Japan will extend most of the border cuts until the end of February Business and Economics

Tokyo banned non-Japanese new entrants in November, including students and relatives, in response to Omicron.

Japan will maintain strict entry restrictions to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus until the end of February, its prime minister said on Tuesday, although some exceptions to humanitarian issues could be considered.

The country accepted some of the strictest border controls in the world when the Omicron variant appeared late last year, banning all new entrants from non-Japanese, including foreign students and families of Japanese or permanent residents, unless there were exceptional circumstances.

Rules, in some cases, they have separated families, sparked protests and a demand for change, and the media on Tuesday said the government was considering easing some rules in exceptional cases.

“G7’s toughest border regulations have allowed us to keep Omicron’s deployment to a minimum, giving it time to prepare to fight domestic infection,” Kishida told reporters.

“We will maintain the current framework until the end of February, while taking the necessary measures from a humanitarian and national perspective.”

Kishida added that although much is unknown about Omicron, the risk of serious cases seems to be lower. However, the country said children under the age of 12 would start getting vaccinated against coronavirus.

Admission to Japan is currently limited to citizens and permanent residents, but they have strict testing and quarantine rules.

More stringent measures

The rise in new COVID-19 cases in several parts of the country has risen to unprecedented levels since September when the government reintroduced emergency restrictions over three locations in the country hosting U.S. military bases over the weekend.

The U.S. agreed over the weekend to impose more stringent measures on COVID-19 in U.S. military bases in Japan amid concerns that base outbreaks have caused infection in local communities. The U.S. military has brought in and evacuated workers under a separate test and quarantine regime.