Covid-19 coronavirus has put a serious dent in our travel plans. With Japan’s strict travel ban which denies entry to people from 129 nations and regions, it’s virtually impossible for tourists to travel here, or more importantly, for Japan’s foreign residents to return after a visit home. Currently, the only way for non-citizen residents of Japan to re-enter the country is if there are ‘exceptional circumstances’, such as the resident leaving Japan for a funeral or a medical procedure. This incredibly narrow rule has left many of Japan's foreign residents stranded abroad.
Now, it seems those strict rules could be lightening up, possibly as early as this week. The Japanese government is planning to allow expatriate workers and educators to re-enter Japan on a broader set of humanitarian grounds and to help support the economy, The Japan Times reports. One of the requirements to enter Japan will be a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for coronavirus. Currently, details are scarce and it’s possible that not all foreign residents will be allowed back into Japan under the relaxed rules, because as the The Japan Times puts it, ‘a cross-border movement of thousands of people is expected to pose greater risks for spreading the coronavirus’. No announcement on relaxing re-entry rules has been made yet, but according to the report, an official decision will be made this week.
Currently, only Japanese citizens are allowed to re-enter Japan without any special reason required. However, Japan is working on a travel bubble with other Asian Pacific regions, namely Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam. Last week, Japan started entry negotiations with other Asian countries and regions, including China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, to promote international business. The travel bubble will begin by allowing business travellers and skilled international workers, then open up to students, and finally tourists.
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