Japan looking to ease Covid border rules
The Japanese government is reviewing its Covid border control policies, with a view to removing its limits on daily entries in the ‘not so distant future’, according to one official
Currently, the number of daily entries into the country is restricted to a maximum of 50,000 people – a limit which has been gradually raised in stages since its introduction earlier this year. The limit was raised from 20,000 people last week, alongside the removal of the pre-departure Covid test requirement.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara, speaking on television network Fuji Television, said that the government was also looking to simultaneously relax other restrictions, including its visa requirement, and the requirement to travel on a package tour, when it completely removes the daily travel cap.
“We will review (restrictions) altogether. We have to carry it out in the not-so-distant future,” he said. “Japan has seasonal attractions in fall and winter. We know there are a lot of people overseas who want to come to Japan.”
A report by the Nikkei newspaper on Sunday said that the government may scrap its daily cap on new arrivals by October.
In 2021, just 245,900 foreign visitors came to Japan, the lowest figure since comparable data became available in 1964, dealing a heavy blow to the country’s travel industry that had been buoyed by inbound tourist demand before the pandemic began in early 2020.