Travelers entering Japan have to install location confirmation app, Skype on smartphones

Thats no way to treat a guest!

i guess that’s why they call them “cell” phones

@Penfold.....

very nice!!!!!!

Wow!?! A policy and requirements ‘with teeth’, presumedly for ‘visiting foreigners only.

“*...showing that three apps are installed & running, inbound ‘travelers’ required to sign a written pledge to comply with protocols. Failure results in public publishing of the violators, ‘foreign nationals’, deported including revocation of residence status for foreigners living *in Japan on work or study visas.’

Do the requirements apply to the ‘spouses’ of nationals with ‘permanent residency status’?

Do ‘nationals’ have the same requirements or, is this pandemic policy only addressing the ‘foreign’ component ?

What is the timeline to loosen the requirement, suspended the program and repeal the the regulation?

Is this a ‘permanent’ solution to ‘track’ visitors?

When does it ‘end’?

Does anyone knows if foreign travelers who are already vaccinated will be able to enter the country? I really want to visit my family but my reentry permit already expired.

Slowly but surely we are moving towards what Mr. Snowden warned about. Being monitored every step of the way , but this time using COVID 19 as an excuse.

@Penfold. You must have missed it like I did the first time..

all classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary business/tourism travelers).

@ Ricky Sanchez. Thanks for pointing it out.

Guess it’s time to buy a spare smartphone and strap it on my dog :)

Give me just ONE reason why should anyone attend the games???

as they say in Japanese, MENDOKSAI.

just to clarify my earlier post, I was referring to: "i guess that’s why they call them “cell” phones"....

Sounds like a reasonable request by the government.... if it works, and that's a big IF!

Yes. It speaks of ‘all classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary business/tourism travelers)”

*... **BUT, ** it only highlights penalties for ‘foreigners’. ***

“..*.showing that three apps are installed & running, inbound ‘travelers’ required to sign a written pledge to comply with protocols. Failure results in public publishing of the violators, ‘foreign nationals’, deported including revocation of residence status for foreigners living **in Japan on work or study visas.’

’travelers’ are not ‘returning nationals’. What sanctions are there for ‘nationals’ @*P.Smith 6:50a.*??

Sure I will install it... Doesn't say anything about revoking permissions to the app to block GPS and data.

What sanctions are there for ‘nationals’ 

They get their names published.

@zichi. A touch disingenuous, foreign residents can reenter Japan.

Sure I will install it... Doesn't say anything about revoking permissions to the app to block GPS and data.

What if I just leave my phone at home for 14 days whenever I decide to leave the house?

If you are not wearing a monitoring device like the "ankle bracelets" that suspects wear in the states, it still falls on the honor system.

It just looks like Japan is being more proactive in monitoring the transmission of the virus for travelers.

But the COCOA app doesn't work. Or did they finally fixed it? And why Skype? Is it to her used as a messaging app between the health authorities and tourists for for actually tracing?

Even though I have had both Moderna vaccine shots, I will not come to Japan even though I would have worn a mask and practice social distances.

Japan is acting like a school brat.

The skype requirement is weird. We stopped using skype a while back as it was so unreliable.

I hope this is temporary and not permanent. What if someone wants to visit Japan for there week vacation in 2021????? I guess they cannot?.?.?

It is more obvious day by day that this “COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS”is a fraud/hoax that was orchestrated by various world governments, corporations and pharmaceutical companies including but not limited to the following reasons:

A. Fear Mongering;

B. Loss of Privacy;

C. Getting everyone comfortable with draconian measures

D. Normalizing massive and unemployment;

E. Money Making Scheme ( various world governments, corporations and pharmaceutical companies must be making a fortune from these vaccines).

What is dangerous is the following:

A. Losing Ones Job;

B. Losing Ones Livelihood;

C. Extreme Hysteria;

D. Communal Hostility;

E. Extreme Isolation; 

F. Losing Hope;

G. Losing Soul;

H. Losing Freedoms;

I. Loss of community friendliness; and 

J. Mental Health Stress.  

This whole situation has caused the above factors. We should not have to feel lucky to have a job or those other things. 

This is terrible the majority do not realize the consequences of this situation and what is being taken away.

