.
Japan is Banning Entry for Travelers Who Have Visited 75 Countries and Regions, including the U.S. and Canada, among others. This ban takes effect immediately, since it is for arrivals starting April 3, which it already is in Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Justice announced the ban, which has been reported by the Japanese Consulate in New York, and likely elsewhere.
While most people in the U.S. aren't traveling right now for either work or leisure, given the Level 4 CDC Travel Advisory, Do Not Travel, and the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until July 23, 2021, there are some folks who are holding non-refundable tickets to visit Japan later in 2020, so Japan's entry ban will affect them unless it's changed. And while no one has a crystal ball, it's hard to see the ban being lifted in 2020 for U.S. arrivals, at least, given where the country is at in its coronavirus epidemic and the lack of a vaccine until early 2021 at the very earliest.
Japan is banning visitors who have visited any of the following countries within 14 days prior to arrival in Japan, unless there are “special circumstances.” Note that, if there are flights from another country not banned, it could be possible for a U.S. national to be in one of these countries for 14 days prior to visiting Japan, since the ban is not for nationals/passport holders, but rather according to where the visitor has been.
Asia
Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
Oceania
Australia, New Zealand
North America
Canada, United States
Caribbean and Latin America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Dominica, Ecuador, Panama
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican
Middle East
Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Turkey
Africa
Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco
.
It's interesting to note the countries that aren't on the list, such as Argentina, Mexico, Russia, the UAE, Qatar, and many African countries, among others. These may be explained in part by some of those countries' own restrictions and quarantines for travelers from Japan, or in the case of Russia, closing its borders to all international travel with few exceptions. And of course many flights to/from Japan have already been cancelled. That said, Qatar is still flying nonstop to Tokyo from Doha, so that is still a viable way for some to get to Japan, as long as that route operates, and if the passenger has been in Qatar or another country not banned by Japan for the 14 days prior to arrival.
Will Japan's travel ban impact you?
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