Japan to Allow Entry by Very Short-Term Business Travelers

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is discussing plans to conditionally accept entry by business travelers who stay in the country for up to three days, government sources said Thursday. The relaxation of the border control measures against the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to begin next month at the earliest, according to the sources. Very short-term business travelers from some 30 countries and regions will likely be accepted, the sources said. Japan has so far accepted entry by business travelers by concluding bilateral agreements under the principle of reciprocity. But this time, the government plans to accept entry even from countries and regions that refuse entry to Japanese travelers, according to the sources. Accepting entry by very short-term business travelers is in line with a policy of the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to boost the number of arrivals of foreigners in Japan to help reconstruct an economy battered by the coronavirus crisis. It is also aimed at laying the foundation for the acceptance of foreigners visiting Japan for nonbusiness purposes at a time when the government is seeking to hold the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games with spectators next summer, the sources said. The government is expected to exempt very short-term foreign business travelers from two-week quarantine if they test negative for the novel coronavirus at the time of entry. Such travelers will also be required to submit activity plans during their stays in Japan and avoid using public transportation and visiting places other than their workplaces and accommodation facilities, according to the sources. Japan has agreed with Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam to resume bilateral business travel, and is expected to reach a similar agreement with China soon. The number of coronavirus checks conducted at three key international airports in Japan stands at some 10,000 per day. With a senior government official suggesting that there is adequate capacity for conducting more tests, the government plans to increase the daily number of tests to 20,000. The three airports are Tokyo International Airport at Haneda, Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, and Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan. END