Japan to Step Up Border Curbs on Visitors From China on Jan. 8

(Bloomberg) -- Japan will require more stringent Covid-19 testing from Sunday on visitors coming from China, risking further irritating its neighbor as it tries to prevent a sharp increase in cases that could put new strains on its medical system.

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Arrivals from the Chinese mainland will be required to undergo a quantitative antigen test or a PCR test, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference Wednesday. He added those who come on a direct flight from the Chinese mainland would be required to provide proof of a negative test.

Kishida’s government in late December put in place temporary restrictions on visitors from China aimed at preventing an increase in cases coming into Japan. They included travelers from mainland China and those who were there within seven days being subject to a Covid test upon arrival.

End of Covid Zero Risks Overwhelming China With Infections

The world’s most populous nation has rapidly abandoned the mass testing, lockdowns and centralized quarantine that defined its three year-old Covid Zero policy. Yet little time has been spent putting in place the mitigation measures needed to deal with the resulting explosion in cases, which could total 5.6 million a day at the peak, according to some estimates.

While visitors have begun to return to Japan in the past few months, arrivals from China have remained minuscule compared with before the pandemic, when they made up the largest group. About 21,000 mainland Chinese people arrived in Japan in November, down on 750,000 visitors in November 2019. Japan reopened its borders in October.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning this week vowed to hit back at nations imposing Covid travel curbs on its travelers.

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