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Comment by donw | Hacker News Reader

> Obtaining a passport is completely irrelevant.

For most travelers, it is the only document you show at the border.

> Countries deny people with valid passports from entering all the time. For example, if they don't have the proper vaccines.

In theory, yes. In practice, no.

I have never once seen a Japanese traveler required to produce any medical paperwork along with their passport (and I have flown a lot between both countries).

Could a traveler from Japan in theory be stopped at the border for a lack of vaccination? Probably. How often does that happen? Effectively never.

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Well yes. But that’s because when going to a country you first check what are the requirements to cross the border. I’ve never seen a somebody kicked out of the US border because they didn’t make an ESTA, but that’s because everybody in the line triple checked that they have it.

> I have never once seen a Japanese traveler required to produce any medical paperwork along with their passport (and I have flown a lot between both countries).

That's because a significant number of countries that require vaccines also require something called a "visa."

Visas have many years of history, and they're generally obtained beforehand. When applying for visas, you submit various documentation, pay a fee, and it makes your entry process much easier. When traveling first world to first world, visa checks for travel are generally waived. Going first world to anywhere not-first world, or in the opposite direction, usually requires some degree of a visa process.

"First worlders" often are visa exempt when visiting non first world countries as well or visas are online and easily attainable.

Most tourist attracting countries that require visa for some, don't make one submit any medical info for both first world and mid tier countries.

> That's because a significant number of countries that require vaccines also require something called a "visa."

Japan is not one of these.

I have absolutely no clue why you're continuously focusing exclusively on Japan to avoid the fact that vaccine/immunization mandates have global precedents and they've existed forever at this point.

Japan might not mandate a certain vaccine. But if you're going to Bangladesh, Bangladesh does not in fact care about Japanese law.

For an example of how badly this works out, look up the UK guy who tried playing the sovereign citizen card in Singapore and pretending the law regarding disease spread doesn't apply to him. Spoilers: it did.

> I have absolutely no clue why you're continuously focusing exclusively on Japan to avoid the fact that vaccine/immunization mandates have global precedents and they've existed forever at this point.

Because Japan is a counterexample that shows your position to be de facto false.

> Japan might not mandate a certain vaccine. But if you're going to Bangladesh, Bangladesh does not in fact care about Japanese law.

Correct and irrelevant.

Bangladesh also allows Japanese travelers to enter the country without having to demonstrate any proof of vaccination.

Not if they're coming from a country with a risk of yellow fever.

You're really setting up very narrow condition in which someone might not need a certain vaccine. I'm saying that there's a history in which vaccines and immunizations have been required. If Japan had a yellow fever epidemic, Bangladesh would most certainly require it, just like they do if a Japanese person is coming from a country that does have such an epidemic. That's the precedence.

Saying they require a covid vaccine from a country with a covid epidemic is them applying existing restrictions. And currently, people arriving from most countries are dealing with an epidemic. 5 years ago Bangladesh authorities would deny people for not having yellow fever immunizations. They're within their rights to do the same for covid.

Japan is an counterexample because they're fairly unique in that they've been wearing facemasks for decades when they have a cold, they don't have a lot of anti-vaccers, and things work because people are considerate. If that was true elsewhere we wouldn't have needed many mandates anywhere.

It's a nice thought, but obviously not the case in pretty much any other country.

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