The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has prepared a leaflet with illustrations of situations in which it is acceptable to remove a mask and situations in which it is recommended to wear a mask.
Wearing a mask is recommended only when conversing with others at a physical distance (2 meters or more). It is not necessary to wear a mask when walking or running in the park, walking or biking to work, or passing people outdoors. Especially in the summer, we encourage people to remove their masks when they are outdoors and do not need to wear them in order to prevent heat stroke.
Even indoors, when a person is at a safe distance from others and is not engaged in conversation (e.g., reading in a library at a safe distance, viewing art, etc.), it is not necessary to wear a mask. In other situations, wearing a mask is recommended.
For children in the elementary through high school stages, masks are not required when physical distance can be maintained from others, such as in outdoor activities that do not involve close proximity, such as physical exercise, movement, or tag games, or when there is little conversation even if distance cannot be maintained (outdoor educational activities such as nature observation and sketching activities). In addition, masks are not required to be worn in cases where physical distance from others can be secured. Mask wearing is also not required for indoor activities where physical distance can be maintained and conversation is rarely required.
For preschool children in day-care centers, certified kindergartens, and kindergartens, it is not recommended that children under 2 years of age wear masks; even for children over 2 years of age, it is necessary to take into account individual developmental conditions and physical condition, etc. Therefore, mask wearing is not uniformly required. Particularly in summer, it is recommended that masks be removed in outdoor situations where it is not necessary to wear masks in order to prevent heat stroke.
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