The Japanese government has eased temporary entry restrictions from mainland China since March 1 2023. Entry tests to all travelers on direct flights from China have lifted, and instead sampling tests to around 20% of entries have introduced. Negative certificates 72 hours before departures are still required.
In addition, the government has allowed airlines to operate or increase flights from mainland China to other airports than Haneda, Narita, Kansai and Chubu,
Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary, explained, “The positive rates of entries have relatively been low, and detected variants are almost Omicron that has already been discovered in Japan. Also, the revision follows entry restrictions of other countries.”
The deregulations are expected to give a good impact on the inbound travel market. “It is necessary to see it carefully because restrictions on group travels from China have still continued,” Matsuno said. “Anyhow, the government aims to achieve a goal of 5 trillion JPY in spending by international travelers in Japan.”
