Foreign nationals are barred from entering Japan due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The decision was announced by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday and will take effect from midnight tomorrow.
“We are handling the Omicron variant with a sense of crisis,” Kishida told reporters. “It seems to be expanding around the world, so we will continue to look at further strengthening our border control measures.”
The new ban will cover foreign students, trainees and workers going to Japan, and business travelers on short trips, reports say.
Previously, under the relaxation, which was announced three weeks ago, vaccinated business travelers could travel to Japan after a quarantine period as short as three days.
Kishida said Japanese returnees from South Africa, neighboring countries and other countries with omicron variant would have to be quarantined in government-controlled facilities.
