Japan’s Ministry of Transportation announced on Tuesday that it will reopen its ports to international cruise ships, ending the ban that has been in place since March 2020.

International cruise ships are expected to resume operations as early as March 2023, if the cruise lines reach agreements with the local port authorities, where they intend to call and seek agreements on docking, the ministry said.

The decision comes after the ministry reached an agreement with Japan's International Cruise Committee (JICC) for guidelines on the health and safety protocols against the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines cruise lines need to follow were vetted by infectious disease and crisis management experts and reviewed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The International Cruise Committee (JICC)  released the first edition of the "Guidelines for preventing the spread of infection for international cruise operations." based on the reference to the guidelines of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA), which is said to be the most stringent in the world as a new coronavirus infection spread prevention guideline at the moment.

The guidelines cruise lines need to follow include pre-boarding testing, and onboard isolation for those who test positive for Covid-19. All crew members must be fully vaccinated including a booster shot, and more than 95 percent of guests must be vaccinated with at least two doses.

Japan's Guidelines for preventing the spread of infection for international cruise operations include:

- All passengers over the age of 5 need to present a PCR or antigen test done within 3 days before boarding.

- If a symptomatic person occurs, the cruise ship will test for the coronavirus onboard including close contacts in isolation rooms.

- In addition, promptly confirm the health status of all passengers and crew members and provide information to the quarantine station.

- The cruise operator needs to notify relevant organizations (port administrator, etc.) about the health status.

The government hopes that opening the border to international cruise lines will help revive the cruise tourism sector.

In 2019, around 2.15 million cruise passengers visited Japan, according to the ministry, with 1,932 stops by international cruise ships and 934 calls by domestic companies.

Japan placed a ban on international cruise ships in response to a mass COVID-19 infection on the Diamond Princess, during its stay at the Port of Yokohama in 2020.