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Japan to allow 20,000 daily international arrivals from June

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That is about 20% of the pre-restrictions number of daily foreigners entering the country.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

if there's a simple way, and a complicated way...... (⌒▽⌒)

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

@diagonalslip 5.05pm

And the simple way is never an option.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

I’m waiting on the “update to the story” later. Sounds good so far . Hopefully, they stick the “must be vaccinated and boosted” to enter… as well as having travelers health insurance….

-10 ( +6 / -16 )

Yes, why not, to get in line with those who make errors you just only have to make the same errors. lol

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

It would be nice to know which countries are on which lists. I think JT should have waited for that information before publishing nothing but a teaser.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

@ Elvis is here

With the state of the Yen I wouldn't be surprised

6 ( +13 / -7 )

No test on arrival should speed things up, but I would imagine they are still going to check all the paperwork or app screens. So getting through the airport won't be as smooth as before the pandemic just yet.

Is this referring to 20,000 arriving passengers (including Japanese), or 20,000 non-Japanese? Is the daily number of arriving (whoever) already at the 10,000 cap? Is the existing cap limiting airlines' activities? It's all very well announcing numbers but it's not obvious what effect they have been having on actual travel.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Are they referring to tourists or just people for business or educational purposes ?

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Doesn’t matter if you’re vaccinated or not-you can still catch COVID.

Suddenly the country that you’re coming from has an increase in infections – wham!

Your are denied entry…

Its always been a crap shoot getting into Japan and the authorities want to keep

it that way!

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

Rhetorical question, but is there any science or even logic to support the 20,000 number?

Why not just remove the limit?

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Wife 4 times vaccinated- Covid symptoms of a sore throat and slight cough-one day temperature increase.

Me 2 times vaccinated- Covid symptoms of a sore throat and slight cough-one day temperature increase.

The difference was my wife got an 8 day home quarantine in Japan and I got on a plane back to the UK where I had an antigen test after 2 days which came up negative.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Took between 4-5 hours to process and be permitted to enter on Tuesday....expect longer with the increased numbers.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The government will also ease COVID-19 testing and quarantine rules, dividing countries and regions into three groups according to the infection situation.

Why use infections as a metric? Shouldn't being 2x vaxxed, boosted and tested before flying be enough for any traveler? Smgdfh...

4 ( +6 / -2 )

It’s just politics. If they lift all the restrictions and cases go up, their opponents will say the made a mistake lifting the restrictions - even though the case increase almost certainly had nothing to do with it. It’s risky politically. If they gradually ease restrictions over several months, there is no political risk - it doesn’t affect the vast majority of Japanese people - they can come and go as they please, the foreigners living here have no say politically and tourism only accounts for a small percentage of GDP. It’s not about risks from COVID it’s about political risk.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

That is about 20% of the pre-restrictions number of daily foreigners entering the country.

What percent were from China though I wonder?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Already booked up my holiday last year for travel late August - Just hope Japan's borders are open in time as planned my own agenda for my visit

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

10,000 people

20,000 people

Has anyone even kept count on any of the days since April?

Why not just make it 69,000 people?

What's the difference?

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

In South Korea, airline reservations have exploded, and in Hong Kong, the number of people converting their money into Japanese yen has exploded. Americans should come to Japan while it is available.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

As long as a pre and after antigen test (including Omicron, bA.1, BA.2 and BA.4 and omicron Delta virus, as well as the new child Hepatitis virus, and the Monkeypox new virus) with 10 days quarantine, no problem.

japan needs tourism.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

Japan effectively closed its doors to nonresident foreign nationals

Don't you dare white wash it, for at least a year Japan closed the border to all foreigners even if they had spouse visa or were PR. Had no plans to help PR's get back to Japan allowing their visas to expire. It was only late last year Japan decided not allow family's not to be broken and divided and starting allowing the "non tourist" status.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

The US in fact DOES require Covid testing for ALL entrants, testing to be done within 24 hours prior to entry, so the final paragraph is inaccurate.

