COVID-19 risks
Oct. 19, 2022, midnight
In light of the general improvement in the global infection situation and the fact that the G7 countries have already canceled the designation of levels by country and region, all the new coronavirus infectious disease risk information was issued on October 19. The world is uniformly set to level 1 (please be careful).
Aug. 24, 2022, midnight
On August 24, the infectious disease risk information for 41 countries was changed from level 3 (recommendation to avoid travel) to level 2 (please refrain from non-essential travel), and the infectious disease risk information for 55 countries/regions was changed to level 2. The level has been lowered from (Please refrain from unnecessary and non-urgent travel) to Level 1 (Please be careful).
July 25, 2022, midnight
On July 23, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak of monkeypox a "public health emergency of international concern." According to the WHO, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox infection in 75 countries and regions have been reported so far, and the infection is spreading worldwide.
July 1, 2022, midnight
Although the infection status of the new corona varies depending on the situation in each country and region, the risk of death and aggravation has decreased, and deregulation at the water's edge and in Japan has also been seen, especially in countries where vaccination is progressing worldwide. I'm on the way. Based on these trends, the infectious disease risk information level is now available after comprehensively considering the actual conditions of each country / region, such as the status of infection, vaccination status, infectious disease control / medical system, and status of various measures in each country / region. Was reviewed.
May 26, 2022, midnight
Although the infection status of the new corona varies depending on the situation in each country and region, the number of new infections and deaths is declining worldwide, and the risk of death and aggravation is mainly in countries where vaccination is progressing. Is declining, and regulations are being relaxed at the water's edge and in Japan. Based on these trends, the infectious disease risk information level is now available after comprehensively considering the actual conditions of each country / region, such as the status of infection, vaccination status, infectious disease control / medical system, and status of various measures in each country / region. Was reviewed.
April 1, 2022, midnight
The level of infectious disease risk information should be reviewed after comprehensively considering the actual situation of each country / region, such as the number of newly infected people in each country / region, vaccination status, infectious disease control / medical system, and status of various measures. It was made. As a result, infectious disease risk information has been reduced from Level 3 "Recommendation for suspension of travel" to Level 2 "Please stop unnecessary and unurgent travel" in 106 countries.
Nov. 29, 2021, midnight
As the infection may spread further, please be informed and try to prevent the infection.
Aug. 13, 2021, midnight
As the infection may spread further, please obtain the latest information and try to prevent the infection.
May 18, 2021, midnight
Coronavirus infections are still spreading worldwide, with more than 160 million confirmed infections and more than 3 million deaths worldwide. Although the number of infected people is decreasing in North America and Europe, the situation continues to require caution, such as the remarkable spread of infection in South Asia.
Based on this situation, the infectious disease risk information level in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Saint Lucia, Thailand, East Timor, and Mongolia has been newly set to Level 2 by comprehensively considering various situations including the deterioration of the infection situation. "Please stop unnecessary and unurgent travel" has been raised to Level 3 "Travel Cancellation Recommendation".
Oct. 30, 2020, midnight
As the infection may spread further, please obtain the latest information and try to prevent the infection.
Local and national news
Information for the past 30 days.
Lifting of infectious disease risk information for Mpox
Sept. 12, 2025, midnight Wide area information (infectious diseases)
●The infectious disease risk information level 1 (take extreme caution) regarding Mpox issued for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, the Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic will be lifted.
●Sporadical infections are still being seen around the world, so please stay up to date on the infection situation in your destination and take measures to prevent infection.
Travel advisories from local embassies and consulates
Information from the past two weeks.
Warning about SIM swap scams
Sept. 11, 2025, 11:25 p.m.
[Main text]
1. Some South African media outlets have reported on problems related to SIM swap scams.
2. SIM swap fraud is a method in which a perpetrator pretends to be the victim and applies to a mobile phone company under false pretenses, such as "I want to reissue my SIM card," and then receives a new SIM card and takes over the victim's phone number.
3. Once the criminal obtains the phone number, they reset accounts such as WhatsApp linked to the same number, pose as the victim, and commit fraud.
4. Therefore, please take safety measures by paying attention to the following points.
(1) If your mobile phone displays an out-of-service status and becomes unusable, contact your mobile carrier to find out the cause.
(2) Set up two-factor authentication on WhatsApp etc. (You can set a PIN code from the settings on WhatsApp etc.).
(3) If you receive a request for money from a WhatsApp account of an acquaintance, etc., be aware that the request may be made by someone else who is impersonating you and respond carefully by confirming with the person directly.
5. If you are involved in an incident or accident, please file a police report and contact the Embassy with a summary of the incident.
******************************************************
●Embassy of Japan in South Africa Website: http://www.za.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_ja/index.html
Address: 259 Baines St, Cnr Frans Oerder St, Groenkloof, Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 452 1500 Consular Affairs and Security Email: consul@pr.mofa.go.jp
*If you have registered for TabiRegi and would like to stop receiving emails, please follow the procedure to stop receiving emails from the URL below.
https://www.ezairyu.mofa.go.jp/tabireg/simple/delete
******************************************************
Fraud incidents involving ride-hailing services (at Cape Town Airport)
Sept. 10, 2025, 10:20 p.m.
On the morning of August 8th, a Japanese tourist arrived at Cape Town Airport and was heading towards the airport exit when a man wearing a strap around his neck with the name of a well-known ride-hailing service written on it, which the tourist had planned to arrange himself, asked, "Where are you going? I'll give you a cheaper ride than calling one using a ride-hailing app, so get in." The man offered a cheaper price than the official ride-hailing app, and the tourist was taken to a car park outside the airport.
When the driver arrived at the Japanese tourist's accommodation, he entered the amount into the payment terminal he had, and the Japanese tourist checked the amount and inserted his credit card into the terminal to pay. The Japanese tourist said, "I would like a receipt," but the driver refused, saying, "This payment terminal does not issue receipts."
After returning to Japan, the Japanese tourist checked the amount debited from the credit card used to settle the bill and found that the charge was for approximately 85,000 yen (10,000 South African rand) under the name of a different company, not the ride-hailing service. (The amount the Japanese tourist was told by the driver before getting in was approximately 850 yen (100 South African rand).)
2. Please take note of the following points and take measures to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.
(1) If you are on your way to or near the exit of the airport building and a man wearing a strap around his neck with the name of a ride-hailing service written on it tries to persuade you into getting into his car, you should assume that he is attempting a scam and should not respond.
(2) It is wise to arrange a ride before leaving the airport building. Arranging a ride after leaving the airport building increases the risk of being targeted for smartphone theft or fraud.
(3) When using a ride-hailing app, it is wise to confirm that it is the official app of the ride-hailing service and to register your credit card information beforehand. Paying in cash or via a payment terminal when getting off the ride poses the risk of being a victim of fraud.
(4) The following URL is the official website of South African Airport. Please refer to it for information on the taxi service provided by the airport.
https://www.airports.co.za/airports/cape-town-international-airport/transport/public-transport
3. You can check past safety information (including information on injuries to Japanese nationals) on the following page, so please use it as a reference for safety measures.
https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/od/ryojiMail.html?countryCd=0027
4. If you are involved in an incident or accident, please report the incident to the police and also inform the Consular Office of Japan in Cape Town of a summary of the incident.
************************************
This email is sent from a dedicated email address.
Even if you reply as is, I will not receive it.
Consular Office in Cape Town Telephone: (Country code 27)-(0)21-425-1695
Email: enquiries@pr.mofa.go.jp
************************************
