This is Ito of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. Due to the spread of COVID after the state of emergency was lifted, "Priority Measures to Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus" was applied to Osaka, Hyogo, and Miyagi prefectures on April 5. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Okinawa are expected to follow. These measures will make it even more difficult for new foreign nationals to enter Japan.
Vaccinations started worldwide at the end of last year, and some countries are now allowing people to enter the country if they can prove they have COVID antibodies via a "vaccine passport". In May, Singapore will be the first country to introduce the IATA Travel Pass, which is being developed by the IATA (International Air Transport Association).
Vaccine passports are not standardized, and the formats vary between countries and airlines. There is a possibility that some types of vaccine passports may not be approved for boarding. At this point, the WHO has not yet decided how the vaccine passport will be used. At this time, the WHO does not support vaccine passports a requirement for overseas travel. In addition, the U.S. has stated that it will not introduce a vaccine passport system. Vaccinations in Japan only began this past February, and vaccinations for the general public is still a long way off. It can be assumed that the decision for Japan to use a vaccine passport will not be made soon.
In response to COVID, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has started an e-mail newsletter, expanded the scope of online applications, and distributed free smartphone applications for reading residence cards and other documents. I also registered for the e-mail newsletter and received my first e-mail two weeks after registering. Although the service is not utilized frequently, it seems the Immigration and Residence Management Agency is making progress in digitization.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
