The Japanese government is extending the entry ban for non-residents and non-citizens until at least the end of February 2022. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced this at a press conference on Tuesday.

Due to the Omikron-Corona variant, Japan decided that the borders have been closed again since November 30, 2021. Persons with a place of residence, residence permit or citizenship are excluded from this ban. However, they have to undergo an extensive quarantine.

"The infection situations with regard to Omikron are significantly different at home than abroad, so the framework conditions for the current border controls will remain in place until the end of February," said the Japanese head of government. The maximum number of people authorized to enter is still around 3.500 people per day.

The decision of the government was received with mixed feelings on the part of the airline All Nippon Airways. Shinya Katanozaka, President of ANA Holdings, is quoted in a broadcast as saying: "We long for practical antivirus measures and simultaneous promotion of social and economic activities". The company hopes that international tourism can resume as soon as possible, but does not want to make any predictions about possible times.