Travelers entering Japan will no longer be required to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test if they have been vaccinated three times, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Aug. 24.
While Kishida didn’t mention whether Japan would start accepting tourists individually, he said the government would consider raising the daily entry cap, which is presently set at 20,000.
“We will take into consideration the characteristics of the changing Omicron variant and accelerate efforts to take antivirus measures while keeping social and economic activity going as much as possible,” he said.
The move follows Kishida’s goal to implement an entry process similar to that of other Group of Seven (G-7) nations.
COVID-19 is currently classified as a “category two” disease in Japan, the second-highest on a five-tier scale of severity of infectious diseases.
“Category two” infectious diseases allow prefectural governors to require infected persons to be hospitalized or quarantined. Businesses and public transportation are rendered inoperable if their employees become infected, while hospitals are required to report all cases, putting a strain on the medical system.
Local authorities have urged the government to categorize COVID-19 as a “category four” disease, which would result in the disease being treated more like a seasonal flu-like condition, given that Omicron has a lower severity.
