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.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
RSS