Good news for all fans of the Land of the Rising Sun. Tokyo is preparing to lift its entry restrictions on tourists introduced more than two years ago to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, Digital Minister Taro Kono announced on Twitter on Thursday. “Finally Japan will reopen its borders,” he said ahead of an expected speech by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York later in the day.
“The visa waiver is back,” he added, without specifying the effective date or how many countries the measure would apply to. The rate of daily arrivals in the country had been gradually increased since the beginning of the year and was most recently at 50,000. The weakness of the yen, which has lost 20% of its value against the dollar since the start of the year, should make Japan even more attractive to many visitors.
An economic stroke of luck
And an inflow of foreign currency could help stem the domestic currency’s depreciation and boost economic recovery. In June, the Japanese government allowed foreign tourists to return, but only as part of organized trips. This device had been facilitated in early September to authorize individual stays, but still through a travel agent.
Fumio Kishida took office “a year ago knowing that perceptions of the awkward handling of the pandemic was a key factor in the Japanese public’s loss of confidence” in his predecessor Yoshihide Suga, James Brady, a specialist in economics, recently recalled Japanese politics the company Teneo.
Wearing a mask is still popular
Fumio Kishida “was extremely careful not to repeat the same mistakes,” according to this observer. Japan has not resorted to lockdown restrictions during the pandemic, but wearing masks in public places and on transport, without being imposed by the authorities, remains very common there. The mortality rate attributable to the coronavirus was relatively low there (less than 35 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants).
However, the archipelago should take time to regain its record level of 31.9 million foreign visitors in 2019 and comparable financial benefits (4,800 billion yen this year, or nearly $40 billion as of this writing).
The Chinese were eagerly awaited
Because in Japan “the largest part of the economic consequences does not apply [du tourisme international] Before the pandemic, there were hordes of Chinese visitors who splurged to bring electronic and cosmetic products home,” recalls James Brady.
However, with the Chinese still facing drastic restrictions at home in the face of Covid-19, many of them should not travel to Japan immediately when they accounted for 37% (with Hong Kong) of foreign visitors to Japan in 2019. On the other hand, demand from tourists from other countries could be strong, although that from Europeans could be limited due to high inflation at home and the impact of the war in Ukraine on the cost of air travel, according to industry experts.