Apr 5, 2021

Current Immigration Policies?

Does anyone know the current rules for leaving and reentering the country if you have a work visa. Even when I try to search, I am not really clear on the rules.

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ReishiiTravels

Teacher, Traveler, Dancer -
Currently living in Gifu -
I love Japan, dance, cats, food, and fashion!

4 Answers

edthethe

on Apr 5

I want to know this same thing. I don't have a work visa, but spousal. However I really want to visit family in the US. Everything written seems to say that Japan won't let non-japanese into Japan. But that can't be true because a friend left Japan to the US for a family medical emergency and was able to return. However an ALT position here in my town is struggling to fill the position because the person they hired isn't being allowed into Japan.

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SalarymanJim

on Apr 5

I had a quick look at the Ministry of Justice page to see what the situation is and I've also come away feeling a bit unsure. This is the document I checked: Regarding denial of landing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus) - March 18, 2021 http://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001338898.pdf As far as I can see, apart from a handful of countries, permission to enter Japan from most countries is being refused unless there are "special exceptional circumstances," which sounds like matters of life or death until you read on and it says, "Foreign nationals entering Japan with re-entry permit (including a special re-entry permit," are deemed as those with special exceptional circumstances. I think mid-to-long-term residents with a "gaijin card" these days all have a re-entry permit, don't they? Whether or not this means you are free to leave Japan in the first place and then return, I can't tell from the document. It would also seem to be in conflict with many things I've read on social media about people who have been unable to return to Japan despite having family and work in the country. I think the best thing to do is to put in a call to an immigration bureau and speak to an official.

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edthethe

on Apr 5

I found this.... https://tokyocheapo.com/travel/guide-to-arriving-in-japan-during-covid-19/ "While foreign tourists are not expected to be permitted to enter Japan before April 2021, legal foreign residents who want to return are permitted to do so."

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TonetoEdo

on May 1

Are you an American citizen? The US Embassy in Japan website was updated on April 27th and has pretty clear guidance for Americans intending to return to the U.S. https://jp.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/ JAL has a comprehensive guide listing the measures taken by various countries. https://www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/info/2020/other/flysafe/flights-service/quarantine-immigration/

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