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Planning a Trip to Japan?

Share your travel photos with us by hashtagging your images with #visitjapanjp

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Japan is now open to travelers from all countries or regions. For more information, please check "COVID-19: Practical Information for Traveling to Japan" page.

Languages: English / 한국어 / 简体中文 / 繁體中文(臺灣) / 繁體中文(香港)  / Tiếng Việt  / Bahasa Indonesia

Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

Measures by the government.

Last updated: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Table of Contents

Measures by the government of japan.

1. Areas subjected to entry ban

2. Denial of the re-entry from designated countries/regions in response to COVID-19 variants of special treatment on border measures

3. Quarantine measures

4. Suspension of visa validity

5. Suspension of visa exemption measures

6. Restrictions on airports/ports for arrival

7. Visit Japan Web

All coronavirus-related information on this website is gathered from the government ministries and authorities responsible for handling COVID-19 restrictions and measures. Due to the regularly changing situation and the constant updating of information, it is essential that you always check for updates and follow the latest guidance from the relevant ministries and official bodies.

Information about entry into Japan

1. Denial of permission to entry

The denial of landing that had been placed on all countries/regions was lifted on September 4, 2022.

For details, please check the following page. https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html#section1

2. Denial of re-entry from certain countries/regions among designated countries/regions in response to COVID-19 variants of special treatment on border measures

Currently, there are no subject countries/regions.

For details, please check the following page. https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html#section2  

3. Quarantine measures (New)

From April 29, 2023, regarding all travelers and returnees (NEW)

(1) Travelers and returnees will no longer be required to submit either a certificate of negative result of COVID-19 test conducted within 72 hours prior to departure, or a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate of three doses or equivalent. (2) Currently implemented measures including provisional random sampling tests for all travelers and returnees arriving from China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) by direct flights, will be replaced with testing on arrival required only by those who show symptoms of COVID-19 (a measure applied to all travelers and returnees).

For more detail, please refer to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Border Measures page (open in a new window).

For more detail, please refer to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

4. Lifting of the suspension of visa validity

Single entry visas and multiple entry visas issued by Embassies, Consulate-Generals and Consulates of Japan in all countries/regions and whose validity had been temporarily suspended were resumed again on October 11, 2022.

Validity of visas already issued under “Business Track” or “Residence Track” and visas issued based on “New border measures (4)” (referred in Note 2 of Article 1), for the time being, has been suspended from January 21, 2021, based on the announcement of the Government of Japan dated January 13, 2021.

Border Measures page .

For details, please check the following page. https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html#section8 

5. Lifting of the suspension of visa exemption measures

The visa exemption arrangements which had been temporarily suspended under the border measures were resumed on October 11, 2022.

For countries/regions applicable to the visa exemption arrangements, please visit the link below:  

The effect of Pre-Clearances (i.e. visa exemptions) granted by the Japanese Government to APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) issued by the following countries was also resumed on October 11, 2022. For more information on the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), please refer to the link below:

APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC)(Japanese)

  https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/apec/btc/index.html

https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/apec/btc/index.html

6.Restrictions on airport/ports for arrival

Airports/ports that suspended international flights/cruises have started to lift the suspension as their preparations are completed.

For details, please check the following page. https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html#section10

Visit Japan Web  is a convenient way to register information for immigration, customs and Tax-free shopping service before you enter Japan. After the registration, QR codes are generated.

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State Department Issues 'Do Not Travel' Warning for Japan As Olympics Near

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also updated its guidance, classifying Japan under its "Level 4" advisory.

japan travel advisory state department

The U.S. State Department warned Americans against traveling to Japan on Monday, classifying the country under its highest warning level just months before the Olympic Games are set to start.

The department placed Japan under a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory due to its rise in COVID-19 cases. While the warning level is at its highest possible, the U.S. has not outright banned Americans from flying to the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also updated its guidance on Monday, classifying Japan under its "Level 4" advisory. And while the agency has said fully-vaccinated Americans can travel at low risk to themselves, it warned "Because of the current situation in Japan even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Japan."

The ban could potentially affect some American athletes' decisions on whether to travel to Japan to compete in the Olympic Games, set to open on July 23 after being postponed for a year. Overseas spectators have already been banned from attending the summer games.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the updated State Department warning does not prohibit essential travel and added Washington has told Tokyo it is not related to participation of the U.S. Olympic team, according to The Associated Press .

"We believe there is no change to the U.S. position supporting the Japanese government's determination to achieve the games," Kato said.

Several areas of Japan remain under a State of Emergency .

Additionally, the country's vaccine rollout has been relatively slow: Only 5.2% of people have received at least one dose, while only 2.3% have been fully vaccinated, according to Reuters , which is tracking the global vaccine rollout.

To help, the country has launched mass vaccination centers with the goal of inoculating 10,000 people per day in Tokyo and 5,000 per day in Osaka.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram .

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U.S. Lowers The Travel Risk Rating For Japan, Where COVID Still Shadows The Olympics

Vanessa Romo

Vanessa Romo

japan travel advisory state department

The International Olympic Committee plans to implement strict virus-prevention measures that include segregation of athletes from the general population and a ban on overseas fans. Koji Sasahara/AP hide caption

The International Olympic Committee plans to implement strict virus-prevention measures that include segregation of athletes from the general population and a ban on overseas fans.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department have issued new travel advisories lowering the threat of COVID-19 in more than 90 countries and territories , including Japan, which is in the grips of a new wave of infections ahead of the Olympics next month.

