Border checks under COVID-19 will end in Japan on May 8

The government announced on Monday that, in a significant move toward normalizing social and economic activities, Japan will end the current border controls on foreign visitors starting on May 8 in accordance with its choice to classify COVID-19 as a common disease that same day.

The government will also launch a new genomic surveillance program, where participants who exhibit symptoms like fever are voluntarily tested, with the goal of finding new infectious diseases.

Visitors arriving at five major airports -- Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, and Fukuoka -- will be governed by the new framework, which is set to go into effect when COVID-19's legal status is downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza early next month.

Japan will ease border control measures on all arrivals from mainland China from Wednesday and give them the option of entering the country by presenting proof of being inoculated with three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, visitors from mainland China must present proof of a negative coronavirus test 72 hours or less before departure. The government will continue its sample testing for arrivals.

Japan has altered its tentative measures for COVID-19 testing due to the infection status at home and abroad, as well as border control steps taken by other Group of Seven nations.