Despite many setbacks, Japan has started to slowly resume travel and tourism. This month, a limited number of foreign tourists were allowed to enter on a trial basis and more border restrictions are set to ease further from June 1.
As reported by The Yomiuri Shimbun, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced tonight (Thursday May 26) that Japan will now allow foreign tourists to enter the country via package tours from Friday June 10, ahead of a full resumption of inbound tourism. Additionally, international flights will be expanded to cover Sapporo's New Chitose Airport and Okinawa's Naha Airport.
This comes after Japan officially began trial tours with foreign tourists earlier this week. The Japan Times states that visitors coming into Japan are required to be triple vaxxed (including a booster shot) and participate only in scheduled tours, which will consist of a limited number of people.
Meanwhile, border restrictions set to ease from June 1 include raising the daily cap of new arrivals to 20,000, which is double the current number of 10,000 people per day.
Japan has been slower than the other G7 nations to reopen to tourism. Earlier this month, tourism, hospitality and transport industry officials called on the transport ministry to reopen the border to tourists.
Surprisingly, even though the country has been closed off to travellers for much of the last two years, Japan is currently considered the top tourist destination in the world.
This article was published at 5.22pm May 26 and updated at 7.45pm.
More news
Survey: tell us what living in Tokyo is really like for you
The first Time Out Market in Asia is opening in Osaka ahead of World Expo 2025
New Trunk Hotel in Shibuya will have an infinity pool over Yoyogi Park
‘Gensan Punch’ is a biopic about a barrier-breaking disabled Japanese boxer
These upcycled sneakers are made from paper cranes donated to Hiroshima
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.