Prognosis
Japan to Restore Visa-Free Travel From Oct. 11 as Covid Pandemic Recedes
- Prime Minister Kishida makes announcement in New York
- Domestic travel discounts will be introduced at the same time
A Japan Airlines employee adjusts a social distancing sign at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
Photographer: Carl Court/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Japan will abolish a slew of Covid border controls from Oct. 11, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in New York, in a move that looks set to revive the tourism industry.
Individual visitors will be allowed to enter, and Japan will reinstate visa waivers, Kishida said at a news conference Thursday morning in New York. The cap on daily arrivals in Japan will also be ended, he said. Later in the day, at the New York Stock Exchange, Kishida said Japan “will relax border control measures to be on par with the US,” spurring applause from the audience.