After two-and-a-half years, Japan announced on Thursday that it will lift tough Covid restrictions on foreign tourists and reopen its borders. The move is a major boost for the country’s beleaguered tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.
Japan has been relatively successful in controlling the virus.
However, the country has been reluctant to open its borders, fearing a resurgence of the virus.
The government has now decided to lift the restrictions, with a view to welcoming foreign tourists back to the country.
According to Nikkei, short-term visitors will no longer be required to apply for tourist visas from October 11th.
While attending the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the announcement in New York.
“The cap on the number of people entering the country will be removed and individual travel and visa-free travel will resume,” Mr Kishida said.
The country of Japan is currently only allowing package tours with a maximum of 50,000 daily arrivals and requires visas for all visitors in order to help control the spread of Covid.
Japan has been one of the hardest-hit countries by the Covid pandemic, with the virus causing widespread disruption.
However, the lifting of the restrictions on foreign tourists is a sign that the country is slowly returning to normal.
