Japan to reduce COVID-19 quarantine to 3 days for business travelers

TOKYO -- The Japanese government said Friday that it would shorten the COVID-19 quarantine period for vaccinated business travelers from overseas upon their arrival in Japan to three days starting on Monday.

The eased quarantine rules will apply to short-term business travelers who are inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines deemed effective by the Japanese authorities.

Companies accepting them will need to report in advance on their planned activities for the seven days after quarantine and supervise them accordingly.

Currently, a 10-day quarantine period is required for business travelers upon entering the country.

The government also decided to allow fully vaccinated long-term travelers, such as students and technical intern trainees, to enter Japan with a 14-day quarantine period.

Schools and firms planning to accept them will be required to report in advance their planned activities in Japan and how they will be monitored.

The government will begin accepting applications from their sponsors starting on Monday.

However, the entry for tourists is yet to be open.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said, "This time, the measures do not cover tourists. But the government is considering a plan to allow tourists to enter the country in stages. We will examine the effectiveness of monitoring new arrivals and the coronavirus situation, at around the end of the year."