The CDC lowered Japan from its highest risk category — Level 4 — to a Level 3, on Monday, Reuters first reported . It also moved 61 other countries to the same tier and another 50 were dropped to Level 2 or Level 1. Additionally, the CDC has revised its rating for the United States from Level 4 to Level 3.

Just last month the State Department was warning Americans not to travel to this summer's Olympic host country, issuing a Level 4: Do Not Travel Advisory for Japan. That stirred up international controversy as Japanese officials insisted the nation would be prepared for the Games starting on July 23 after they had been postponed for a year due to the pandemic.

But on Tuesday the State Department followed the CDC's lead, giving the country a new Level 3 rating . The change is not an enthusiastic endorsement as the guidance urges Americans to "reconsider travel to Japan," but it puts the department closer in line with the White House's position on the issue. The Biden administration has endorsed the Olympic Games in Tokyo despite dire warnings from health experts in Japan.

japan travel advisory state department

The country has also been slow in its rollout of the vaccine — less than 4% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Eugene Hoshiko/AP hide caption

The country has also been slow in its rollout of the vaccine — less than 4% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

Health conditions throughout Japan remain grim as officials fail to contain the spread of the virus

As NPR's Anthony Kuhn reported , "The spread in Japan of variant strains of the virus has slowed the decline in case numbers. Some hospitals remain overstretched by COVID-19 patients, and some people have died at home without being able to access medical care."

The country has also been slow in its rollout of vaccines — less than 4% of the population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

The cumulative effect of the circumstances has led to voices being raised in Japan against the Olympics.

But regardless of the grim reality, Japanese officials are adamant that the Games will proceed safely. And the International Olympic Committee plans to implement strict virus-prevention measures that include keeping athletes segregated from the general population. The IOC is also banning overseas fans from the Games.

Doctors warn of an Olympic coronavirus strain

But even with those measures the head of a Japanese doctors' union warned late last month of the dangers of a possible Olympic coronavirus strain with the arrival of tens of thousands of visitors from 200 nations around the world.

"All of the different mutant strains of the virus which exist in different places will be concentrated and gathering here in Tokyo," Naoto Ueyama said at a news conference on May 27, Reuters reported. "We cannot deny the possibility of even a new strain of the virus potentially emerging."

Ueyama added: "If such a situation were to arise, it could even mean a Tokyo Olympic strain of the virus being named in this way, which would be a huge tragedy and something which would be the target of criticism, even for 100 years."

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U.S. continues to say citizens should 'reconsider travel' to Japan

Japan will remain a destination to which U.S. citizens should 'reconsider travel,' the U.S. State Department said. | AFP-JIJI

Japan will remain a destination to which U.S. citizens should "reconsider travel," the U.S. State Department said Monday based on its latest travel advisory assessment amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It said the revised guidance will put approximately 80% of countries worldwide on the highest level of four, which advises citizens not to travel to those locations. As of Monday, about 150 countries are subject to the level four warning.

The department has said the update does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation in a given country but rather reflects the U.S. public health agency's "epidemiological assessments."

The advisories also take into account logistical factors, including in-country testing availability and current travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, according to the department.

In March last year, the department issued an advisory to Americans to avoid all international travel amid the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus.

The advisory was lifted in August, and the guidance for travelers to Japan has been set at level three.

Japan continues to battle the pandemic, with tougher measures to contain the outbreak introduced in Tokyo and the prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo on Sunday under a third state of emergency amid a virus surge.

Japan will remain a destination to which U.S. citizens should \"reconsider travel,\" the U.S. State Department said. | AFP-JIJI

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IMAGES

  1. [JAPAN TRAVEL ADVISORY] Process and Required Documents for Japan

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  2. Understanding the State Department’s updated travel advisories

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  3. Japan Visa Advisory effective October 11, 2022

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  4. Summer Olympics in Japan Lead to Increased Security and Travel Delays

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  5. Japan Travel Advice & Safety

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  6. North Korea Travel Advisory Usa

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COMMENTS

  1. Coronavirus (COVID-19)

    Measures by the Government of Japan. 1. Areas subjected to entry ban. 2. Denial of the re-entry from designated countries/regions in response to COVID-19 variants of special treatment on border measures. 3. Quarantine measures. 4. Suspension of visa validity. 5. Suspension of visa exemption measures. 6. Restrictions on airports/ports for arrival.

  2. State Department Issues 'Do Not Travel' Warning for Japan As

    The U.S. State Department warned Americans against traveling to Japan on Monday, classifying the country under its highest warning level just months before the Olympic Games are set to start....

  3. U.S. Lowers The Travel Risk Rating For Japan, Where ...

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department have issued new travel advisories lowering the threat of COVID-19 in more than 90 countries and territories,...

  4. U.S. continues to say citizens should 'reconsider travel' to

    Washington –. Japan will remain a destination to which U.S. citizens should "reconsider travel," the U.S. State Department said Monday based on its latest travel advisory assessment...

  5. Travel.State.Gov CSI

    Do you want to know the safety and security situation of your travel destination? Check out the color coded map from the U.S. Department of State, which shows the level of risk for each country and region. You can also find detailed information and alerts for specific locations by clicking on the map. Plan your trip wisely and stay informed with the latest travel advisories.