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Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Tokyo (May 5, 2020)
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14 MINUTE READ
May 5, 2020

Location: Japan

State of Emergency in Japan

Japan continues to experience community transmission of COVID-19 cases. On May 4, 2020, Prime Minister Abe announced the extension of the state of emergency through May 31, 2020 in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Please continue to follow the measures the Prime Minister has outlined, such as avoiding closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings, as well as refraining from crossing prefectural borders unless absolutely necessary.

Prefectural governors and local officials have also announced measures that vary by prefecture. The U.S. Embassy strongly urges U.S. citizens to comply with all measures in their locality under the state of emergency declaration, particularly during the ongoing Golden Week holiday.

Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Young recorded a video message to U.S. citizens on May 1, 2020, available here.

U.S. Mission Japan personnel continue to follow United States and Japanese Government recommended practices promoting social distancing and minimizing non-essential travel. U.S. Mission Japan staff have also been advised to avoid public transportation during peak hours, and to follow Government of Japan guidance to refrain from crossing prefectural borders unless absolutely necessary.

Reduction in International Flights

International flights are currently available in Japan, but service continues to diminish. Only five percent of pre-COVID capacity between Japan and the United States (including Guam) remains in service, and further reductions are scheduled. Direct flights between the United States and Japan are currently only available from Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports. U.S. citizens who wish to return to the United States should make arrangements to do so via commercial air immediately unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period. The U.S. government does not anticipate staging repatriation flights in Japan. U.S. citizens who reside abroad should avoid all international travel.

Suspension of Routine Passport and Citizenship Services

The U.S. Department of State has suspended processing of routine passport and citizenship services. Until further notice, we are only able to issue limited validity emergency passports. Because of this suspension, we are unable to issue Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for infants and children. However, we can document the child’s citizenship with an emergency passport and strongly encourage families to apply for such documentation. To request an appointment for an emergency passport, please contact the Embassy or consulate nearest you for assistance.

Resources in Japan

Below are sources of local COVID-19 information in English. This list is not exhaustive:

U.S. citizens should closely monitor trusted local news sources and local authorities’ communications for updates and information.

Japanese immigration officials announced new measures to reduce congestion in waiting rooms. They have extended the period of application for certain types of visa extensions and residency applications, and increased the waiting time for decisions in certain cases. More information can be found online here.

The Japan National Tourism Organization maintains up-to-date information on screening and quarantine measures for travelers. It also operates a 24/7 visitor hotline, available in English. To call from Japan: 050-3816-2787; from overseas: +81-50-3816-2787.

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare also has a 24/7 hotline at +81-3-3595-2176 with English-speaking operators, and has a Q&A on the new measures.

The Association of Medical Doctors of Asia Medical Information Center are operating a hotline to assist foreign nationals in Japan with questions about COVID-19. It is available from 10:00 to 17:00, and can be reached at 03-6233-9266. More information can be found here.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched a multilingual call center on COVID-19 for foreign residents. They can be reached by phone from 10:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday, at 0120-296-004. Callers should note that the initial recording is in Japanese, but if you hold the line you can be assisted in English.

Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel: The Department of State has issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory for COVID-19.

CDC Travel Notice for Japan: On March 21, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 3 Warning (Avoid Nonessential Travel) for COVID-19 in Japan.

Actions to Take:

Assistance:

Alerts, News, U.S. Citizen Services
Tokyo