There’s been a lot of speculation on Japan’s border reopening measures ever since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a goal to make Japan as accessible as other G7 countries from June. Some reports have suggested that Japan’s reopening will be a long and gradual process beginning with a trial tourism scheme, but according to Kyodo News, the government is now planning for a full-scale reception of tourists and foreign visitors in June.
On Tuesday May 17, government officials revealed that Japan is set to begin accepting some tourists on a trial basis from four countries – the US, Australia, Thailand, Singapore – later this month. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, travellers from the aforementioned countries will be allowed to enter Japan as long as they have received three Covid-19 vaccinations and are part of a government-approved tour group with a fixed itinerary.
The decision to reopen Japan to people who are travelling on tourist visas could be officially announced as early as this week. This will be the first time that Japan has welcomed tourists since 2020.
In addition to reopening borders to tourists, the government is also set to double its daily entry cap from 10,000 to 20,000 people in June.
For more information, see our breakdown of Japan's current border rules.
This article was originally published at 12.25pm and updated at 3.54pm on May 17.
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