Photo: Aaron Jamieson
Niseko investors who are longing to return to manage their properties – and conduct business meetings in restaurants and on the slopes – might now be able to do so without quarantine.
Would-be travellers should check their individual circumstances with an immigration specialist, however from today business travellers coming from selected “non-high-risk” countries can enter without quarantine.
These countries include the US, Australia, New Zealand, some Asian and some EU countries.
Tourists still won’t be able to enter.
Japan Entry Requirements for Business Travellers
From 1 March, visitors from countries not on this Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare list can enter the country for business purposes without quarantine if they:
– have a Japanese sponsor who fills in an online application
– have had three vaccinations with Japan government-approved vaccines
– test negative within 72 hours of departure
– test negative following arrival
Approved Asian and EU countries where significant numbers of Niseko investors and visitors come from include Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Austria and Finland.
“High-risk” countries with significant interest in Niseko include Singapore, Indonesia, UK and Canada.
For 3 x vaccinated business travellers coming from countries on the above list, a three-day home quarantine must be undertaken.
Unvaccinated travellers must quarantine for 3 days in a government-designated facility, however then can enter following that with negative text results.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan
Similar relaxations were implemented for business travellers in November last year, shortly before the start of the spread of the Omicron variant.
However, the requirements were confusing and labour-intensive, with anecdotal reports of overseas-based Niseko business owners cancelling plans to visit this winter, preferring to wait until the entry process was simplified before attempting to visit.
With the latest changes that appears to have happened.
However national entry numbers will be capped to 5000 people/day, so the ease of entry for those applying is yet to be seen.
More than 31 million visitors entered Japan in 2020 – an average of approximately 80,000 per day and not including Japanese residents returning.
Omicron & Niseko
Until Omicron, COVID cases were extremely limited throughout the COVID era, with few instances of community transmission outside of January/February 2021.
Currently, there are a significant number of cases in the Niseko community.
These appeared to start in January following the influx of domestic visitors over the Christmas/New Year period, however have appeared to spread through the local community more over the past two weeks.
Fortunately this winter due to widespread local vaccination there were fewer forced closures of hotels, shops and restaurants as last winter, allowing for a much-welcomed increase in domestic travel.
Please note: Information on entry requirements above is our interpretation of the government information, in consultation with several sources. If you are planning to visit Japan or Niseko please check the official government information and advice, and you may want to contact an immigration specialist – Higuchi Immigration Services specialises in visa and immigration applications for Niseko residents and businesses.
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