Japan eases COVID-19 border controls but tourist surge doubtful

Japan Today | Sep 7, 2022 at 9:50 AM
  • Japan’s relaxed border measures from Wednesday, including raising a daily cap on arrivals from 20,000 to 50,000, will not translate into a surge of tourists to gun its economy unless they are given greater freedom to travel in the country, industry officials say.
  • Travelers to Japan must apply for a visa, which takes five days to be issued in principle, and the fees for a single-entry visa are about 3,000 yen.
  • The government does not feel that it can completely relax the movements on foreign tourists, as the country struggles with its seventh pandemic wave even though it had tight borders.