Japan Orders Airlines Stop Selling Inbound Tickets Through January 1, 2022

Japan’s government on Wednesday ordered airlines to stop selling inbound tickets for the country for a month through January 1, 2022.

Eligible passengers, mainly Japanese nationals and select foreign residents, are still allowed to enter on existing bookings but may now have to quarantine at government-designated facilities for up to 10 days.

Japan in early November slightly relaxed entry requirements to allow business visitors, students, and those coming for training to enter the country with variable quarantine lengths. These were ended yesterday due to the Omicron variant that is quickly spreading around the world.

Here’s an excerpt from Kyodo News:

The Japanese government said Wednesday it had asked airlines to stop accepting reservations for inbound international flights, while announcing it will deny entry to all foreigners from 10 African countries feared to have outbreaks of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.

The transport ministry’s request to airlines means all Japanese citizens and foreign residents will effectively be locked out of the country, which confirmed the same day its second case of the potentially highly contagious strain.

The measure will come into effect Thursday and remain in place “for the time being,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference. Japan has already banned new entries of foreigners from around the world.

Here’s an excerpt from Japan Times:

In a stunning move, the transportation ministry Wednesday directed airlines to halt reservations for incoming flights to Japan for one month amid growing fears over the omicron coronavirus variant.

The ministry described the move as “an emergency measure.” People with existing bookings will still be able to fly into Japan.

The decision came after the country reported a second case of the omicron variant. The strain was detected in a male in his 20s who returned from Peru and landed at Narita Airport in Tokyo on Saturday.

Here’s a quarantine update:

Download (PDF, 271KB)

Conclusion

It is an unprecedented move to order airlines to stop selling inbound tickets for a month or an undisclosed time. How are Japanese citizens supposed to return to the country if airlines are not allowed to transport them?

I am becoming more pessimistic about Japan’s reopening foreign visitor arrivals with reasonable restrictions in 2022. Perhaps by 2023, we can again enter the country?