Image Courtesy : www.facebook.com/Japan.PMO

Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida has announced that its borders will be opened to allow the entry of 5,000 travellers per day into the country. PM Kishida also informed that this is 'the first step in our gradual easing of the restrictions'.

The decision to reopen the borders is based on expert opinion that the impact of the Omicron variant in Japan spiked in early Feb and is now declining.

At present, the entry limit is 3,500 travellers per day.

No priority for international students:

While the international community is welcoming and encouraging the news, the Japanese Govt is not prioritising the international students within the allowed cap. Only a small proportion of the foreign students with visas will be allowed to enter the country. These international students will be treated in the same way as technical interns, business people, and Japanese citizens/ residents.

This shows that a significant volume of foreign students will not be able to resume studies anytime soon in Japan.

The Education Minister of Japan Suematsu Shinsuke, while acknowledging the issue, informed that 'more time will likely pass before all the students can enter Japan'.

In terms of this news, only travellers with the earliest confirmed flight reservations will be allowed to enter Japan first, irrespective of any particular category. Even citizens of Japan will be treated the same as other travellers, added the authorities.

Quarantine Guidelines:

Travellers who have received booster shots of COVID and are coming from nations that had a reasonably low number of COVID cases will not be asked for quarantine upon arrival.

If the travellers are coming from 'high-risk' countries, the travellers will be required to quarantine for 03 days at home, even if they have received booster shots.

Travellers with no booster shots will be needed to quarantine for seven days, either at home or at an approved hotel. In such a case, a negative test conducted on day 3 will allow them to cease their self-isolation.