Japan Firms Want To See Faster Progress On Tourism Reopening

Above, the international arrival lobby at Narita Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Japan government's overly-cautious stance on foreign tourists is irritating to Japanese firms, particularly ones in the travel industry.

The Japan Times reported:

Businesspeople in Japan, particularly those in the tourism sector, are unsettled by what appears to them to be overly cautious government policy toward resuming tourism from abroad as the country's economy struggles to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan is set to further ease COVID-19 border controls by raising its cap on overseas arrivals to 20,000 people per day from June, following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's remarks earlier this month that the country will relax restrictions in line with other Group of Seven countries.

But only a limited number of tourists will be allowed in for the time being, and the government has not yet indicated when Japan will start accepting all tourists from overseas.

As a result, Japan is now the only G7 country rejecting foreign tourists due to the pandemic. According to the Japan Association of Travel Agents, "a very limited number of countries such as Japan and China" do not accept foreign tourists.

Japan will, however, simplify testing and quarantine rules on arrival starting next month, dividing countries and regions into three groups according to infection risk levels. It will continue to require COVID-19 tests prior to departure for all countries. 

"As vaccination is underway, I don't see what (the Japanese government) is protecting the public from," said a senior official of an airline company.

Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, told a news conference on May 9, "Many Japanese traveled abroad for sightseeing and leisure during the Golden Week holidays. On the other hand, Japan is still not allowing foreigners to enter Japan for tourism.

To read more, go here.