Japan’s PM extends strict entry ban until end of February amid Omicron concerns

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday an entry ban on non-resident foreigners to the country will be further extended until the end of February.

“The framework of the current border controls will be maintained until the end of February,” Kishida told reporters Tuesday morning.

The entry ban on non-resident foreigners to the country in its current form has been in place since Nov. 30, following Japan’s first case of the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The current border control measures, which prohibit entry to Japan by non-resident foreigners and require returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents to quarantine in government-designated facilities, have been initially put in place for about a month.

Kishida had suggested on a TV program recently that a formal decision whether to continue with the strict entry ban in its current form would be decided once the weekend finished.