Japan to relax entry restrictions in October

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said today (Sept. 22) that Japan will relax the entry policy for tourists again next month, according to Japanese media reports.

From September, travelers no longer need to show a negative nucleic acid test result to enter Japan. Fumio Kishida, who is attending a United Nations conference in New York, said at a local event promoting Japanese food that entry restrictions would be relaxed again in October, but did not provide details.

Japanese media expect that the daily entry cap will be lifted and visa-free arrangements for individual travel and short-term tourism will be opened, as Japan authorities hopes the arrangements will attract more tourists amid the depreciation of the yen.