Japan to Abolish COVID Entry Restrictions for Arrivals From 106 Countries

Authorities in Japan have announced that the country will lift the entry restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 for arrivals from 106 countries, including those from the United Kingdom, the United States, and France.

Such a decision has been confirmed by the country’s government and comes as part of efforts to further abolish the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants, VisaGuide.World reports.

According to the Foreign Ministry, internationals from the 106 countries would no longer be subject to denial of permission when planning to reach Japan from April 8; however, internationals who plan to enter this country for tourism purposes will still be banned from entering.

The announcement of Japan’s government regarding the abolishment of COVID-19 restrictions has caused confusion among travelers who planned to enter the country for tourism purposes, giving false hopes that they could be permitted to reach the country for such purposes.

“In reality, there will be no change to who can enter Japan. There won’t be anyone new who will be able to enter Japan as a result of this change,” a Justice Ministry official pointed out in this regard when asked about the recent changes, as reported by Japan Times.

Authorities in Japan announced through a statement that from April 8, the following 106 countries will not be subject to denial of permission when planning to travel to Japan.

Asia:  Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste

Oceania: Fiji

North America:  United States of America, Canada

Latin America and the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentine, Bahamas, Belize, Barbados,  Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, Cuba,  Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama, Peru, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Suriname, Venezuela

Europe: Albania, Austria, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Belgium,  Cyprus, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, France,  Germany, Hungary, Greece,  Iceland, Italy, Ireland,  Kazakhstan, Latvia, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Lithuania,  Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Netherlands,  Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Vatican

Middle East: Bahrain, Israel, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

Africa:  Botswana, Rwanda, Cabo Verde, Morocco, Mauritius, Seychelles, Mozambique, Tunisia

Authorities in Japan closed their border to a large number of internationals since March 2020, when COVID-19 highly affected a large number of countries worldwide.

According to the figures provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), Japan has registered a total of 6,778,235 cases of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic, while a total of 28,387 people have died during the same period.