Many are losing their businesses (for instance it is sad that landmark video arcade in Akihabara is out of business)

many are losing their jobs or having a reduced work schedule;

Freedoms are on thin ice (since when it is the government or our employers business as to where someone goes or what someone does on their leisure time??????!!!!!!!!) (since when is it okay to be hostile to someone for questioning anything or disagreeing?????!!!!!!!!)

Sapprobill

Are they going to continue to do this when people have been vaccinated. I think other countries ought to reciprocate. Keep the Japanese on their own island. Isn't the vaccination and test result sufficient for entering the country.

This would be reasonable if there was actually testing and tracing within the country. Anyone entering Japan needs a negative test result, unlike people with mild symptoms who stay within its borders. This is just another knee-jerk reaction that implies the virus is a 'foreign' problem, even if J citizens have to install it as well.

Here is my advise, try to go LOW TECH and move backward by changing your smartphone to just cell phone and feel the relief, a friend did it, I have not been able yet but working on it, he tells me it was a major relief, and now he can focus on himself rather than everyone else.

They already track you via your cell phone.

This would be reasonable if there was actually testing and tracing within the country. Anyone entering Japan needs a negative test result, unlike people with mild symptoms who stay within its borders. This is just another knee-jerk reaction that implies the virus is a 'foreign' problem, even if J citizens have to install it as well.

Yes, unless you are mass testing and tracing these surveillance methods won’t do much to stop the virus spreading, or the introduction of new variants. Also, epidemiologists agree it is impossible to stop new variants entering a country.

Several questions remain:

Will they pay the data charges to download the app?

Do they all cellphone use now in the baggage claim and immigration areas now? I remember photos every 10 feet that said no cell phone use.

Will they pay my electric bill to charge my cellphone?

or

Supply me with a solar charger?

Can't we use iphone find my friends app already built into the phone? Just register everyone coming into the country on find my friends. Set a limit on their movements based on registration address?

@Penfold. You must have missed it like I did the first time..

all classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary business/tourism travelers).

Why anyone would downvote my comment is beyond me. The haters have risen this morning.

Agreed your this observation @*baroque1888 9:00am - We “*hope this is temporary and NOT permanent.”

However, the threat to the health to some individuals’ from  “COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS” is real. For ‘lack of self-control’, we ALL played a part in the spread.

 You’ll be required to rent a phone that can from the airport, and pay for it out of your own pocket.

Never let a good crisis goes to waste, as the old adage goes. Stricter state security is coming and I hope it will not stay. Just to share with you guys, my work previously required us to text to the HR our status and whereabouts every 7PM even during the weekends, but they thankfully got tired of enforcing it.

They can’t even be trusted to compile and provide an accurate national ’list of known sex offenders’ for, at least’ the ‘baby-sitters’ and ‘caregivers’ registry. So, where will such a national COVID ‘shame-list’ be published? - *What sanctions are there for ‘nationals’? - **@Laguna 8:10a JST They get their names published.”*

Is the skype call to make regular check-ins and to avoid any fees for contacting them?

The article did not mention that in addition, there is a need for a PCR test before departure, an another test ( antigenic ?) at arrival and for the one from countries where the variant spreads, mostly European countries, a third PCR test at the end of a mandatory 3 days stay in a designated hotel.

So even after 2 or 3 consecutive negative tests, you must obey all these abusive rules and quarantine. For me a quarantine should be for the one not doing any test.

Does Japan is also so strict for its own citizens here. And the ones who have been in contact with a known case? Do they have to download all these apps.

my work previously required us to text to the HR our status and whereabouts every 7PM even during the weekends

I think it is illegal outside the working hours to trace the employees. Did someone complain, or simply not texting ?

Cell phones can stay away in the house while going out. An officer will not be in front of the door to check, so is someone wants to break the rules, it will not be difficult.

(since when is it okay to be hostile to someone for questioning anything or disagreeing?????!!!!!!!!)

Since the dawn of time. Even more so now when crazy conspiracy theories are causing real damage.

I don’t want to hear about the dangers of ‘losing soul’ when millions have lost lives; in no small part to people saying we should go on as normal.

