May 07 (Japan Today) - Japan will resume accepting some foreign tourists in June at the earliest, a government source said Friday, likely reversing a ban on their entry introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of the highly anticipated move that would boost the country's struggling tourism industry, the government may accept a limited number of group tours on a trial basis by the end of May to see the impact on the COVID-19 situation, the source added.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during his visit to London on Thursday that Japan will review its COVID-19 measures "in stages" after consulting with public health experts, and bring them on par with other Group of Seven nations.
The government currently allows up to 10,000 people a day to enter Japan, but visitors are limited to businesspeople, technical interns and students.
It plans to raise the cap as well as the number of foreign tourists in stages in the coming months.
During the trial phase, small groups of foreigners would visit sightseeing spots based on fixed itineraries in order for the government to see whether it can grasp their movements and how to respond if a COVID-19 case is detected, according to the source.
The government will also consider requiring that participants have already had booster vaccine shots before the tours.
