Travel news: Japan, Australia and Argentina reveal reopening plans

Japan's health ministry has agreed to loosen entry restrictions for visitors to the country who can provide evidence of being fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Travellers will have to show proof of getting the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines, as they are currently the only ones accepted in Japan. So it's bad news for China's Sinopharm and the United States Johnson & Johnson. Eligible travellers will no longer have to endure a 14-day quarantine -- instead, they can do 10. At the end of the 10-day period, they must take a PCR test. If that test comes back negative, the person is then able to move about freely. On October 1, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to reopen the country's borders to fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents. It's now more than 18 months since Australia closed its borders in response to the pandemic, imposing strict quotas on arrivals and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for those who were able to make the trip. The reopening -- expected to take effect in November -- is welcome news to the thousands of Australian citizens still stranded overseas. We're now entering springtime in the southern hemisphere and so it will be a peak time to visit Argentina when it reopens to international tourism on November 1. All foreign visitors will be welcome to make a quarantine-free visit, as long as they have received the approved vaccines at least two weeks beforehand and also present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before their arrival in the country. Argentina's Minister of Health Carla Vizzoti tweeted the news on September 21. The country's land borders have already reopened, on October 1, allowing foreign nationals from its neighbouring countries to enter.