Japan to end Covid-19 border controls on May 8, classifies it as common disease

The country will start a genomic surveillance programme, under which entrants with symptoms such as fever are tested voluntarily, to detect new infectious diseases

Japan’s Covid-19 border controls are considered by some to be the most stringent among the Group of Seven industrialised nations

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The end of the Covid-19 border controls, first introduced in February 2020 and considered by some the most stringent among the Group of Seven industrialised nations, is expected to help revive inbound tourism to Japan. Photo: AP

Published: 10:33pm, 3 Apr 2023Updated: 3:06am, 4 Apr 2023

Japan will end the current border control measures on travellers from overseas on May 8 in line with its decision to categorise Covid-19 as a common disease the same day, the government said on Monday, in a major shift toward normalising social and economic activities.

The government will simultaneously start a new genomic surveillance programme, under which entrants with symptoms such as fever are tested voluntarily, with the aim of detecting new infectious diseases.

Currently, all entrants are required to present certification of three Covid-19 doses or a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of departure.

The end of the Covid-19 border controls, first introduced in February 2020 and considered by some the most stringent among the Group of Seven industrialised nations, is expected to help revive inbound tourism to Japan, where spending by foreign visitors in 2021 plunged to a fraction of the record 4.8 trillion yen (US$36 billion) in 2019.

Passengers from Shanghai present proof of a negative Covid-19 test on their arrival at Narita airport near Tokyo on January 8, 2023. Photo: via AP

In November 2021, Japan tightened border controls by barring the entry of non-resident foreigners and requiring returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine at designated facilities as the country began seeing cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Initially implemented for a month, the control measures were later extended, sparking protests from foreign exchange students and businesspeople. The country started gradually easing the daily entry cap in March 2022 before completely lifting it in October of that year.