Great News! Japan May Consider to Open Borders to Australians Soon
The travel ban in Japan might lift as early as next month
It seems that things are turning good for Australians. After the recent decline in the number of cases in Victoria, Aussies have got another reason to be happy. Japan may open borders for our dear Aussies soon.
According to a report by Nikkei Asian Review, the travel ban in Japan might lift as early as next month, and the border opening might be allowed for people who belong to Level 2 countries.
As of Monday, Japan has placed 159 countries and regions, which includes China and the US at level 3. It urges the nationals of Japan to avoid travelling to these countries and regions for any reason. Next month, Japan will classify some countries (10 probably) to Level 2 and might consider to open borders to citizens of those countries (Although, Japan still advises its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to these countries). The list of Level 2 countries might include Vietnam, New Zealand, Belgium, Brunei, and you guessed it, Australia.
It must be mentioned here that though Japan would open borders soon, a two-week quarantine will still apply to Aussies who travel to Japan or Japan citizens who travel to Australia.
Japan might also decide to move into a negotiation phase with 16 nations, including Taiwan and China, to start talks regarding starting business travel again. The country also plans to allow foreigners to stay in Japan for more than three months of they have permission and belong to a country that is categorized as Level 2 or lower than that.
Even if Japan considers to open borders to Australians, the Australian government will need to decide whether it can allow Aussies to travel to Japan or not. As per the Nikkei Asian Review, “the receiving country has the power to accept or reject their entry.”
Some over-optimistic people might consider that if Japan would open borders that it might be a sign of things returning to normal. We hate to burst the happy bubble by mentioning that things are not fully sorted in Victoria yet, and we must consider that before we make travel plans to Japan or the EU. It is not the first time a country/state has considered allowing entry to Australians, Hawaii and Maldives have already tried it. Let’s see how fruitful Japan’s effort prove to be.
