The quota, expected to take effect from July, will initially apply to businesspeople like executives and engineers, from four countries where the Covid-19 pandemic has been contained, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam, Voice of Vietnam reported, citing the Japanese government.

Those allowed to enter Japan must strictly follow official medical regulations.

Earlier, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu said Japan wanted to ease travel restrictions for Vietnam, which has managed to bring the Covid-19 crisis under control. The latter has gone nearly two months without community transmission caused by the novel coronavirus.

Among 332 confirmed infections in Vietnam, 320 have recovered.

The travel restriction ease is expected to be mutual, and discussions are being held with concerned countries on how to mitigate the risks of spreading Covid-19, Kyodo News reported, citing official sources.

Details such as how many from each country will be let in, and how freely they would be allowed to move once at their destination, are still being worked out.

Japan chose the four countries thanks to their robust outbreak control, alongside strong economic ties with Japan, Japanese media reported.

Japan is Vietnam's largest labor market, receiving around 80,000 Vietnamese in 2019.

It is also Vietnam's fourth largest FDI contributor in 2019 after South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Japan currently has an entry ban in place for 111 countries and territories, with foreign travelers who have been to any of these areas within the last two weeks being turned away.

The Vietnamese government has said it is considering allowing flights to destinations that have had no new Covid-19 cases for at least 30 days, including Japan's Tokyo, South Korea's Seoul, China's Guangzou, Taiwan and Laos.