Pressure Builds To Reopen Japan To Tourists

Above, the Akihabara section of Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If a new article on Japan tourism is accurate, the hope that the country will be reopened in June is questionable.

The Akihabara News posted:

SNA Travel (Tokyo) — Representatives of Japan’s tourism industry are stepping up pressure on the Kishida administration to accelerate the country’s reopening to foreign visitors.

“We believe the weaker yen will help the tourism industry, and we see this as a business tailwind. This should be a great opportunity for the government to bring tourists back to Japan,” Japan Association of Travel Agents Chairman Hiroyuki Takahashi said this week.

Other organizations lobbying the government for opening the borders include the Japan Hotel Association, as well as major airlines and railway companies.

A formal request from these business groups was submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, specifically asking that the daily cap on entrants to Japan be abolished.

At present, the Kishida government has decided to raise the entry cap from 10,000 to 20,000 people per day beginning in June, but it still intends to maintain the controls.

The above highlighted phrase doesn't sound promising. Hopefully, the Kishida government will accede to the pressure and reopen Japan to foreign tourists. 

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