As for the premise of this story, now the daily cap is 10,000. But how many are actually entering on average during a given day? If it's 7,000 or something, then raising the cap to 20,000 is lip service. That data is important to the story, and I never see those figures when stories mention the raising of the daily cap.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@ Alex

Please read the article again and pay attention to the details .

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@captDingleheimer

The final paragraph is inaccurate

Its not inaccurate the last paragraph.

Testing on arrival and Testing before departure are two different things

It helps if you pay attention to details.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Many of us who live here are probably surprised that anyone would want to come under these circumstances,

What circumstances are you referring to? Except for excessive, but voluntary mask wearing, life inside Japan is back to normal.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Life inside Japan is back to normal

Well ...exuse me for pointing out the obvious but - Japan is definitely not back to normal.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Well ...exuse me for pointing out the obvious but - Japan is definitely not back to normal.

It’s not obvious to me. What is it that is not back to normal? Except for border control and excessive mask wearing.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

It’s not obvious to me. What is it that is not back to normal?

Been to any big festivals lately? Me neither.

Except for border control

Quite a big exception to normality.

and excessive mask wearing.

Agreed, although it has always been excessive.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Been out all over town for the last two weeks.

Restaurants, bars and late night bar.

will be out with a party of 10 tomorrow for dinner-pretty normal to me.

Tomorrow, I won’t go anywhere but the restaurant, not due to fear of COVID (which I’ve had) but to protect my liver…

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Been to any big festivals lately? Me neither. 

No, but I plan to. Fuji rock, Ultra and Summer Sonic are all going ahead in the next few months.

Quite a big exception to normality.

I did say “inside” Japan.

Agreed, although it has always been excessive.

But still not back to “normal” by Japan standards.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

No, but I plan to. Fuji rock, Ultra and Summer Sonic are all going ahead in the next few months.

Big, vapid corporate fests. How imaginative. But they aren't 'back to normal' yet.

I did say “inside” Japan.

Border controls "inside" Japan are normal? I'm calling you out for this, you're all over the shop.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It'll take a backlog of six months, easy,

to catch up with the two year Closure.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What’s the use? With current immigration policies that allow Approximately 1/3 of arrivals that are projected in June, Wait time in immigration is as long as seven hours. How many passengers realistically can wait in line for seven hours or more when it comes to increased arrivals in June. Bureaucracy rules again in Japan

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Will they still only be allowed to come in small groups, following a guide to pre-determined places, like the Chinese used to?

Will they wear yellow hats like the groups of small school children?

Will police be deployed to check the papers of anyone who 'looks a bit foreign' and might be an escaped tourist?

They really don't understand the concept of 'endemic' do they?

Once they hear about monkeypox (which needs no special measures, lockdowns or anything) they will probably close the borders again for another two years.

quote: there are many out there who are infatuated with Japan and with travel so they'll jump at the chance

Nope. I'm a mad keen Japanophile, but I'm not bothering with any of this nuttery. I'll wait until they open normally or go somewhere else. Preferably SK. Failing that, somewhere with some rainforest to explore.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@GBR48

Might be an escaped tourist

As the article clearly announced - not specified when Japan will begin accepting foreign tourists again.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Big, vapid corporate fests. How imaginative.

That is exactly my point. All of the big corporate events are back on.

Border controls "inside" Japan are normal? I'm calling you out for this, you're all over the shop.

You’re either twisting my words intentionally, or you misunderstood. I was reacting to a poster who suggested it’s a terrible time for tourists to visit Japan. I asked why that is, considering things are back to normal “inside” Japan. My point, if a tourist can get past border control and into the country, they can then do anything they would have pre pandemic. I said nothing about border control inside Japan. Doesn’t exist, never has.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Elvis is hereMay 20  05:35 pm JST

Bet all restrictions dropped by end of June.

No, August at the earliest.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Steve McCarthy. What travel insurer is covering covid in their heath policy. ?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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