• Hawaii adds pre-testing travel program to Japan

    October 27, 2020
    October 27, 2020
     
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    HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige announced today that starting Friday, Nov. 6, travelers from Japan may bypass the State of Hawaiʻi’s mandatory 14-day quarantine if they take a COVID-19 test from a trusted testing partner in Japan. The test must be taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure and the test must be negative.

    This pre-travel testing program is one layer of the state’s comprehensive Safe Travels Hawaiʻi program that makes every step of the travel process safer – from pre-arrival testing to post-arrival accommodations and experiences.

    “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, “We believe we have created the safest travel testing program in the country, and we are grateful to the Japanese government for assisting us in making our pre-travel testing program available to its residents.”

    The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) has 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 October 27, 2020:
    Name Prefecture HP
    Sapporo Higashi Tokushukai Hospital Hokkaido https://www.higashi-tokushukai.or.jp/
    National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Center Hospital Tokyo http://travelclinic.ncgm.go.jp/index.html
    St Luke's International Hospital Tokyo http://hospital.luke.ac.jp/
    Nishi-Shinbashi Clinic Tokyo https://www.tramedic.com/
    Kameda Kyobashi Clinic Tokyo http://www.kameda-kyobashi.com/ja/
    Tokyo Medical University Hospital Tokyo https://hospinfo.tokyo-med.ac.jp/
    Mita Kokusai Building Clinic Tokyo https://www.mkb-clinic.jp/
    Loco Clinic Tokyo https://loco-clinic.com/
    Karada Internal Medicine Clinic Tokyo https://karada-naika.com/
    T Care Clinic Hamamatsucho Tokyo https://www.tcclinic.jp/pc/
    Shiba Kokusai Clinic Tokyo http://shibakoku-clinic.com/
    CLINIC FOR Tamachi Tokyo https://www.clinicfor.life/tamachi/
    CLINIC FOR Otemachi Tokyo https://www.clinicfor.life/otemachi/
    Kameda Medical Center Chiba http://www.kameda.com/ja/general/
    Shonan Kamakura General Hospital Kanagawa https://www.skgh.jp/
    Travel Clinic Shin-Yokohama Kanagawa https://travelclinics.jp/
    Fujita Health University Hospital Aichi https://hospital.fujita-hu.ac.jp/
    Fujita Health University Bantane Hospital Aichi https://bantane.fujita-hu.ac.jp/
    Fujita Health University Okazaki Medical Center Aichi https://okazaki.fujita-hu.ac.jp/
    Nozaki Tokushukai Hospital Osaka https://nozaki.tokushukai.or.jp/
    Yamasaki Family Clinic Hyogo https://yamasaki-family-clinic.com/

    "I appreciate that the members of the Japan-Hawaii Legislators' Friendship Association have worked with us to enable Japanese citizens to use the pre-travel test quarantine exemption. We look forward to welcoming the people of Japan back to Hawaiʻi. We will continue to work to reduce the number of COVID cases in Hawaiʻi so that we can also visit Japan soon," said Speaker of the House, Scott K. Saiki.

    Speaker Scott K. Saiki is the Chair of the Japan-Hawaii Legislators' Friendship Association. Established in December 2013, the Association has worked to strengthen the relationship between Japan and Hawaiʻi through discussions on economic, political, military, and other issues relevant to Japan and Hawaiʻi.

    “Mahalo to our health partners in Japan for working with Hawaiʻi to implement this next phase of the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi program. The program is an extra layer of safety for the people of Hawaiʻi and our visitors, and it has restored hope for many people. We are anxious to welcome back our Japanese travelers and look forward to Japan and Hawaiʻi’s continued relationship,” said Hawaiʻi’s Lt. Gov. Josh Green.

    “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. 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,” said Hawai‘i Tourism Authority president and CEO John De Fries.

    “On behalf of the travelling public, ANA would like to thank Governor Ige, Speaker Saiki, and those involved with developing and implementing the Pre-Travel Testing Program. We hope that with appropriate health and safety measures with additional layers of testing like the PTTP, we can resume air travel between Japan and Hawaiʻi.” said Hiro Noguchi, Station Manager Honolulu Airport Office, ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS CO., LTD.

    “We look forward to supporting the phased reopening of travel between Japan and Hawai‘i by welcoming onboard more of our Japanese guests with enhanced health protocols to keep travelers and our islands safe,” said Peter Ingram, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaiian Airlines.

    “It is a welcome news for those ready to travel between Hawai‘i and Japan with today’s announcement of the State of Hawai‘i pre-travel testing program. These measures can provide a safe and secure travel experience for our customers, and serve as an opportunity for more travel between Hawai‘i and Japan one step at a time. Japan Airlines will continue to undertake measures to ensure safety and health of local communities and visitors as a priority,” said Hiroshi Kuroda, Vice President and Regional Manager Hawaiʻi, Region, U.S.A., Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.

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

    For more information visit hawaiicovid19.com. and https://www.allhawaii.jp/covid19/