Skype? Seriously? Another win for Bill Gates...

@Tokyo-m

You nailed it.

Japanese residents are the ones who have been bringing the variants into Japan since no one else can enter.

The COCOA app never worked to begin with; it's just a money grab, and the tracking thing is ridiculous since they won't track their own people who have the virus, or even track those who leave cruise ships or get off flights inbound from places (or full of people who) are infected.

And Skype? What age are in? More reasons not to come here if you don't need to, and when this is reciprocated watch how the people here cry foul.

Maybe a little less forced tracking and a little more vaccine.

This is a horribly thought out non-solution. I've been calling for the Government to 'do things', but of course they implement something ineffective, invasive and destined to fail.

I'll deffinately rent a phone for the 14 days if it comes to it; no way I'm putting their unsecure and problematic apps on my own phone.

I don't even have a "smart" phone.

They already track you via your cell phone.

They’re watching you now. Put it away and stop playing with it.

@Matej

Specifically mentioned in the article, if you don't have a smartphone you have to rent one at the airport out of your own pocket.

The tracing apps make total sense, as anyone entering the country is obviously the biggest risk vector for the disease. Skype seems like an odd choice, but maybe a fairly ubiquitous one.

Honestly though, who exactly is rearing to go internationally travel right now unless they absolutely have to? Even if my company allowed us to, I don't think I would want to go anywhere until I am vaccinated at the very least.

So Japanese Nationals face name and shame.

The rest of us face deportation.

Now no mention of how long this rule will be in effect.

I have no plans on leaving Japan for now, despite having loss family back home and at some point the family will be able to have funerals for them (covid restrictions) but I hoped to be able to go by then.

But if this rule is still in effect that may change my plans.

I never give my line to any one other than family and one cannot have 2 line accounts, Skype is my business line for overseas phone number, and I rarely turn on my GPS.

So if I understand correctly I would be required to give the government my all my contacts, leave my GPS on at all times.

As it is now my phone rarely last the day power wise.

So what happens if my battery dies and the phone is off? Violation and deportation?

In the west in is anti Asian raising it's ugly head.

In Japan it is the usual xenophobia towards foreigners that once again is out in force.

Amazing how many posters didn't bother to read the fine article. A reminder:

if you don’t have a smartphone, or are using an outdated model that can’t run the apps? You’ll be required to rent a phone that can from the airport, and pay for it out of your own pocket.

When we arrive in another country, we agree to be a good citizen for the period of our stay. 14 day quarantine for everyone seems excessive, but until at least 70% of Japanese are vaccinated, I can understand why.

Why no mention of lesser quarantine periods for vaccinated people? That's because the vaccine protects me from you, not you from me.

As for privacy, we are supposed to be in a hotel room for 14 days, so it isn't like we can hide. That last app probably sends location validation requests randomly to ensure we don't do ... the following:

Use airplane mode with the phone most of the time. It saves battery and disables cell, cell-data, wifi, and BT RF signals. If you are truly paranoid (I am), then for US$10, an RF blocking cell phone pouch can be bought off amazon which has 3 layers of Kevlar and blocks all RF signals in and out. Handy for passports with RFID chips too.

BTW, phones are still very useful with just GPS and wifi enabled.

Think the last time I used skype was about 2011. Had it setup to replace my home phone connection for a few months. After that failed due to MSFT taking over Skype, I switched to 100% VoIP using stun + SIP. With wifi connection, my tablet can be a phone using SIP VoIP that connects to my paid VoIP service. Making an receiving calls from anywhere with internet just works. I appear to be at home, regardless of where in the world I truly happen to be.

From the article

So what if you don’t have a smartphone, or are using an outdated model that can’t run the apps? You’ll be required to rent a phone that can from the airport, and pay for it out of your own pocket

I know plenty of foreigners that do not have smartphones or at least not with phone numbers ( a must to have line) they use data only prepaid, they cannot get a smartphone contract because they are foreigners and don't have a credit card. (Most are not from western countries).

So what will the government do when the rental companies refuse to rent these people phones because without a credit card there is little or no chance of renting one!

Will people be deported for not being rich enough to pay cash or get a credit card?

