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Japan currently bans the entry of essentially all foreign nationals; however, one of the permitted "special exceptional circumstances" is being the legal spouse of a Japanese citizen.
What documents do I need to enter Japan as a spouse? More specifically, do I need to hold a Spouse Visa or other resident status in Japan to make use of this exception?
I am currently going through this process myself, and I would like to add more information to the other answer.
As a spouse, you need to apply for a normal tourist visa (up to 90 days of stay), regardless of whether your country is normally part of the visa waiver program or not.
As for the exact document requirements, this depends on the embassy or the consulate where you are applying and the requirements can even be different between a consulate and an embassy within the same country. Thus, please make sure to contact the exact place where you will apply for the visa beforehand. Some documents that you might need are:
UPDATE As of December first, 2021, for at least one month, short term visas are no longer issued or valid unless there are humanitarian grounds for exceptions. Long term visas, as in, you want to move to Japan with your spouse/to your spouse's residence in Japan, are still issued/valid: https://www.ch.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_de/coronavirus_de.html
Per this link, it looks like you need a koseki touhon (family register extract) showing that you're currently married to a Japanese citizen, which you can then use to apply for a visa:
Currently, all foreign nationals who wish to newly enter Japan need to apply for a visa except for those with re-entry permit [...]
(2) Spouse or child of a Japanese national/permanent resident:
Please obtain a Certificate of Eligibility or full copy of the family register/certificate of residence/residence card and contact Japan’s overseas establishments.
As far as I can tell a Certificate of Eligibility, spouse visa or any form of proof of residence in Japan is not necessary.
August 2022 update: Finally went through the process and got my visa. The koseki touhon was still required, and by far the most annoying part of the process. Aside from a copy of my spouse's passport, I did not need to provide any of the other documents listed in points 4-13 of @a20's answer: no invitations, bank statements, etc.
Note, though, that there are two separate application forms for Short-term Stay Visa for Spouse of Japanese National for Visa Exemption Nationality (mm, visa for visa exemption!) and Short-term Stay Visa for Spouse of Japanese National for all Other Nationalities. I'm lucky enough to fall into the first group, but if you don't, you do need to provide bank statements etc.
With new restrictions introduced recently, things have become more confusing. Our Japanese embassy was in contact with us saying we cannot travel to Japan on my visa anymore (same as you would get as described above). But when asking specific details they say they can't make statements and refer to the websites of the ministry of immigration. Which seems to say it's still possible to travel. Wth!
