A lot of Japanese were willing to wear masks while ill even before the pandemic, despite the fact that there is no rule requiring individuals to do so in public places like trains and shops.
Digital Desk: Following a two-and-a-half-year
closure, Japan said on Thursday that it will relax tight Covid restrictions on
international visitors.
The pandemic, according to Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida, who was speaking at the New York Stock Exchange, has impeded the
free flow of people, goods, and capital that has enabled the country to prosper.
Kishida, who is in the city for the UN
General Assembly, stated that starting on October 11 Japan will ease border
control measures to be on par with the US and restore visa-free travel and
individual travel.
As most of the globe has moved past the pandemic, Japan
and China have been two holdouts in maintaining severe visiting restrictions.
However, Japan did not implement a rigorous
lockdown during the crisis, unlike China.
Visitors visiting Japan will benefit from a
weak yen, which has fallen so far below its 1998 peak versus the dollar that
the finance ministry intervened in the currency market on Thursday.
The reinstatement of the visa-waiver
programme, which was put on hold in March 2020, will bring back the
accessibility that allowed a record 31.9 million foreign travellers to enter
the nation in 2019.
Japan has eased its restriction that visitors travel in
groups with advisers since June and now accepts self-guided package excursions
as well.
According to James Brady, Japan analysis lead
at US-based consultancy Teneo, the cautious approach to reopening has been
planned.
A lot of Japanese were willing to wear masks
while ill even before the pandemic, despite the fact that there is no rule
requiring individuals to do so in public places like trains and shops.
The announcement was applauded by Tokyo
residents on the streets.
Michio Kano, a 76-year-old bar owner, said,
"I think it's a wonderful thing to gradually attract international
tourists back here."
He demanded that the action be followed by a
relaxation of the anti-Covid regulations.
He said that you couldn't relax the laws for foreigners
while still telling the Japanese, "Don't do this or that."
28-year-old Katsunori Mukai argued that as long as there
are no spikes in crime, Japan should welcome tourists.
"It's true that wearing masks and other
items is still a part of our culture here, but I believe that if there is
generally no severe risk of contracting a major disease, people can come as
frequently as they like," he said.
Although the resurgence of mass tourism might boost
Japan's economy "somewhat," Brady, the expert, noted that China's
zero-Covid policy will probably restrict the positive effects.
According to him, a significant portion of
the economic advantage prior to the epidemic came from large numbers of Chinese
tourists who arrived and spent a lot of money on electronics and cosmetics.
However, because of domestic travel
restrictions, "Chinese citizens won't be travelling to Japan in huge
numbers at this time."
According to Liz Ortiguera, CEO of the
Pacific Asia Travel Association, demand from Europe may still be muted
"because to the increase in cost of living in Europe caused by the
Russian-Ukraine issue with the growing fuel costs driving up air travel
costs."
