Japan mulls relaxing re-entry ban on foreign residents

The Japanese government is planning to relax the strict re-entry ban on foreign residents who were locked out since April as the government attempted to stem the spread of COVID-19, local media reported on Friday.

According to public broadcaster NHK, the government is considering allowing all residential status holders to re-enter the country as early as next month.

Foreign residents who wish to re-enter Japan must take PCR virus tests and quarantine themselves for two weeks at designated hotels. These measures are similar to those currently taken for Japanese travelers, according to the report.

About 2.6 million foreigners hold resident status in Japan. The government aims to expand the testing capabilities at Narita and two other major airports to 10,000 people per day next month to meet the demand.

Currently, Japan denies entry of foreigners from 146 countries and areas. Earlier this month, the government allowed re-entry of some foreign nationals, but the measure only applied to those who went abroad before the entry ban was implemented on April 3.