Japan will welcome international travelers from June 10, following the government’s decision to reopen its borders after keeping them closed for two years due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The decision has been confirmed by Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, while he said that the borders will be open for package tours, for now, VisaGuide.World reports.
Authorities in Japan have stressed that tourists from territories that have recently reported low COVID-19 infection rates and who have received three vaccine doses against the virus will be eligible to enter the country without being subject to additional entry requirements such as testing or quarantine requirements upon their arrival.
This week authorities in Japan are hosting small experimental package tours from arrivals from the following four countries: Australia, Singapore, Thailand as well as the United States. Such an experiment that includes only 50 people who received special visas, not visas for other purposes such as tourist visas, will end on May 31.
“Free and active exchange of people is the foundation of economy and society, as well as that of Asia’s development,” Kishida pointed out in this regard, as reported by local media in Japan.The Prime Minister has stressed that while watching the current epidemiological situation, the country will accept a larger number of tourists in stages to the level of arrivals before the COVID-19 pandemic situation. According to the figures provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 8,737,532 people have tested positive in Japan since the beginning of the Coronavirus, while a total of 30,458 people have died. Besides, the figures provided by WHO also revealed that as of May 12, 2022, a total of 275,201,140 vaccine doses had been administered in the country. Despite such figures, authorities in Japan have decided to further facilitate the restrictions imposed due to the Coronavirus, after the country has often been criticized for keeping in place strict entry rules. Earlier this year, the country’s authorities permitted the entry of more than 10,000 people a day, including Japanese citizens, international students as well as some business travelers. In addition, the Japanese government confirmed that from June 1, the country would double the cap to 20,000 a day, which will also include package tour participants. Such a decision has been confirmed by a Cabinet official in charge of COVID-19 measures, Makoto Shimoaraiso. He confirmed that it would take some time before international travelers could enter Japan for individual tourism. Previously, Japanese leaders announced that the country lifted entry restrictions imposed due to the Coronavirus for arrivals from 106 countries, including those from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The restrictions imposed due to the virus have caused significant damage to the country’s industries, especially the travel and tourism industry. According to the Voice of America report, international arrivals decreased more than 90 percent in 2020, from a record 31.9 million the year before.