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Japan reopens to foreign tourists as COVID worries wane
The government is initially limiting eligible tourism arrivals to guided tours from 98 countries and regions deemed as having the lowest risk of infection, including the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.
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A man walks on a footbridge in the Minato district of Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2022. (AFP/Philip Fong)
J
apan reopened to foreign tourists on Friday, taking the first step toward increasing inbound tourism to help turn around its economy as worries about the COVID-19 pandemic wane.
The government is initially limiting eligible tourism arrivals to guided tours from 98 countries and regions deemed as having the lowest risk of infection, including the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.
The easing of entry restriction follows a step by Japan on June 1 to double its cap on daily arrivals to 20,000 and allow most to forgo COVID-19 tests and quarantine periods. The guided tour participants will be included in the arrival quota.
Still, it may take some time before Japan reopens its borders to individual tourists as the government remains wary of the potential resurgence of infections, particularly as the country prepares for a House of Councillors election expected next month.
Under guidelines compiled ahead of the resumption of travel for tourism, Japan asks foreign tourists to wear face masks and take out insurance to cover medical expenses in the event they contract COVID-19.
Travel agencies will explain that they may not be able to take part in tours unless they follow the procedures.
The government has recently said wearing face masks is not always necessary outside, and it recommends people remove masks when they are more than 2 meters from another person, given the heat and humidity of the coming months and the increased risk of heatstroke.
The agencies will keep records of the tours, including places they visited and where they sat on public transportation, and participating tourists found infected with the novel coronavirus will be taken to medical institutions swiftly.
The guidelines were announced Tuesday after Japan conducted test tours for inbound travelers from the United States, Australia, Singapore and Thailand. The Thai group's tour was suspended after a participant tested positive for the virus.
Before the pandemic, Japan had set a target for 40 million foreign visitors in 2020 when it was originally scheduled to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which were postponed for a year.
The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in April was down 95.2 percent from the same month in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 to 139,500 people, according to government data released in May.
Business leaders have called on the government to gradually reopen to inbound tourists to help revive the pandemic-hit economy, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made assurances that Japan would ease border controls "in stages" to bring them on par with other Group of Seven nations.
Naha and New Chitose airports, gateways to popular tourist spots in Okinawa and Hokkaido, will resume accepting international flights by the end of June. Currently, five airports, including Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports, can accept planes from abroad.
