Good news for all fans of the Land of the Rising Sun. Tokyo is preparing to lift its entry restrictions for tourists put in place more than two years ago to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, Digital Minister Taro Kono announced on Thursday on Twitter. “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 date of entry into force or to how many countries the measure would apply. The quota of daily arrivals in the country had been gradually raised since the beginning of the year and recently stood 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 for many visitors.
An economic windfall
And an inflow of foreign currency could help stem the fall of the national currency and give a boost to economic recovery. In June, the Japanese government authorized the return of foreign tourists, but only as part of organized trips. This device had been lightened at the beginning of September to authorize individual stays, but still via a travel agency.
Fumio Kishida “took office a year ago knowing that the perception of clumsy handling of the pandemic had been a key factor in the loss of confidence of the Japanese public” in his predecessor Yoshihide Suga, recently recalled James Brady, a specialist in Japanese policy at the Teneo firm.
Wearing a mask still popular
So Fumio Kishida “has been extremely careful not to repeat these same mistakes”, according to this observer. Japan did not resort to confinements during the pandemic, but the wearing of masks, without being imposed by the authorities, continues to be extremely widespread there in public places and transport. The mortality rate attributable to the coronavirus has been 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 welcomed in 2019 and comparable financial benefits (4,800 billion yen that year, or nearly 34 billion euros at the current rate). ).
The Chinese eagerly awaited
Because in Japan, “the major part of the economic fallout [du tourisme international] pre-pandemic came from the masses of Chinese visitors, who spent a lot to bring home electronic and cosmetic products “Japanese, recalls James Brady.
However, as the Chinese are still facing drastic restrictions in the face of Covid-19 at home, many of them should not be traveling to Japan immediately, when they represented (with Hong Kong) 37% of foreign visitors. in Japan in 2019. On the other hand, demand from tourists from other countries could be strong, although that from Europeans may be limited due to high inflation at home and the impact of the war in Ukraine on costs air travel, according to industry experts.