(TTG China/Comprehensive) Japan further tightened border epidemic prevention measures for Chinese tourists entering the country. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that from January 8, passengers entering Japan from China must submit negative certificates. The rules apply to direct flights from mainland China to Japan, excluding Hong Kong and Macau.
According to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the above measures at a New Year’s press conference on Wednesday (January 4). The Tokyo government has also previously announced that passengers entering from mainland China must be tested upon arrival. Fumio Kishida recently stressed on the 4th that the test upon entry will be changed from a qualitative antigen test to a more accurate PCR test.
According to the announcement issued by the Japanese government, starting from January 8, passengers arriving on direct passenger flights from China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) will be required to submit a checked negative test certificate within 72 hours before departure. In response, the Japanese consulate general in Hong Kong replied that it is not necessary to provide a negative certificate to enter Japan on a direct flight from Hong Kong or Macau. Also, those who have not been to mainland China within 7 days do not need to be tested upon entry.
The Japanese government is currently implementing the “China-restricted” border control enhancement plan for incoming Chinese tourists announced on December 27, 2022. Key measures include that all passengers with a history of domestic travel to mainland China within seven days must be tested positive for the virus when entering Japan. Screening; those who test positive and have symptoms must be quarantined in an isolation facility (such as a hotel) for seven days, and those who are asymptomatic must also be quarantined for five days; genetic sequencing of all positive patients, etc.
