Hello, this is Ito of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. Entry restrictions were relaxed in November, but strict measures have been implemented again due to the Omicron variant. Japan confirmed its first Omicron case this week, and there are clearly many concerns about the spread of the variant.
Since the infectivity and severity of the Omicron variant and the effectiveness of the vaccine are still unknown, the government has designated a series of countries and regions from which entry is not permitted. There are some people who have been unable to re-enter Japan due to their country being designated as an inadmissible country or region after leaving Japan, so please make sure you consider your circumstances carefully before leaving Japan.
Countries with "Special Circumstances"
Please see below for a list of countries that have been designated as "special circumstances" for which entry is permitted, as well as countries that have been designated as areas where re-entry is denied.
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001347329.pdf
Border control measures are constantly being updated, and it was decided that as of midnight on December 10, people arriving in Japan are allowed to quarantine at home for 14 days rather than quarantine at a facility designated by the relevant Quarantine Station, regardless of whether or not the person has a vaccination certificate recognized by Japan as valid. The details are listed in the following website, but please note that they are very complicated.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/files/100264840.pdf
With the strengthening of border control measures, processing of Certificates of Examination have been suspended, but we are watching closely to see if this will be taken as an opportunity for them to review the procedures to make them easier to understand.
In addition, as a special measure, the validity period of the Certificate of Eligibility has been extended, and those with an issuance date between January 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021 will be valid until January 31, 2022. Although the information has not been updated as of yet because the government has stated that it will not extend the validity period further, we hope that it will be eased considering the current situation.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
