THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 2, 2020 at 14:37 JST
A quarantine official explains to travelers from Frankfurt how to fill in the questionnaire at Terminal 2 of Narita International Airport on March 21. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The government from April 3 will ask all travelers to Japan, including Japanese, to self-isolate for two weeks and avoid public transportation to prevent the further spread of new coronavirus infections.
The decision was reached April 1 in an emergency ministerial-level meeting of the National Security Council.
The government will also ban foreigners from 49 countries and regions, including the United States, China, South Korea and most parts of Europe, starting on April 3, bringing the total to 73.
Non-Japanese travelers from countries or territories on the banned list will only be allowed into Japan under special circumstances.
The government has allowed permanent residents and spouses of Japanese to re-enter the country, but they will also be barred from entry, in principle, starting on April 3.
Japanese can return from abroad, but they will be required to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to check for novel coronavirus infections, in addition to being asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
The government will also invalidate visas issued by April 2 and suspend visa exemptions for travelers from all countries that are not on the no-entry list.
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