To enter the country, foreign tourists will be required to present a certificate of vaccination with three doses or a negative test for COVID-19.
On Thursday, September 22, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that starting from October 11, tourists will be able to travel freely in Japan again. It is reported by the Japan Times. The daily limit on the maximum number of people crossing the border will also be lifted on this day.
Travelers from all over the world will be able to enter Japan with proof of triple vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result.
Tourists are currently only allowed to travel within the country through government-accredited travel agencies.
Kishida made his announcement at a press conference in New York as part of the United Nations General Assembly.
The first travel restrictions to Japan came into effect on January 31, 2020, when foreign nationals from the Chinese province of Hubei were banned from entering. By the end of August 2020, the country had expanded the entry ban to 159 countries and territories.
In March this year, the country limited the number of foreigners entering the country to 5,000 daily, then the limit was increased to 50,000 per day.
A record 31.88 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2019. In 2021, due to travel restrictions, their number dropped to 250,000.
Fun Fact: The Wall Street Journal reports that one in three foreigners visiting Japan are from China, which still bans its citizens from international travel.