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Japan on Sept. 25 agreed to ease entry restrictions for 159 nations from Oct. 1 to add momentum to the economy stagnating because of the new coronavirus pandemic.

However, a number of conditions will apply that are bound to severely limit the number of foreign nationals allowed to enter. This is because of concerns of another surge in COVID-19 infections with more people moving around.

Tourists remained barred.

The relaxed entry steps are aimed mainly at those holding visas for periods longer than three months, including those in medical services, education and cultural activities.

Moreover, a total daily entry limit of 1,000 will remain in place for such individuals.

The government has already been negotiating with 16 nations, mainly in Asia, for a resumption of travel by people on business.

Nationals from those nations holding medium- to long-term visas outside of business will also be allowed to enter. A daily limit of about 1,600 will be in place for individuals from those 16 nations.

Foreign students will also be allowed to enter, but their numbers will be included in the daily limits for visitors.

The government began negotiating with four Asian nations in June and another 12 from July about relaxing entry restrictions for business travelers. Those nations were chosen because COVID-19 cases remain relatively under control. Entry by individuals from eight of those nations, including Vietnam and Thailand, have already begun.

Faced with harsh criticism in Japan and abroad, the government also relaxed re-entry restrictions on foreign residents who had been banned from entry even though many have called Japan home for years.

Despite such moves, there are growing calls for a further relaxation of the restrictions.

Countries in Europe had requested the government to allow travelers on business to start their work assignments in Japan, according to a Foreign Ministry official.

The government began weighing eased restrictions from August for a far wider range of nations due to fears that travel to and from the West would remain in the doldrums for too long.

The latest measures will affect only a limited range of people.

Last year, among those who entered Japan for the first time, people holding visas that are now a condition for entry from Oct. 1 only numbered about 600,000, or about 2 percent of total first-time visitors.

With the 1,000-person daily limit in place for the 159 nations from where entry is still, in principle, banned, the actual number from each nation will not be particularly high.

And even those permitted entry will face a number of additional conditions. They will be required to have tested negative for COVID-19 before departing for Japan and take another test upon entering this country.

They will also be required to self-isolate for two weeks after their arrival.

Companies and organizations accepting those individuals will also have to pledge to the authorities that the entrants will be told not to use public transport from the airport or while in Japan during the two-week period of self-quarantine. They will also be obliged to provide lodging at hotels or other facilities.

The results of the latest relaxation of entry restrictions are viewed as a litmus test for possible further relaxations. This will have to happen if Tokyo has any hope of hosting the postponed Summer Olympics next year.

(This article was written by Yuki Nikaido and Tatsuya Sato.)

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