Infection status of COVID-19 in Japan and utilization of vaccine passport for overseas travel

Abstract

In Japan, people infected with the new corona-virus were recognized for the first time in January 2020, the number of infected people increased, and a state of emergency was issued in April. Event-holding was limited and business hours were also shortened due to the state, and restaurant opening hours were also restricted at the same time. Economic activity was greatly affected focusing on the service industry. This infectious disease pandemic is a kind of disaster and tourism related companies, including transportation and restaurants, are being mostly affected. The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan (inbound tourists) decreased drastically after the outbreak of the infectious disease and domestic tourists were also on the decline. The following measures are required to turn the economy around as soon as possible as a game change, namely: deregulating overseas travel, participation in an event, and eating out for vaccinated persons while avoiding the risk of infection. In this paper, the decrease of inbound tourists and economic conditions due to the COVID-19 pqandemic are verified, and a travel process combined with PCR tests for vaccinated persons is proposed to relax overseas travel regulations.