Although much of Japan is now under a quasi-state of emergency, the government has continued to ease entry restrictions into the country by reducing the self-isolation period for international returnees. As reported by The Japan Times, the quarantine period has been reduced from ten days to seven days – the change went into effect from Saturday January 29. This affects returnees coming into Japan, including Japanese citizens and foreign residents, however the country is still closed to tourists and new foreign arrivals.
On January 14, the government initially reduced the quarantine period from 14 days to ten. However, based on scientific evidence from Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the move to further reduce the self-isolation period follows research that the risk of developing symptoms from the Omicron variant is less than one percent on the tenth day after coming into contact with the virus. On the other hand, the risk of developing symptoms is about five percent on the seventh day.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced last Friday that Japan would also be shortening the quarantine time for people who have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19. Previously, the quarantine time for close contacts was ten days, but it has now been reduced to seven.
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