I myself had no credit card when I came to Japan and was consistently refused a Japanese card until just about 10 years ago, my phone contract was in my ex wife's name then in my ex father in law's name then my adult daughter's name.

I finally got a credit card through a certain online retail sales company (I will let you figure out who).

So it is going to be interesting to see how this goes.

@theFu

Yep amazing how people don't read.

In addition to showing that the apps are installed and running, inbound travelers will also be required to sign a written pledge to comply with the protocols. Failure to do so can result in public publishing of the violator’s name and, in the case of foreign nationals, deportation, including the revocation of residence status for foreigners living in Japan on work or study visas.

Those protocols are not written here but as far as I could find, they require that you leave the GPS on at all times and remain connected.

So your:

Use airplane mode with the phone most of the time. It saves battery and disables cell, 

Etc...

Would violate the agreement to comply with the new regulations.

addfwyn: "The tracing apps make total sense, as anyone entering the country is obviously the biggest risk vector for the disease."

How so? 20% of the US population alone is already vaccinated, some having received two shots. Other nations are on par or only slightly behind. What's the percentage of the Japanese population vaccinated? Nah, the biggest risk vector is letting Japanese nationals from abroad back in if they have not been vaccinated, and next to that it's Japan that is its own biggest risk.

Wow!, I can see the lines backed up now...and I'm sitting on the other side of the world.

Good thing when I come back "Next Time" (sorry, I had to) I won't be flying into Tokyo.

Japanese Simms can be ordered online before arrival pickup at the airport or your hotel.

Prepaid, often data Only and if it has a Japanese phone number and the number has already been used to register for Line then one cannot get a line account.

I guess the government forgot about line's rules and system.

No phone number no account, no 2 accounts in the same phone number.

when many of us saw what was coming last summer and said things like this might happen, we were called conspiracy theorists.

More human rights are going down the drain.

It's a good idea considering all of the twits entering from abroad who have been blowing off orders to self quarantine.

when many of us saw what was coming last summer and said things like this might happen, we were called conspiracy theorists. 

More human rights are going down the drain.

What human right? The human right to travel to another country?

You didn’t have that last summer. Try again.

Skype? Not by fax machine? Japan is moving up in the technical world!

You can buy a Japanese sim with DATA and phone number.

And again, those phone numbers are recycled!

If the number has been previously used to register with Line then it cannot be used again without a long drawn out process.

I know, family came to visit ore covid and the SIM phone number had already been used by the previous temporary user which is not unusual.

So never got to register a Line account.

I suggest learning Line policy and about temporary SIM cards.

You can buy a Japanese sim with DATA and phone number.

Oh also only IF the non Japanese phone is compatible with the available Japanese frequencies.

Learned this the hard way non Japanese phone imported by a family member had only a single 3G frequency in Japan.

A little knowledge on compatibility is a good thing.

My Japanese phone will not work even with a Local SIM card in certain EU countries and much of the USA and Canada.

when many of us saw what was coming last summer and said things like this might happen, we were called conspiracy theorists. 

More human rights are going down the drain.

Go on then. What human right is going down the drain in this case? Be specific.

When we arrive in another country, we agree to be a good citizen for the period of our stay. 

TheFu, for those of us who live in Japan, this is home. If we were leaving Japan to visit relatives abroad, that country is home too. There is no "another country" that we should be kowtowing to for graciously allowing us to visit.

Almost every iPhone works 

Total disconnect from the rest of the world.

Again do a little checking.

iPhones are a minor player globally.

Only Japan and North America are they any fairly popular.

iPhones number one reason in Japan is because they are often free to students who then are stuck in the Apple system with no way out but to lose much of the stuff in it.

Android has 71% plus of the phone market share with Apple's share coming almost exclusively from USA, Canada, UK and Japan.

Wouldn't touch an Apple product if it was given to me for free, Apple all the way stating with the first Apple kit PC got played paid through the nose for decades, finally realised cheaper better without Apple.

So to make it clear, most people in the world don't use iPhone.

Government politicians: wow we really messed up this covid response, what do we do?

Government bureaucrate: I know, lets divert attention from or mess of go to travel, go to eat and shift the focus on people entering Japan.

