August 31, 20224 yr From Channel News Asia TOKYO: Tourists will be able to visit Japan from next week on package tours without a guide, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday (Aug 31), as the country moves to ease strict COVID-19 controls. From Sep 7, Japan will also raise its daily cap on the number of people allowed to enter the country from 20,000 to 50,000, Kishida told reporters. Japan has kept strict border restrictions in place longer than many other major economies, and only in June began allowing tourists to visit on the condition they came in tour groups accompanied by guides. "As international exchange becomes more active worldwide, Japan will join this movement - also from the viewpoint of taking advantage of a cheap yen," said Kishida, who has himself just recovered from COVID-19. From the same date, "we'll also make it possible for tourists from all countries to enter the country on package tours without tour guides, and we will proceed with making entry procedures smoother at airports", he added. But the measures fall short of a full reopening and visitors are still required to book their trips through agents and obtain visas. Public broadcaster NHK and other local media have reported that tourists will be asked to follow isolation guidelines if they test positive for COVID-19 in Japan.
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