News On Japan

Japanese passport is the most powerful in the world

Jul 21, 2022 (thegoaspotlight.com) - The Japanese passport confirmed its leadership in world geopolitics and was elected the most powerful in the world by the quarterly ranking of the immigration consultancy Henley Partners.

The list is based on data from IATA (International Air Transport Association) on the number of countries in which only the presentation of the document guarantees the entry of the foreign traveler, without the need for a visa. Now in its 17th year, the study assesses 199 passports and their access to 227 destinations.

In the data referring to the third quarter of 2022, the document occupies the isolated leadership, unlike in previous editions of the index, guaranteeing access for Japanese to 193 countries. In second place, tied, are Singapore and South Korea with passports that open doors in 192 nations.

1st. Japan (accepted in 193 countries)

2nd. Singapore and South Korea (192 countries)

3rd. Germany and Spain (190 countries)

4th. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 countries)

5th. Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden (188 countries)

6th. France, UK, Ireland and Portugal (187 countries)

7th Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway and the United States (186 countries)

8th. Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Australia and Canada (185 countries)

9th. Hungary (183 countries)

10th Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia (182 countries)

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Japan’s World Cup campaign ended in the cruelest possible fashion on June 29, as Gabriel Martinelli scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Brazil a 2-1 victory over the Samurai Blue in their knockout match in Houston. Japan had led in the first half and were still level at 1-1 in the final moments, but Martinelli’s late strike sent Brazil into the Round of 16 and eliminated Japan from the tournament.

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sweden on June 25, finishing second in Group F and setting up a Round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston.

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A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said at around 2 p.m. on June 29 that the rainy season appeared to have ended in Okinawa, marking a later-than-usual start to summer after an especially wet period.

Japan’s weather agency carried out field inspections in Yamanashi Prefecture on June 28 after a powerful earthquake struck the Fuji Five Lakes area late on June 26, registering a lower 6 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in Fujikawaguchiko and injuring six people.

According to updates on June 28, the double-typhoon system that brought record rain, flooding, landslides and fallen trees to parts of Japan has moved away, but Kanto remains under cloudy rainy-season skies, with intermittent rain still possible and saturated ground keeping the risk of landslides high in areas hit by heavy rain.

The Kanto region is experiencing an unusual June, with three typhoons approaching the area during the month and rainfall totals already reaching record levels in some locations.

Damage was reported across the Kansai region after a stationary seasonal rain front and an approaching typhoon brought torrential rain on June 26, triggering landslides in Seika, Kyoto Prefecture, flooding homes in Nara, and disrupting roads and railway services in Osaka and surrounding areas.

A powerful earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 struck off Iwate Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. on June 25, shaking parts of Aomori Prefecture and leaving Hachinohe, which was hit by a similarly strong quake last December, facing fresh damage.

Rice field art depicting Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his dog Decoy is nearing its best viewing period in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, Ohtani’s hometown.