Japan to maintain strict border restrictions until end of February

FILE PHOTO: Passengers wearing protective face masks are pictured at a train station, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Tokyo, Japan, January 7, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will maintain its tight entry restrictions to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus until the end of February, the prime minister said on Tuesday, though some exceptions for humanitarian reasons may be considered.

Japan adopted some of the strictest border controls in the world when the Omicron variant emerged late last year, banning all new entry by non-Japanese people, including students and foreign family members of Japanese or permanent residents, except in exceptional circumstances.