Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
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Although Israel made a similar announcement over the weekend (see Corona communique), Japan becomes the first G7 country to close its borders to foreign nationals due to the emergence and rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida - who replaced Yoshihide Suga less than 2 months ago - made the following announcement in a press conference a few hours ago.
Press Conference by the Prime Minister regarding Border Control Measures and Other Matters Related to the Omicron Strain of COVID-19
November 29, 2021
[Provisional translation]
(Regarding border control measures related to the Omicron strain of COVID-19)
I strongly want to make a direct request to my fellow citizens for their cooperation as we take urgent countermeasures in response to the Omicron strain.
As the virulence of the Omicron strain, its ability to infect people who are already fully vaccinated, and so on are still being analyzed internationally by networks of experts, these analyses are not yet completed.
However, the WHO designated it a variant of concern on the 26th. Accordingly, as an emergency evacuation type of precautionary measure intended to avoid the worst-possible situation for Japan, we will first of all prohibit entry into Japan by foreign nationals from anywhere globally beginning at midnight (0:00AM) on November 30.
And, regarding Japanese nationals and others returning to Japan from the 14 countries and regions where infections have been confirmed, in addition to the nine nations including South Africa, we will implement strict quarantine measures at designated facilities, in accordance with the risk of infection.
These are all provisional and extraordinary measures taken out of an abundance of caution until information on the Omicron strain becomes clarified to some extent.
I will add that Japan enjoys the highest rate of vaccination among the G7 nations and also has seen the least amount of time pass since the second dose of the vaccination was administered.
As for cooperation from the citizens towards restraining their behavior, including the wearing of masks, the state of affairs in Japan has been praised by the international community.
In my perception, Japan’s resistance to the risks associated with the Omicron strain is stronger than that of any other country in the world.
I call on all citizens to respond to this situation in a level-headed manner.
We are carrying out political administration under the approach that we should respond to unknown risks with extreme caution.
As for any criticisms that Kishida is overly cautious even though the situation remains unknown, I am fully prepared to shoulder all responsibility as we tackle this challenge.
I ask for the understanding of the citizens who will be inconvenienced as a result of these measures that account for unlikely possibilities. As for the specifics, I would like to have those in charge of administrative matters explain them once again. Thank you.
While the number of nations taking these sorts of drastic actions remains small - if enough follow suit - we could revisit some of the economic and supply chain problems that plagued the world during the opening months of the COVID pandemic in 2020.
