Japan Will Fully Open for Visitors in October
Japan has been closed for over two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But over the last two months, the government has been reopening the country and promising to soon allow everyone to visit with minimal restrictions.
Now finally we have an exact date. Japan will resume visa-free entry for individual travelers on October 11, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday in New York, as reported by HNK. That will bring border rules close to pre-pandemic norms.
The announcement comes after months of restrictions on tourism that required travel as part of a group or sponsored by a travel agency. Restrictions on travel in some form have been in place since early 2020.
Currently Japan only allows package tours, and requires visas for all visitors. Daily arrivals have been capped at 50,000.
Starting on October 11, short-term visitors that were exempt from visa requirements before the pandemic will no longer be required to apply for tourist visas. And with no need to book tours through travel agencies, it will be easier to visit.
Before COVID-19, Japan accepted a record 31.8 million visitors in 2019, making it one of the most popular destinations in Asia, but there’s been a sharp drop in tourist numbers over the last three years.
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