COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

The COVID-19 pandemic in Japan has resulted in 33,803,572 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 74,694 deaths, along with 33,728,878 recoveries.

The Japanese government confirmed the country's first case of the disease on 16 January 2020 in a resident of Kanagawa Prefecture who had returned from Wuhan, China. The first known death from COVID-19 was recorded in Japan on 14 February 2020. Both were followed by a second outbreak introduced by travelers and returnees from Europe and the United States between 11 March 2020 and 23 March 2020. According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the majority of viruses spreading in the country derive from the European type, while those of the Wuhan type began disappearing in March 2020.

According to the official press release of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, at the end of 2020, the cumulative number of cases was 230,304 and the number of deaths was 3,414.

The COVID-19 vaccination in Japan began on 17 February 2021, more than a month after the first anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic in the country was commemorated. As of 22 October 2021, about 96.4 million people in Japan received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while about 86.9 million were fully vaccinated.

The Japanese government adopted various measures to limit or prevent the outbreak. Some observers describe this approach as constituting a unique "Japan Model" of COVID-19 response. On 30 January 2020, former prime minister Shinzo Abe established the Japan Anti-Coronavirus National Task Force to oversee the government's response to the pandemic. On 27 February 2020, he requested the temporary closure of all Japanese elementary, junior high, and high schools until early April 2020. On 7 April 2020, Abe proclaimed a one-month state of emergency for Tokyo and the prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka. On 16 April 2020, the declaration was extended to the rest of the country for an indefinite period. The state of emergency was lifted in an increasing number of prefectures during May 2020, extending to the whole country by 25 May 2020.

On 7 January 2021, Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and the prefectures of Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa, effective from 8 January until 7 February. Japan's death rate per capita from coronavirus is one of the lowest in the developed world, despite its aging population. Factors speculated to explain this include the government response, a milder strain of the virus, cultural habits such as bowing etiquette and wearing face masks, handwashing with sanitizing equipment, a protective genetic trait, and a relative immunity conferred by the mandatory BCG tuberculosis vaccine. In December 2021, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported the number of excess deaths through July. The excess death toll was 12000 in COVID-19 and 11000 from natural causes due to the aging of the population, but the death toll from pneumonia fell by 5000 as a result of infection control measures taken by people.

The pandemic was a concern for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were postponed to 2021 after negotiations between the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee. The Olympics were held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 with restrictions in place to avoid the spread of the virus.

At the end of 2021, the cumulative number of cases was 1,733,725 and the number of deaths was 18,393.

At the end of 2022, the cumulative number of cases was 29,212,535 and the number of deaths was 57,262.

On May 8, 2023, the Japanese government changed the classification of COVID-19 from category 2 to category 5 under the Infectious Disease Control Law. Under Category 2, the government was able to take strict measures against COVID-19, such as urging the public to stay indoors and recommending hospitalization for those infected, but under Category 5, infection control measures are now left to the discretion of the individual. According to records as of the end of May 7, 2023, the last day of the official press release issued by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare based on daily statistics of the number of cases and deaths, the cumulative number of cases was 33,802,739 and the number of deaths was 74,669.