Politician: wow that is a great idea, but we can't upset citizens,

Bureaucrate: no problem we will make it look like it is a foreigner problem.

Politician: Brilliant, is there any way we can also get some money out of them to our donor corporations?

Bureaucrate: Sure no problem leave that to us.

I wonder if the NTT dinner had anything to do with this?

 as anyone entering the country is obviously the biggest risk vector for the disease."

Yes, but some who spread it were exempted from tests and quarantine. An example was a airline pilot who did not respect the rule to isolate while waiting its next flight.

Pilots and CA have been exempted of the quarantine rules but must stay in a bubble. The same does apply to certain category of people ( sports players ?)

What if the person just leaves there phone at home for two weeks?

Or rents a phone and does the same thing?

If you delete the programs after two weeks are you going to get kicked out?

Just fly to Osaka and take a Shinkansen to Tokyo . . .

Use whatever twisted rational you want, the facts are right in front of you.

The vast majority of those entering Japan are going to be Japanese Nationals.

They can refuse to comply and the worst they will get is their name published on some site no one will ever bother to look at, they can agree then delete the Apps and nothing can or will be done to them.

It is foreigners that are the clear target via threats of deportation, forced to rent a phone, etc...

Anyone saying otherwise or cannot see such a visible thing is in complete denial of the facts right there in the article.

Again other countries have rules regarding those entering their countries, those rules apply to all equally.

China is the country that has and uses the most iPhones. Prior to the pandemic

More disconnect.

iPhone share of the market in China is 20% that make android by far the dominant OS and Android devices making up 80% of those in use.

Apple iPhone dominates in these 29 countries

You seem confused on how it works.

iPhone is the number one phone brand not the number one OS.

You do realise that Apple OS is and Android OS is what actually counts.

If 20% operate on Apple and 80% Android that means more people are using Android devices.

Japan should use the Vaccine Passport as A way to make travel easier. More people in the USA have had their Vaccines 100% and is more than the whole population of Japan. Enter into the airport show your vaccine certificate should be good enough. Seems to be more like isolationist ways.

Skype has backdoor held by NSA/5Eyes that can access all your files, browsing, contacts and emails. Also social media and passwords and Cloud. If you use a smartphone connected to a network or wireless for business your computers are compromised. If you have to update your smartphone, you will have to agree to the terms and conditions of the 4 Big Tech companies.

information about is out there, but good luck finding it.

1984 is here, courtesy of Covid.

Courtesy of WEF.

If you want to travel abroad now there will be a lot of problems.

This is not news to anybody.

Keep your hair on.

There are more than one billion iPhones in use globally.

Even if that is true.

There are 4 billion active smartphones making iPhone at most 25% of active phones.the other 75% are Android handsets.

Not sure why that is difficult to understand.

information about is out there, but good luck finding it.

If someone as well informed as you can’t find or link to it then it must be super top level classified stuff.

Airports across the globe have been requiring finger, eye or face scans for decades. In addition to passports, visas, criminal background checks and in some countries vaccination documents.

But having to put an app on your phone suddenly gets you in a tizzy about Orwellian dystopias...

According to Statista, the current number of smartphone users in the world today is 3.8 billion, and this means 48.41% of the world's population owns a smartphone.

Apple followers delusional wishful thinking.

80% are Android OS look it up so no way could 48% if user in the world be Apple.

But then I suspect you know that and are deliberately avoiding looking it up and sticking to pro apple site.

will still still apply if your a non Japanese resident like me, i will have had the two injections by then, will there be any exceptions, will a tourist still have to self isolate for 10days even if they have had a the vaccine?

@bob

Microsoft offers the ability to link a Skypeand Microsoft Account together to make sign-in and security easier. ... If that password isn't secure or you used it elsewhere then hackers can use it to gain access to Skype, bypassing any two-factor authentication provided by Microsoft

Airports across the globe have been requiring finger, eye or face scans for decades. In addition to passports, visas, criminal background checks and in some countries vaccination documents.

Now tell us how any of that tracks us 24/7 ?

You are trying to compare a rock and an Apple.

The cashier at the store whatches you buying an apple ok he knows you bought an apple.

Now he follows you home, then spy through your window to see if you are still home, then follow you to your work, to your date, back home and checks if you 3 in bed.

Knowing you entered a country and knowing your ever move are very different things but I suspect you know that but are just not willing to admit it.

@bob

*Microsoft offers the ability to link a Skypeand Microsoft Account together to make sign-in and security easier. ... If that password isn't secure or you used it elsewhere then hackers can use it to gain access to Skype, bypassing any two-factor authentication provided by Microsoft*

My uncle saw a UFO once.

Come on seriously?

You’ll be required to rent a phone that can from the airport, and pay for it out of your own pocket.

If you want to leave the airport you must rent a phone with these apps.

Guys seriously? This is getting crazy. How can you force someone to rent a phone?

This is not going work. No one is even using the apps.

"Failure to do so can result in public publishing of the violator’s name and, in the case of foreign nationals, deportation, including the revocation of residence status for foreigners living in Japan on work or study visas."

Good, very good!

To all those defending this new policy and trying to make it not seem what it is.

Other countries with entire policies enforce them equally like Canada all must Quarantine not just non Canadians all are subject to the same rules.

Here is a policy that clearly target non Japanese and the Japanese can ignore without any real consequences.

The "it's not your country" "don't have to come if you don't like it" etc..are just trying to avoid admitting that the policy is by nature discrimination.

Just carry a second phone with you and no problem. You can buy a decent one for under 200 bucks

I hope this will and should apply to all athletes, officials and others coming to the Olympics. They will need to lift the number of rental phones since many foreign phones won’t work in Japan or if the do have expensive costs.

Visitors to the Olympics will have to add this to the other joys of the Olympics here.

But I guess more likely this will be made not necessary for people coming to the Olympics like quarantine is going to be not necessary for them

anon99999Today  07:35 pm JST

I hope this will and should apply to all athletes, officials and others coming to the Olympics...

...Visitors to the Olympics will have to add this to the other joys of the Olympics here.

Not to worry; It's just been announced there will be NO international spectators at the Olympics. One reason was to protect the Japanese people...

Looks like Japan is returning to its 鎖国 policy of yore.

But what about the athletes, ancillary staff, officials, sponsors and all their guests. The IOC will be out there in full force with families and guests, granted exemptions I am sure

@snowymountainhell

What part of “the regulation affects all classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary business/tourism travelers)” did you not understand?

If they keep this turned on after Covid clears up significantly, rent a phone at the airport I will... and then I'll leave it at my in-law's house while I go wherever I please in Japan with my own phone in my pocket.

Leave your phone in the hotel? Lucky if you have two.

covid 1984 I see. beyond shameful. i for one wouldnt comply.

A good solution to allow foreigners to come and watch the Olympics.

There some people that are worried about being spied on, by big brother, well there is nothing stopping you going to Japan witha second mobile phone with all of these apps on, so your good to go, then you could just loose it after 3 day or so, may be it might get stolen, just saying.

Everyone worried about being spied upon seems to have missed the point. You are supposed to be in quarantine for the two weeks after you arrive at your home or hotel, not going anywhere and the point of the apps is to follow up that is what you doing which you sign a pledge to do. So all they are tracking is that you stay at home as you promised. And after the two weeks when you can get up and about you can just delete them!

So all the unhappy people about this , wanting to switch off their phones and all the other ideas, want to do this to break quarantine and break their pledge, and perhaps be responsible for spreading the virus. You are complaining about getting caught lying and worried about penalties that only apply if you lie and break your pledge.

How about just simply following the quarantine and then you have no problem and maybe contribute to the virus not spreading as well.

What part of “the regulation affects all classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary business/tourism travelers)” did you not understand?

What part of

Failure to do so can result in public publishing of the violator’s name and, in the case of foreign nationals, deportation, including the revocation of residence status for foreigners living in Japan on work or study visas.

Note no actual penalties for Japanese Nationals the only real penalties are reserved for foreigners!

The double standard continues.

Imagine the outrage of Canada said Canadians violating quarantine would get publicly shamed but Non Canadians would be deported or pay fines.

The first Japanese to get caught would set off a flurry of discrimination accusations, etc..

