Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that Japan will relax more Covid-19 border curbs next month, including resume visa-waiver travel and individual tourism, in an effort to bolster the country’s tourism industry, which is keen to leverage on the yen’s 24-year low.
The announcement was made by Kishida during a speech at the New York Stock Exchange, and it follows a promise he made in May to bring Japanese border controls in line with those of other Group of Seven nations (G7).
“We are a nation that has flourished through the free flow of people, goods and capital,” Kishida said on Thursday.
“Covid-19, of course, interrupted all of these benefits, but from October 11, Japan will relax border control measures to be on par with the U.S., as well as resume visa-free travel and individual travel,” he said.
Beginning Oct. 11, Japan will resume individual tourism and visa-free travel for citizens of selected countries who have been vaccinated.
Japan will also remove a daily cap on arrivals, which is currently set at 50,000.
