Japanese authorities announced plans to reopen the borders of one of the world's last major holdouts during the COVID-19 pandemic by dissolving restrictions and opening the door for mass tourism.
The Asian nation, known for its unique mix of vibrant urban culture and natural beauty, is planning to lift its stringent regulations on foreign tourists. The announcement was made in a Twitter post on Thursday by Japan's Minister of Digital Affairs, Taro Kono.
Japan Restores Visa-Free Travel
Finally, Japan will reopen the border. Visa waiver is back, no daily limit and free individual visits.
— KONO Taro (@konotaromp) September 22, 2022
The tweet noted that finally, Japan will reopen its borders to the world, adding that visa waiver is back with no daily limit and free individual visits. The country's new policies are scheduled to take effect starting on October 11.
During a Thursday news conference in New York City, where he attended the United Nations General Assembly, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "We will lift the ceiling of the number of entrants into Japan, lift the ban on individual travel, and lift the ban over visa-less travel."
Kishida added that on the same day of reopening the border, officials plan to launch a campaign to offer domestic travel discounts and even discounts to residents of Japan. He says these would hopefully allow people to take advantage of the offer to support the hotel, travel, and entertainment sectors that have suffered through the pandemic, as per CNN.
The plan marks a major policy shift within the Asian nation after nearly two and a half years of strict COVID-19 restrictions on who is allowed to enter and under what circumstances. The protocols have included caps on the daily number of arrivals allowed into the country, tight testing rules for the coronavirus, and requirements to join tour groups to visit.
Currently, Japan limits the number of entrants into its territory to 50,000 people per day. This comes as the number of daily infections from the coronavirus continues to decline, which resulted in the tourism industry and other sectors calling on the government to further ease border controls.
According to NHK World-Japan, Kishida also mentioned in his UNGA address that is committed to reforming the UN and strengthening its functions. The Japanese prime minister said he would lead discussions at the UN and the Group of Seven advanced economies to address challenges worldwide.
Japan Reopens Its Borders
Japan will serve as the rotating chair of the G& next year and will host the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May. The Asian nation will also be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years starting in January.
Kishia spoke with world leaders, including the United States, Britain, the Philippines, and South Korea, on the sidelines of the general assembly. The official shared their strong concerns about the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including rising prices of goods, the energy supply crisis, and a possible global economic shutdown.
Japan's plan to reopen its border comes as, in 2021, the number of foreign travelers that visited the nation was only 250,000, a sharp drop from 2019, when a record 31.88 million arrived. This was a result of a series of border restrictions that limited the number of people allowed to travel to the country, Japan Times reported.
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