Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

[1][2][3][4] The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (Japan) (NIID) has determined from its genetic research that the COVID-19 variant of the first wave is derived from the Wuhan type that is prevalent in patients from China and East Asia.

After entering Japan in January through travellers and returnees from China, the virus resulted in numerous infection clusters across the country before moving towards its disappearance in March.

[5][6] The first wave was followed by a second one that originated from a COVID-19 variant of the European type that is traced back to early patients from France, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

[19] On 1 February, a passenger of the Diamond Princess cruise ship who had visited Hong Kong earlier tested positive.

[20] On 3 February, the government announced entry restrictions for foreign citizens who had travelled in Hubei Province or had a Chinese passport issued from there.

[21] On 12 February, the government announced entry restrictions for all foreign citizens who had travelled in Zhejiang Province or had a Chinese passport issued from there.

[28] On 23 February, the US State Department raised its travel alert for Japan to level 2 on the four-level advisory scale due to the "sustained community spread" of COVID-19 within the country.

[48][49][50] The government announced a 1 trillion yen ($9.6 billion) emergency package for businesses, including zero-interest loans for small and midsize companies and subsidies for freelance workers.

[70] On 25 March, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) officials announced 71 people tested positive,[71] including 41 cases in Tokyo.

[72] Governor Koike held an emergency press conference in the late afternoon to reaffirm the seriousness of the situation and asked people remain inside voluntarily for the next two weeks.

[74] On 26 March, several governors of the Greater Tokyo Area, including Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Yamanashi, urged residents to follow stay-at-home requests to prevent a surge in infections.

[76] On 27 March, MHLW officials announced 112 people had tested positive in a single day, including three Hanshin Tigers professional baseball players.

[77][78] On 28 March, Prime Minister Abe held a press briefing about economic measures being prepared by the Japanese government[79][80] amid concerns of infections increasing.

[109][110] On April 13, a second wave of infections hit Hokkaido, prompting the prefectural government to declare a second state of emergency that closed schools and that asked residents to avoid non-essential trips.

[113] On 20 April, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced 25 deaths in a single day, the highest number of daily nationwide confirmed fatalities.

[119] On 30 April, Prime Minister Abe announced that Japanese authorities were having difficulty increasing the availability of COVID tests.

[126] From 6 to 7 May, Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Nishimura engaged in a dispute in the press and social media about the government's requirements to lift the state of emergency.

[131] On 10 May, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Kato Katsunobu announced plans to provide government subsidies to assist businesses with paying workers, following COVID-related impacts to sales.

[153][154] On 6 June, following rising infection numbers, economic revitalization minister Nishimura said that he and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike would discuss prevention measures for young people and nightlife districts.

[171][174][175] In a survey, doctors reported declining work conditions at over 20% of hospitals, including "dismissals, salary reductions and forced closures".

[194] On 25 June, the government announced it would reorganize their coronavirus advisory panel to include infectious disease specialists, local representatives, and risk management experts.

[252] The government's expert panel raised the COVID severity rating to the second-highest level, indicating a need to strengthen the medical system.

[259][260] The government announced plans to allow foreigners to re-enter Japan after travelling abroad as long as they had a negative PCR test.

[280] The Japanese government launched a program to promote domestic tourism to boost the economy, although Tokyo was not included due to high infection numbers.

[283] The Japanese government opened a COVID-19 response bureau and began consulting with neighbouring countries about mutual permission of travel for business purposes.

[286] The Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center announced restrictions on patient intake as a safety measure after four doctors were infected.

Many of the infected were between 20–30 years old; in response, the metropolitan government asked restaurants and karaoke bars to reduce their hours until the end of August.

[307][308] On 24 November, the government removed the Sapporo and Osaka regions from their domestic tourism incentive program due to increased infections.

[314] At the beginning of December, the government proposed extending the domestic tourism promotion campaign through the end of the Golden Week holidays in early May 2021.

[317] On 13 January, the state of emergency was expanded to 11 cities including Tochigi, Gifu, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka.