Japan to Allow Group Tours Without Guides Starting Next Month on the 7th

Package Tours Allowed Without Guide
Overseas Entry Limit Relaxed to 50,000
Pre-Entry COVID-19 Test Also Exempted

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is holding a press conference at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 31st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Japanese government plans to allow group tours without guides starting next month. The daily limit on overseas arrivals will also be increased from the current 20,000 to 50,000.

On the 31st, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office and announced the easing of entry restrictions, stating, "As international exchanges are becoming more active worldwide, Japan will also participate."

Accordingly, from the 7th of next month, 'package tours' without travel agency guides will be permitted. However, individual tourism is still not allowed.

The daily entry cap will also be raised from 20,000 to 50,000. Prime Minister Kishida also announced plans to advance the COVID-19 vaccination schedule against the Omicron variant earlier than the originally planned October.

Earlier, on the 24th, Kishida held an online press conference at the Prime Minister's residence and announced a policy to exempt COVID-19 testing upon entry. Until now, travelers departing from other countries to Japan had to submit a certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours.

The Japanese government's easing policy appears to be in response to public criticism that the strict quarantine measures have caused the tourism industry to stagnate. Previously, Nihon Keizai reported that although two months have passed since the resumption of tourist entries, as of July, Japan's daily average number of arrivals was below 20,000. Before COVID-19, the daily average number of arrivals exceeded 3 million. Japanese media pointed out that Japan's quarantine measures are stricter compared to G7 countries and emphasized the need to ease entry restrictions to revitalize the domestic economy.

Meanwhile, at the press conference, Prime Minister Kishida apologized for the revelation that the Liberal Democratic Party has connections with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church). He said, "As the president of the Liberal Democratic Party, I sincerely apologize," and added, "I will take strict measures to fulfill the responsibility of explanation and restore the trust of the people."

Kishida also addressed the controversy surrounding the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot last month. He stated, "We are not forcing the public to express condolences," but added, "There were various opinions and criticisms that the explanations were insufficient. As Prime Minister, I accept the criticism regarding the state funeral and have the responsibility to respond directly."