Japan plans to open to more travelers, ease border entry rules this September – report
Looking forward to traveling to Japan any time soon? Plans are reportedly in place to reopen to independent tourists not part of a guided tour, as long as visits are arranged through a travel agency.
To address the decline in the number of foreign travelers visiting the country, the Japanese government is considering accepting individual overseas tourists who do not want to travel to the country through guided tours.
While the country has been open to tourists since June 2022, with the easing of anti-coronavirus border requirements, leisure tourists are still required to join organized group tours and obtain a visa.
Japanese media outfit NHK reported Tuesday (Aug. 23) that Japan is seeking to further ease measures for arriving overseas tourists with new measures expected to take effect in September.
Visiting tourists will still need to comply with health and safety guidelines placed during the pandemic, including the wearing of face masks and other rules set by the Japanese government.
Japan's decision to ease anti-COVID border controls comes amid the sharp decline in number of foreign tourists entering Japan even as they reopened their borders. Tourist arrivals stood at about 7,900 in July, well below pre-pandemic levels noted the NHK report.
According to other local news reports, the current restrictions have been discouraging mainly Western tourists, who prefer the spontaneous, individual style of traveling rather than following a strict itinerary or joining guided tours.
While the Japanese government has decided to allow tourists to enter the country without joining guided tours, the visits themselves must still be arranged through a travel agency.
"The agencies that arrange tours are expected to manage their clients' schedules. Tourists will also be asked to follow guidelines if cases of infection are confirmed," reported NHK.
Philippine-based travel agency PAPH Travel and Tours shared the news that pre-arrival virus testing will be scrapped, benefitting vaccinated travelers.
NHK further reports that the government will continue to deny entry to individual travelers who do not make arrangements through travel agencies.
According to a report from Nikkei Asia, Japan is set to raise the daily cap of entrants into the country and remove the need for proof of a negative COVID test effective September 7.