Is Japan first on your bucket list once air travel resumes normal operations?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but it looks like you'll have to put that dream on hold for now.
Japan has extended its entry ban to 11 more countries—including the Philippines—in a continued effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 within its territory.
The decision was announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a government task force meeting last Monday, May 25, 2020.
Included in the new list of restricted countries are Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ghana, Guinea, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, South Africa, and Tajikistan.
With this measure in place, foreign nationals who have visited these countries within the last 14 days will be turned away from Japan's airports starting May 27, 2020.
A total of 111 countries and regions are now part of the entry ban, which currently includes the Philippines, the United States, China, South Korea, and all of Europe.
See below he list of all places included in Japan’s travel advisory.
Asia
Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam
Oceania
Australia, New Zealand
North America
Canada, United States
Latin America and the Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Uruguay
Europe
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican
Middle East
Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates
Africa
Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, Morocco, Sao Tome and Principe
Prime Minister Abe also said at the same meeting that Japan will maintain its current border-control measures until the end of June 2020.
Notable among these regulations are the suspension of visas and a 14-day quarantine period for all those entering the country.
According to Kyodo News, the measures taken by Japan to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic have rendered a critical blow to its economy.
"Inbound figures were down 99.9 percent in April from a year earlier to just 2,900," they revealed in an article.
In a recent article by The Japan Times, the Japanese government is reportedly gearing up to cover half of their local tourists' travel expenses once the coronavirus threat has declined, using a fund worth JPY1.35 trillion or approximately USD12.5 billion.
"The program could start in July if novel coronavirus infections subside soon," Japan Tourism Agency chief Hiroshi Tabata told a news conference on May 20, 2020.
Preview.ph. Minor edits have been done by PEP.ph editors.