• Covid restrictions on foreign tourists to be lifted in Japan from October

    International
    Covid restrictions on foreign tourists to be lifted in Japan from October

    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. color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">

    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Digital Desk: Following a two-and-a-half-year
    closure, Japan said on Thursday that it will relax tight Covid restrictions on
    international visitors.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">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.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">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.



    mso-themecolor:text1">As most of the globe has moved past the pandemic, Japan
    and China have been two holdouts in maintaining severe visiting restrictions.

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    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">However, Japan did not implement a rigorous
    lockdown during the crisis, unlike China.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">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.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">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.



    mso-themecolor:text1">Japan has eased its restriction that visitors travel in
    groups with advisers since June and now accepts self-guided package excursions
    as well.

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    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">According to James Brady, Japan analysis lead
    at US-based consultancy Teneo, the cautious approach to reopening has been
    planned.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">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.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">The announcement was applauded by Tokyo
    residents on the streets.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Michio Kano, a 76-year-old bar owner, said,
    "I think it's a wonderful thing to gradually attract international
    tourists back here."



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">He demanded that the action be followed by a
    relaxation of the anti-Covid regulations.



    mso-themecolor:text1">He said that you couldn't relax the laws for foreigners
    while still telling the Japanese, "Don't do this or that."



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    mso-themecolor:text1">28-year-old Katsunori Mukai argued that as long as there
    are no spikes in crime, Japan should welcome tourists.



    color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">"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.



    mso-themecolor:text1">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.



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    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."