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Japan passport most powerful in 2021

Apr 15 (dlmag.com) - While international travel is still restricted in a bid to control the pandemic, the index of the world’s most powerful passports has been released.

The Henley Passport Index has been creating the list of most and least powerful passport rankings through regular monitoring of the world’s most travel-friendly passports since 2006.

The index does not take temporary restrictions into account, so the rankings will not be beneficial for tourists at present as one-third of all countries have banned international visitors.

Japan has topped the rankings with its passport presenting visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 destinations across the world. Singapore acquired second place with 192 and South Korea tied with Germany at third place with 191 destinations. China and the United Arab Emirates have made big strides toward travel freedom, climbing from 90th rank to 68th, and 65th position to 15th, respectively.

Most of the top 10 ranks are held by EU countries, whereas the UK and the US have dropped down to seventh place, alongside Switzerland, Belgium and New Zealand. Australia was ranked ninth beside Canada, with access to 185 countries visa-free. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden Czech Republic, Greece, Malta and Norway are among the other most powerful passport holders.

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An Idemitsu Kosan crude oil tanker has safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first vessel bound for Japan to do so since attacks on Iran heightened tensions in the region and effectively disrupted maritime traffic.

Japan’s Golden Week holiday period got fully underway on April 29, drawing large crowds to major tourist destinations and airports, where long lines formed as overseas travel surged.

A series of sightings involving unusually large brown bears in Hokkaido has heightened concerns among local residents, with one 330-kilogram animal captured in Tomamae and another 280-kilogram bear attacking a hunter in Shimamaki.

Full-scale Golden Week travel began on April 29, with Chubu Centrair International Airport experiencing its busiest outbound travel day of the holiday period. The airport was crowded from the morning with vacationers heading overseas.

Electricity and gas bills for usage in May will rise slightly in Japan, with the impact of tensions involving Iran expected to appear in utility charges from June onward. Larger increases could follow in subsequent months.

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