Hi!
I’m Nathan and welcome back to Ninja monkey.
The place for all things related to Japan,
I do the research so that you don’t have to, and put all the readily available information
into one place.
So if you are a potential tourist or wanting to travel for any other reason, don’t miss
any future updates by making sure you Subscribe and hit the like button too
Team, it’s really good to say that each week I am able to bring some more good news
or at least some information pointing towards Japan’s reopening for ALL tourists.
We might not have the full picture yet but with each update I feel more confident that
we will soon know.
Therefore, in this update I will continue to highlight some important stories and information
that will help us stay in the loop of what’s happening, hopefully leading to helping you
make informed decisions.
We will be looking at an extension to who can enter under special circumstances and
also exploring the possibility of a raise or removal of the entry cap among some other
snippets of info that might be of interest so make sure you watch all the way to the
end, not only to help the channel out but also so that you don’t miss anything of
importance!
Let’s start off with the nitty gritty as we always do, briefly checking out booster
rates and the situation in Tokyo and nationwide.
As from June 3rd, 59.5% of the population has now received their third dose.
And 89.2% of those aged 65 years or older have now received their booster shots too.
6,304 (4th) Doses have also been administered by the way, with most doses going to the elderly
population.
Tokyo’s hospital occupancy now stands at 18.1% of standard covid beds in use, that’s
938 patients admitted into hospital in Tokyo.
And although the overall percentage has actually risen this week, this is as a result of a
reduction in beds being set aside for Covid patients, previously this number was 7,216
beds, and this has been reduced to 5,189!
This is a very positive move and an indicator that the health system is coping well.
And, in terms of severe patients there are 14 reported in Tokyo, that’s 3% of the 473
beds set aside for severe patients in Tokyo.
Actually, more severe patients than last week but also a reduction in severe beds set aside
which is also very positive.
And to give further positive news and a good overview of the situation.
Tokyo is actually on the 21st day in a row of declining cases.
And now that we have a clearer picture of the situation in Japan, let's look at all
the important stories since the last update.
Previously family visits have been restricted to first and second degree family members,
mainly parents, grandparents, siblings, children and grandchildren of Japanese nationals or
long-term foreign residents.
The good news is that Japan has expanded the list of people allowed into the country under
“Special exceptional circumstances” to include visits by extended family members.
And under the Civil code, this is defined as a spouse or blood relative within six degrees
of kinship or in-laws within the third degree of kinship.
This will create even more opportunities for family members to visit their loved ones.
(I’ll be leaving some handy links on my website www.ninjasaru.com if you are interested).
Additionally, People who are in a relationship with a resident of Japan, equivalent to a
relative, for example, engaged couples and partners in a common-law marriage will also
be allowed entry, according to the government.
However, it seems that for these couples wanting to enter the country, a lot of paperwork will
likely be required, and I expect that the process will not be very straightforward as
you will need to provide proof of your relationship, when applying for the visa.
Japanese residents inviting their partners to visit will need to fill out a letter of
invitation and agree to a pledge to make sure the visitor follows entry rules and covid
measures, such as social distancing or wearing a mask when necessary.
Crucially, they also need to confirm that the purpose of the visit is not for tourism.
A relationship equivalent to a relative “could include a partner in a same-sex marriage,”
a Justice Ministry official said, with the government making a judgment on a case-by-case
basis.
It is very important to note and not get your hopes up too, as for now, people in relationships
are not included, according to a Foreign Ministry official.
Team, I believe that this might actually be the last barrier before individual tourism
is allowed in.
What do you think?
Japan has been increasing the list of people that can enter the country with each daily
cap increase, and I don’t believe there are any other groups of people barred from
entering the country other than tourists and couples, and I expect non common-law couples
to be included and likely allowed entry at the same time as tourists.
I can understand how frustrating it must be for those in relationships who cannot enter,
but hopefully you will not need to wait much longer.
Japan has reopened in what I think has been (yes, a painfully slow process) but at least
they have now allowed all major groups entry into the country, leaving a clear path for
individual tourism to return once hopefully the majority of couples and family members
sort out their entry.
As always, I’d love to know your situation.
Are you a tourist frustrated with waiting to enter?
