Japan is resuming flights to China, and reopening its borders – but not to tourists
- The East Asian nation is looking to allow in up 1,000 business travellers, tertiary students and long-term foreign residents a day from next month
- The decision is seen as a test run for a wider reopening ahead of next year’s Tokyo Olympics, though tourist arrivals are still a long way off
“We restarted our China flights with the Dalian route, initially with one flight a week, but that is now up to three times a week,” spokesman Mark Morimoto said. “The Chinese authorities said we could introduce another flight a week, although not to Beijing or Shanghai, which are our most important China routes. So we selected Guangzhou.”
JAL flew daily to the city before the pandemic, but the airline is presently operating just 14 per cent of its international routes and has just 2 per cent of its passenger count from a year ago. Morimoto said it was faring better domestically, with load factors of between 60 per cent and 70 per cent.
The Japanese government’s decision has been welcomed by the travel industry, and there are hopes that the daily limit of 1,000 arrivals can be gradually increased as conditions improve.
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Medical experts and people participating in cultural activities will also be allowed in under the new rules, but epidemiologists warn that without the discovery of a Covid-19 vaccine, there is very little likelihood of tourists being permitted into Japan until well into next year – raising new questions over the Olympics.
The government is planning to step up its virus-testing capacity at ports of entry, although it is likely that new arrivals will still be expected to have tested negative for Covid-19 before arriving in Japan.