Sandiaga Uno on Japan's Mandatory TB Test for Tourists; Let's Just Holiday in Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno responded to the Japanese government's recent policy, which will require tourists to undergo tuberculosis (TB) tests before entering the country for visits exceeding three months starting in 2024. 

Sandiaga said the ministry was still coordinating with the Health Ministry regarding the issue. He emphasized that the TB screening policy did not apply to tourist destinations within the archipelago.

“Indonesia’s tourism is wide open,” he said in The Weekly Brief With Sandi Uno on Monday, November 20, 2023. “So, let's just holiday in Indonesia.”

The Japanese Health Minister Keizo Takemi announced that the government will require TB screening for tourists from six countries starting next year due to their high TB cases, according to a Japanese media outlet The Asahi Shimbun. The six countries are Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Nepal, and Myanmar. 

“We are making preparations for implementation as soon as possible,” Takemi said as quoted from The Asahi Shimbun. “We hope to start in the next fiscal year.”

Prior to visiting Japan, citizens of the six nations will be mandated to take tuberculosis screening at medical facilities accredited by the Japanese government. A visa will not be issued if their test results are positive.

The Japanese Health Ministry recorded 10,235 new TB cases in 2022. Although the number of cases has dropped to below 10 per 100,000 people since 2021, which classified Japan as a TB "low endemic" nation according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 11.9 percent of the new tuberculosis cases came from abroad, and the ratio continues to rise.

RIRI RAHAYU | MILA NOVITA

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