Quarantine-Exempt Travel Opens to Japan in November

Governor David Ige. Courtesy photo

In October, Hawai‘i brought back mainland travel with the possibility of a quarantine exemption via a negative COVID-19 test. Come November, international travel will return under the same guidelines.

Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday that beginning Nov. 6, travelers from Japan may bypass Hawaiʻi’s mandatory 14-day quarantine if they pass a trusted coronavirus test within 72 hours of departure and receive a negative result.

“Many of Hawaiʻi’s residents trace their ancestry back to Japan, and welcoming our Japanese guests back to Hawaiʻi is an important step in maintaining the close relationship between our two regions,” said Gov. David Ige.

Japanese nationals traveling abroad are still subject to a 14-day quarantine upon their return to the country. Travel restrictions on US travel to Japan remain in place.

“There is a strong cross-cultural relationship between the people of Japan and Hawai‘i, which over time, has forged a foundation of mutual respect,” said Hawai‘i Tourism Authority president and CEO John De Fries. “Historically, the Japan traveler to Hawaiʻi has been mindful and sensitive to our local ways and cultural traditions. At a time when we in Hawaiʻi seek to resuscitate our economy, the resumption of trans-Pacific travel from Japan is welcomed news.”

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has already approved the use of the COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) conducted by a laboratory authorized by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for the pre-travel test.

The following 21 trusted testing partners in Japan have been approved as of Oct. 27, 2020: