound at Japanese airports are a nightmare on steriods. Once last month was enough for me. Even if it means staying here until I die I won't be traveling abroad, at least until the pandemic is declared over.

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

Nonsense ! There is no running away from covid.

-1 ( +8 / -9 )

Interesting concept. Kind of what the Chinese did for 3 years and realised they failed.. I wish the art of learning would be strong in politicians...

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

Absolutely - With Covid raging in the PRC and no effective vaccination programme in place, they really should have to spend three days in a hotel, a pre flight and end of day third day test.

This is just going to inconvenience the rest of us getting through the airport. Hopefully most flights will go to Narita so I don't have to deal with it. Lets keep Haneda smooth and easy.

-2 ( +9 / -11 )

They're effectively saying that vaccination status no longer has any bearing.

They are saying that vaccination status does not guarantee the person can't be infected, which is nothing new and was something clearly told even before vaccines were developed and experts talked about the possibility of variants.

The adition of a quarantine is also "them" saying a negative test does not mean the person can't become a positive afterwards which again is nothing new.

Both of the measures have little meaning if the purpose is to avoid having cases, since Japan is in the middle of a wave. It would be at much significative if the intention is to reduce the introduction of a new variant, but the government has not openly said this is the case.

-2 ( +12 / -14 )

Departure and arrival and no tourists.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

This is nothing to celebrate. Border controls have never worked to stop or slow the spread of covid into Japan, and they aren't going to start now. This sets a terrible precedent for the future.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

A smarter/safer move would be to outright ban all travelers from China until that country gets its COVID situation under control.

Stupid idea. Every country has COVID. Better to eliminate all testing and restrictions. Nobody gets stopped from flying or traveling because they have the flu, right?

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Today outside the office in ginza, went out on lunch break. 4 Chinese young tourists all wearing fake branded goods, bad copies of the north face, offwhite and balenciaga, no masks, talking loudly, and about 15 Japanese in immediate area just were shocked, and the cluelessness of the visitors.

Oh my God, the audacity of them. That they were enjoying their holiday (in a country they want to support with their money in spite of their governments propaganda), weren't able to afford real expensive clothing (from terrible brands anyway), were not wearing masks outside (even though Kishida already said that was okay several months ago)... Those poor Japanese salarymen. Hopefully they can work through such a traumatic scene of events on their slow day. Maybe the Tokyo government should establish special security units specifically for controlling Chinese people.

-8 ( +7 / -15 )

Make it as difficult as they can for the Chinese tourists and they won’t come here, that’s the whole idea.

let the gates open as any new variant is coming here anyway.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

Come on guys. When will this Corona thing finally be declared as ended in Japan?

Where is this fear coming from? Just because of some travelers from China who may be infected? Or is it just because they are from China?

While Japan has one of the highest vaccination rates and everybody is anyway wearing a mask anytime and everywhere, why still paying so many attention to that?

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

I don’t know of any country which targeted anyone who had been in Japan when Japan had the highest COVID rates in the world for many weeks (even months).

This is Kishida at his best…..another racist move to make his followers happy.

It is sad to see him return to the old xenophobic tactics to gain some popularity.

Enjoy your small bump in popularity Mr. Kishida, it won’t be long before you’re gone!

-8 ( +6 / -14 )

As much as I am happy not to see hordes of Chinese tourist, this is just another example of how backwards Japan is.

-10 ( +6 / -16 )

Another pointless feel-good policy measure. Proof that Japan has no confidence in its expensive, endless, and ineffective booster rollout campaign.

Because if they did, why would they still be concerned about case numbers? If you feel as though their people have a reduced risk, why are you still trying to shield them from Chinese people or the unvaccinated?

There are no good policies on the border - only virtue signaling for Japan's Church of Public Health Consciousness. I for one believe in seperation of church and state. Enough already.

-11 ( +9 / -20 )

China is today allowing visitors to enter the country without Covid Tests.

Why is Japan today forbiding visitors to enter the country without Covid tests?

-11 ( +5 / -16 )

The vaccines from China have been shown to be much less effective than the ones developed in Europe/North America, but the Chinese leadership refuses to take advantage of the open hand offered to them. Misdirected pride is counterproductive.

Yes, less effective but much less risky. China is doing the right thing regarding western injections.

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

Japan is a funny country.

I require a negative COVID test from all Japanese immigration, and other airport staff I encounter when I land in Tokyo.

-19 ( +4 / -23 )

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