Japan starts accepting entry applications under eased quarantine rule

TOKYO, Nov. 8: The Japanese government on Monday began accepting applications under a fresh COVID-19 quarantine rule, allowing to reduce the quarantine periods for vaccinated business travelers, and resume accepting applications from people who would stay for long-term including students and technical trainees.

Under the new rules, vaccinated business travelers who are on visits of up to three months will only undergo quarantine for three days, compared with the 10 that formerly applied to vaccinated Japanese nationals and foreigners with residency in Japan when returning from business trips.

Companies accepting business travelers will need to submit documentation including written pledges to follow anti-COVID-19 measures and the planned activities by the travelers upon arrival in Japan.

In addition, travelers applied by the reduced quarantine rule need to be tested for COVID-19 before departing for Japan as well as three days after arriving in the country.

It may take a week or two before the first travelers who have been granted shorter COVID-19 quarantine periods arrive in the country, a health ministry official said.

The quarantine period for people staying for long-term will be 14 days in principle, however, if they received vaccines approved in Japan, the quarantine period could be shortened to 10 days.

Due to an explosive resurgence of COVID-19 infections, Japan suspended the new entry of foreigners including businesspeople in January. Since then, it has only accepted individuals under "special circumstances," such as on humanitarian grounds.

The entry for tourists is yet to be open at this time, but the government plans to begin considering accepting such groups by the end of this year.