Tokyo | Sat, September 12, 2020 | 07:13 pm
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday that Japan will start short-term business travel with Singapore from Sept. 18, marking the first time Tokyo has agreed to allow business people to join without needing a 14-day period of self-isolation in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It will be an significant move forward as Japan resumes its foreign travels gradually,” Motegi said at a press conference. “There have been significant business needs for travel between Japan and Singapore, for example in finance and logistics.”
According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, business exchanges will be approved under conditions such as pre-departure and post-arrival coronavirus checking, presentation of an itinerary of their stay, restricting their travel to between where they are staying and the workplace and not using public transport.
Motegi and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan declared the resumption in a joint statement, in which they said it would help “restore ties and boost economic recovery” for the two countries.
Japan has already resumed travel to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia , Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam for expatriates and other long-term residents. But the arrangements would enable them to stay at home or at a specified location 14 days after arrival
Japan is also in talks with Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, New Zealand and South Korea to ease travel restrictions.
