Taipei and Tokyo have agreed to grant entry to each other’s business travelers, marking Taiwan’s first air corridor with another nation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Taiwan on June 22 started allowing business travelers from designated nations to enter under certain conditions, including providing a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result obtained within three days of boarding their flight.
The government at the time listed Japan as a medium-risk country, meaning people arriving from Japan could apply for a shorter quarantine period.
Photo: CNA
Since Japan was removed from the list on Aug. 5 when its COVID-19 cases spiked, arrivals from Japan have been required to undergo 14 days of isolation, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
The Japanese government yesterday agreed to reopen its borders to business travelers from Taiwan, after bilateral negotiations started on July 22, the ministry said, referring the public to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Web site for details.
Japan’s new policy is to take effect from Tuesday next week, when it would start a “residence track” for business travelers from Taiwan, the association announced on its Web site.
Photo: Reuters
To apply for a visa, Taiwanese businesspeople need to present a job employment certificate or work invitation to the association, the ministry said.
They would need a negative PCR test result obtained within three days of boarding their flight and would be required to take another test upon arriving in Japan, where they would also undergo 14 days of isolation at home or a designated facility, it added.
As strong partners and close friends, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other in the wake of many natural disasters, and collaborated to evacuate citizens stranded in other countries due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, it said.
The two nations hope to continue to boost economic ties and work together to combat the pandemic, it said.
Japan’s new policy also applies to travelers from Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar, after it first eased restrictions for those from Thailand and Vietnam, Kyodo News reported yesterday.
Japan denies entry to foreign nationals who have recently been to any of 159 countries and regions, including the US, China and all of Europe, it reported.
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