Japan reopened to tourists from around the world back in October 2022, and vaccinated travelers were allowed to enter. Mainland China also announced not long ago that it would remove all entry restrictions. But today (December 27, 2022), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that, due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in China, Japan will impose additional restrictions on travelers arriving from mainland China.

Policy for Passengers Departing From China

Notice from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Click here

Starting December 30, 2022, if you have been to mainland China within 7 days before arriving in Japan, you will be required to take a mandatory COVID-19 test upon entry into Japan. (It is not yet clear whether this will be a PCR test or a rapid antigen test.) If the test result is positive, you must quarantine for 7 days at a designated isolation facility.

In addition, the number of flights between mainland China and Japan will be restricted. The Japanese government said it will limit applications to add more flights.

Flights from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau to Japan must land at four airports: Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Kansai, and Nagoya Chubu. However, if a flight departing from Hong Kong or Macau has no passengers who have been in mainland China within the past 10 days, it may instead land at Fukuoka, Sapporo, or Okinawa. Airlines will require all passengers at check-in to sign a declaration confirming that they have not recently stayed in mainland China.

Transit

At the moment, it appears that airside transit passengers who do not enter Japan will not be affected by the new policy, since they do not need to go through Japan's quarantine procedures. If you do enter Japan while connecting, however, a positive test could disrupt your onward travel.

Bottom Line

Japan's new COVID-19 testing requirement may discourage travelers who have not recently recovered from COVID, since no one wants to start a happy trip only to end up confined in a hotel for a week. In addition, Japan is a common transit point for flights to and from China, so Japan's decision not to allow more China-Japan flights will likely have a major impact on airfare to and from mainland China. That is something well worth watching.