A family member rejoicing at the prospect of being able to visit your loved ones?
Do you fall into the category of a partner who can finally apply for entry or are you
a couple who cannot see each other yet?
- Let me know in the comment section, and if you are not part of the discord group,
then perhaps you might want to consider joining to interact with like minded awesome people
and always receive the latest news and info even before these updates go out!
Actually, a side note, If you find value in my content, how about showing your appreciation
by becoming part of the patreon community or making a one off donation by using YouTube’s
New Super Thanks feature that is kind of like a super chat but for normal videos.
You can also make a one off Paypal donation too?
And if you don’t want to, that perfectly fine, hitting the like button also helps!
So back to the video.
Now for less confirmed information but likely to happen as now various outlets are starting
to report that The Japanese government is considering raising the daily cap on the number
of entries into the country to 30,000 on July 1.
In fact, Interestingly it is said that within the government, there are also a proposal
to scrap the daily entry cap altogether.
Currently the cap is set at 20,000 daily entries and countries and regions are categorised
into “blue,” “yellow” and “red” in terms of coronavirus transmission risks.
Check out the last update for a more detailed overview of who can enter.
Reports point at the government planning to expand the daily entry cap further as a result
of the new entry conditions which means less stringent measures freeing up resources at
airports and entry points.
“We’re aiming to gradually bring the acceptance to ordinary levels,” ...
... “We will make appropriate decisions based on the needs and state of infections
in Japan and elsewhere, as well as the border measures of key countries,” Chief Cabinet
Secretary Matsuno said at a news conference Wednesday.
Team, I think it is clear that the entry cap needs to be removed completely.
However, it is not known if this will be the case.
The removal of the entry cap will likely be one of the biggest indicators for the return
of individual tourism.
If they do announce raising the entry cap to 30,000 people in the Month of July, then
it will certainly mean that individual tourism will likely not return in the Month of July.
It would be quite a headache having so many tourists needing to apply for documentation
for entry and 30,000 will likely not be enough as this would include business travel, students,
workers, family members, some couples and Japanese returnees.
In fact the current group tours that will be starting on the 10th of June are run by
Japanese tour groups, have predetermined itineraries and those participating will need to follow
specific tour guidelines that will actually likely be announced on the 7th of June.
This is certainly a date you should pencil in as my guess is that these rules will likely
continue in the coming months even if individual tourism does return.
And who knows we might even hear some other official tourism related news too!
The guidelines will be based on the results of the ongoing group tour trials.
Perhaps we will see group tourism opening up to tour operators from other countries
in the month of July with these travel agencies required to prove infection prevention measures
for tourists, research medical institutions ahead of time that can deal with foreign language-speaking
patients and set initial response measures that tour guides should take when tour participants
are found to be infected.
Hopefully we will find out soon.
Team, many of the things that do need to be in place before individual tourism does return
are slowly happening.
And this is something that we must keep in mind.
For example, Japan is planning to allow more regional airports to accept entrants from
abroad.
The government is also aware of the weakened yen and the benefits this could bring the
country through tourism as weaker yen gives tourists more purchasing power due to the
yen recently hitting a 20-year lows against the U.S. dollar.
"The resumption of inbound tourism carries great significance in that the benefits of
the weak yen can be felt," ...
..."We will enable regional airports such as Sendai (in northeastern Japan) to resume
accepting international flights, in consultation with local governments," Kishida said.
At present, as part of restrictions international flights can only land in 5 Japanese airports
being Haneda, Narita, Kansai, Chubu and Fukuoka.
Naha and New Chitose airports, which are airports close to popular tourist spots in Okinawa
and Hokkaido, are set to resume accepting international flights by the end of June.
All in all Team, although slow in progress, I can say with confidence that this has been
a positive update.
Would you agree?
As always I look forward to reading thoughts in the comment section and hopefully seeing
you in the chat section of a future live stream where we not only discuss Japan’s border
situation but also talk about Japan related topics too!
Anyway Team, thanks so much for sticking with me through this journey!
And if you’ve watched all the way to the end then thanks a million!
Stay positive team!
(but covid negative) Till next time, I’ll continue researching and keeping an eye on
all updates until the next video!
So.. till then, Arigatou, gracias, thanks bye!