Will Many Japanese Tourists Visit?..."Visa-Free Individual Travel Consideration for Next Month"

Nikkei to Announce Easing of Entry Restrictions Soon
Lifting Ban on Individual Travel and Waiving Short-Term Entry Visas
"Aiming to Capitalize on Tourism Boom Due to Weak Yen"

The Japanese government is expected to ease entry restrictions by exempting visas for foreign tourists and allowing individual travel, aiming for next month. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Juri] The Japanese government, which has blocked the entry of foreign tourists except for group tours, is expected to ease entry restrictions by exempting visas for foreign tourists and allowing individual travel, aiming for next month.

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 15th, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is scheduled to announce a plan to ease entry restrictions soon, which includes these measures.

The Japanese government is reportedly pushing for a plan to restore most entry restrictions to pre-COVID-19 levels by October, including lifting the daily entry cap of 50,000 people, lifting the ban on individual travel, and exempting short-term entry visas, Nikkei reported.

However, the specific timing for easing entry restrictions will be finally decided based on the domestic and international COVID-19 situation.

Additionally, certain entry restrictions such as vaccination requirements are expected to be maintained.

Nikkei also reported that this move is not unrelated to the yen's value falling to the 140-yen level against the US dollar, the lowest in 24 years.

The Japanese government expects an increase in foreign tourists this fall and winter due to this measure. At the Economic and Fiscal Advisory Council directly under the Prime Minister held the day before, Prime Minister Kishida emphasized, "It is important to take measures to strengthen our ability to reap benefits, such as restoring the number of foreign tourists by taking advantage of the favorable weak yen."

Meanwhile, the Japanese government had basically banned foreign entry entirely at the end of November last year. Since then, from March this year, conditional entry has been allowed for business trips, international students, and technical trainees under the premise of accommodation management. From June, entry has been gradually eased, allowing only group tourists accompanied by guides to enter.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.