Japan closed its borders for much of the Covid-19 pandemic but it recently changed its travel restriction. The country is currently only open to foreign tourists on guided tours, meaning independent travellers cannot yet holiday there.
The east Asian country – famous for natural sights such as Mount Fuji and Tokyo's cherry blossom – was ranked the number one tourist destination in the world in May. It beat France, Spain and the United States to the top spot on the World Economic Forum's latest travel index, despite its borders being closed to visitors for much of the past two years.
Health authorities have been more cautious than most in relaxing travel restrictions since the coronavirus pandemic. Cases have been rising in Japan for the past month, with the reproduction (R) rate at 1.80 as of July 15.
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What are Japan's entry requirements?
Japan relaxed its entry requirements on June 10. Foreign nationals can apply for a visa if their visit falls into any one of the following categories:
- Short-term stay (less than three months) for purposes including business and employment
- Short-term stay for tourism (guided tours only) *NEW*
- Long-term stay
All arrivals must provide a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours before their flight departure time. Immigration officials also require arrivals to submit an online health questionnaire and download the MySOS contact tracing app.
The UK is among Japan's "blue list" countries, meaning travellers are not required to test or quarantine on arrival. This is regardless of vaccination status.
While in the country, people on guided tours are asked to wear face coverings and buy medical insurance, reports travel magazine TimeOut. Those who fail to comply may not be able to take part in the tours.
More information can be found on the UK Foreign Office website.
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