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Good news, Japan fans.
According to Nikkei Asia on Sep. 15, Japan will soon scrap some of its pandemic-era restrictions on international travel and make it easier for tourists to visit.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to announce "in the next few days" that Japan will lift its ban on individual tourist visits and abolish its cap on daily arrivals.
The new rules are expected to kick in in October 2022, although much depends on the Covid-19 situation in Japan and abroad. Nikkei said:
"After the change, Japan will not require visas for short-term travelers from the U.S. and certain other countries. Japan will also scrap the daily entry cap of 50,000 people.
Qualifying travelers are expected to have to meet certain conditions, such as vaccination status."
Currently, all foreigners require a visa before entering Japan.
Japan also imposed complex rules that first required visitors to go on guided tours, and then non-guided package tours.
Weak yen
Nikkei also reported Kishida told a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy that it is important for the country to "take advantage" of the weakness of the Japanese yen.
This would attract more tourists due to their relatively higher spending power.
Bloomberg reported that the yen is on track to record its "worst year" ever, with the yen slipping to around 101.7 to 101.8 to one Singapore dollar.
Top image from Unsplash.