Japan relaxes Covid-19 travel restrictions

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Japan continues to gradually ease travel restrictions on foreign visitors to the country as it hopes to move closer to a full tourism recovery.

According to The Japan Times, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made two significant announcements regarding the sector today. Kishida allows unvaccinated tourists who are part of a packaged tour group to enter the country. And starting on September 7, the prime minister said he would raise the daily limit on foreign migrants arriving in Japan to 50,000.

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“In international countries, international exchange is growing. To participate in these exchanges and take advantage of the weak yen, we will raise the daily arrival ceiling to 50,000 from September 7 and allow (tourists) on unguided tours from all countries to enter (Japan),” Kishida said.

Tourists must still have a travel advisor or “sponsor” as they are known in Japan to enter the country. The counselor acts as a liaison between the foreign traveler and the government and health ministries if the visitor has contracted Covid-19. Individual tourists are not allowed to enter Japan without a domestic sponsor.

The country has slowly, but steadily, eased its restrictions. Just six months ago, the daily cap for foreign visitors was set at 3,500 per day as a precautionary measure.

The latest announcement should be a boost for one of the most popular destinations in the Far East and will surely please tourism officials like American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) President Om Prakash.

“The ACJC believes these are critical steps,” Prakash said in an email to The Japan Times. The government should move quickly to restore visa waiver eligibility to business travelers and tourists from their home countries who previously enjoyed visa-free entry.


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