From August 18, Canadian and United States nationals can apply online for a short-term visa in Japan for unpaid business activities and tourism purposes or to visit relatives.
The maximum allowable stay on such a Temporary Visitor Visa is 90 days, VisaGuide.World reports.
Eligible individuals can also submit applications through Japan’s eVISA website and show authorities the “Visa issuance notice” at the airport.
On the other hand, Japan does not allow American and Canadian citizens to travel freely for tourism. In this regard, they are allowed to enter the country for tourism only if they have booked a guided tour through a certain travel agency.
As a result of the most recent move, the US and Canadian nationals will face reduced hurdles when applying for short-term visas in Japan. However, Japan continues to implement entry requirements for COVID-19 and should plan travel in advance to avoid delays or complications when entering the country.
Meanwhile, Japan has announced that starting from September 7, the requirement that vaccinated travelers undergo a COVID test to enter the country will be removed. The authorities have also emphasized that after adopting strict border measures, the country gradually allows non-residents to visit.
Commenting on this decision, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida added that Japan would also continue to ease border control measures in stages to enable smooth entry into the same country as other G-7 countries.
In addition, Minister Kishida revealed that among these steps is the increase of the limit for daily entries, currently at 20,000.
As Japanese broadcaster NHK explains, the government is also considering removing the requirement that tourists entering as part of a group tour be accompanied by a guide at all times.
As for international students, business travelers and family members of Japanese residents are allowed to enter Japan.
However, people wishing to travel to Japan must undergo a test for the Coronavirus within 72 hours before departure to the country. At the same time, they are obliged to register the result with the government and receive an immigration QR code.
Data provided by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) reveals that the number of international arrivals in Japan in June 2022 was 120,400, which means 1,201.5 percent more than the same month a year ago.
Such data also shows that considering the number of international travelers to Japan by country/region in June this year, Vietnam had the largest number of foreign visitors with 22,900, followed by China with 14,700 and Korea with 11,200.