Most of us get a pocket WiFi unit on arrival in Japan, as our smartphones/tablets either won't work or will operate on roaming charges in Japan. These are usually picked up at the PO at Narita, which is well past the security gates. They may need to sort that out.

All governments are using covid as an excuse to roll out their Orwellian state surveillance systems. It's not just Japan. The move to digital is a move to trackable - cash, location, websites visited. They are using Orwell's novel as a manual. They are 'taking back control' of us.

Happy to pre-install the apps for a holiday, although my government is likely to imprison us all until at least 2022. If the Japanese govt. want to waste some cash recording where I go, that is fine. I actually thought Skype had been discontinued. Doesn't everyone use Zoom now? Just have a small, spare smartphone, put the apps on, charge it up and keep it in your bag all day. Charge at night. Folk do the same when visiting China, as they sometimes slip apps on at the airport there.

If the apps are to monitor quarantine, there is little point. Quarantine is a deal breaker for tourism and pointless for those who have been vaccinated/tested negative before flying. Why lock vaccinated/covid negative people in a hotel for two weeks? That is daft. Particularly when your own citizens have not been tested or vaccinated, and are roaming freely.

Even before the pandemic I wore a mask in Japan to avoid gaijin flu. As I've now had my first jab, I may be less of a risk to the Japanese people than almost all of them are to each other.

The Japanese government are very good at mandating rules that effectively ban something, rather than directly banning it. AirBnB hosts were a victim of this. This may be the start of a long term ban on tourism. In which case tourists will have to visit somewhere else. On the other hand, it could just be an example of a nervous government picking policies off the shelf to suggest that they are in control of the situation. It may not matter: I doubt many of us can travel at the moment anyway. By the time we do, the rules are likely to have changed again.

I'm not sure there is going to be much international tourism in 2021. Maybe better to save your cash and have a longer, more exotic holiday in 2022. Eventually, governments will let us out of our national prisons, or we will be able to vote them out of office and replace them with a government that will. Then we can spend our cash in any foreign nation that lets us in, suitably vaccinated, as we always used to be with Hep A. and other jabs.

Taiwan has been doing the same since the beginning of the pandemic and have had only 10 pandemic-related deaths with only 1004 reported cases. Of the 1004 cases, 959 have recovered.

Only those with a Taiwanese passport or those who have received special permission are allowed in the country. Upon arrival one must sign a form giving permission to the government health officials to install apps on their cell phone that will allow the health officials to monitor their location.

A 14- day quarantine at her residence was required. She received daily calls, and two in-person visits to her home from the health department during the 14 days.

After the 14 days she was free to move around.

People lie and cheat. The tracing apps are a minor inconvenience that keeps people honest. If you don't like it don't come to Japan.

I forgot to add that a co-worker recently visited Taiwan on vacation in the above post.

Please read: the regulation affects ALL classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary business/tourism travelers).

Please read: the regulation affects ALL classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary

And

Taiwan has been doing the same since the beginning of the pandemic 

Note again:

Japanese Nationals that refuse will not be penalised other than having their names published on some obscure government website.

Only non Japanese face any serious repercussions for refusing or breaking the quarantine regulations.

So the "all classes of inbound travelers" is disingenuous even false as Japanese Nationals don't really have to comply.

Taiwan imposes fines for All that violate the conditions and that includes Taiwan citizens. That is very fair unlike Japan.

Note that the majority arriving in Japan are Japanese Nationals and having no enforcement for them makes this whole process a bit useless other than to make The Japanese feel they are safe from the foreign virus brought by foreigners.

Japan announced that foreign spectators for the Olympics will not be allowed. I think that's a good thing.

How do they intend to enforce this? Are there any stipulations about time lapsed for not answering your phone? What if one does not carry their phone in their house or they lose or misplace it within a residence? What if someone was asleep or on the toilet at the time of a — let's face it, highly unlikely — Skype call and they don't check their phone all day or it runs out of battery and the phone dies? Absolute load of proposturous dung that beggars belief.

I own a dumb flip-phone. It doesn't use apps. I make phone calls and text ... that's everything that I expect and need from a phone. It probably won't even operate in Japan where half of our family lives. So now I won't be allowed to see my family in Japan?

