It seems like Japan is making a move towards reopening international travel amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. While tourists are still not allowed in the country, foreign residents residing in Japan and those in Japan’s Asian travel bubble and travel corridor have been given permission to enter the country. More recently, it is speculated that mid-to-long-term foreign nationals could be allowed to enter as early as October 1. However, most countries still require travellers to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 72 hours before their departure from Japan.
To make things easier, the Japanese government is planning a website for travellers to reserve PCR tests at Japanese medical establishments before departure. Called TeCOT, it will only be open to business travellers and athletes for now, including those competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. While there's not much information beyond that, it’s likely that the website will be used for Japan’s travel bubble with seven Asian regions, which will soon allow business travellers, as well as the travel corridor with Singapore, which gave entry to short-term business travellers last month.
The website will guide you through the process of booking a test at a medical centre and provide details on the fees involved. Medical establishments will issue negative test result certificates but the government is also looking into creating a separate app for issuing certificates, expected to be available by the end of March 2021.
TeCOT is expected to open in October. We will update you when more information is available.
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