What if you don't have a "Smart" Phone ?

Do you suddenly be forced to return (deportation) and as such get a Criminal record ?

@Peter Niel -

Japan announced that foreign spectators for the Olympics will not be allowed. I think that's a good thing.

Yes, but it should also apply to Japanese spectators too.

For example, a Japanese National expat living in the UK, can come back to Japan and be let it without bias (or consideration that they may inadvertently be spreading a new variant of the Virus?)

Why do you all see the need to Travel overseas ?

Why not instead, look at what your current hosting Country has to offer. And forget the cries from the Airline Industry or the Tabloids trying to Sensationalise things.

Easy way around this nonsense: get yourself a burner phone, install these apps on that one, and leave it at your hotel, at home, or wherever you want to have house arrest.

Did you know that things like this are in violation of the constitution?

Specifically articles 11, 13, 14, 18, and maybe 34 too.

Usually these nonsense policies get undone once somebody goes to court and points out the constitution, so let's wait for the first victim of these policies that actually has a brain.

Easiest way around this is to sty at home and follow the two weeks quarantine and do as you pledged when you arrived in Japan. Why are so many foreigners on this forum interested in not keeping quarantine and then upset there is a penalty for their irresponsible behaviour! Would you prefer the system of other countries where you are forced top pay $1000s of dollars for enforced stay in a hotel room. Here in Japan you are enraged to take personal responsibility and do home quarantine!

“Enacted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the regulation affects all classes of inbound travelers (Japanese citizens, foreign residents of Japan, and temporary business/tourism travelers).”

I like this policy and wish my country would do the same so the spread of Coronavirus will be at bay. To control the spread one must implement a good anti-spreader plan.

Another step towards China style population control. The CCP must be smiling, seeing how their model gets adopted.

But having to put an app on your phone suddenly gets you in a tizzy about Orwellian dystopias...

For me, it is mostly about battery life. When traveling, I don't really mind being tracked nearly as much as I would a home. I actually enable local GPS tracking during all my trips as another record. None of that data is supposed to be shared elsewhere. https://fossdroid.com/a/tiny-travel-tracker.html

I hope hotels have quarantine wings with all exit points alarmed, video surveilled, or manned 24/7. The phone shouldn't be needed. If they are trusting the honor of short-time visitors, then maybe that isn't a good idea. Who would travel to Japan for 3 weeks to have 2 of those weeks spent in a hotel room? The economics wouldn't work for me.

For residents of Japan, the app makes more sense. Home quarantine wouldn't be nearly the cost of forced hotels.

Anyone have a link to the agreement? Without that, we don't know about any loopholes that can be exploited - perhaps to get groceries and other establishments on the way.

What if I just leave my phone at home for 14 days whenever I decide to leave the house?

That, presumably, it’s where Skype comes into play. The government will call periodically, and the live video evidence needs to prove that you are obeying quarantine. If not, authorities may come around searching.

In other words, those are the apps with no or almost no privacy...lol Btw, in the case of ossma, there is not even an information in the App Store, what data are all accessed. In the worst case your whole phone contents is mirrored. And what should Skype be good for? Maybe, only for multichannel attempt, not sure, but don’t expect to get a welcome video call....rofl Cocoa is the one I also have installed, because it’s purpose against corona is obvious and clearly mentioned. But the other ones? I am not planning to learn Chinese for all your new normal surveillance dictatorships, that’s just for your files on me, you little communist bastards.

Omotenashi

Perhaps the J. Govt plans to assist carrier unlocking on phones and to provide a local paid for SIM card ?

And here I am, always emptying my pockets in the car when parking at the airport for a foreign trip. The only thing in my wallet is one credit card and a little card I make with embassy information. I leave the rest of my cards, drivers license and the like in the car. All keys except my car key stay in the car with my cell phone and the stuff removed from my wallet. The only other items I bring are some cash and my passport. So I guess no travel to Japan for a long time. Kind of sad because my wife would like to see it.

you could buy another cheap crappy phone to enter the country with down load the so called wounder app, to appease the goverment, then chuck it in the bin when you get out side the airport. if you get stopped and aked for it, you can say you lost it.