Visitors to Japan decrease even after reopening to tourists

A total of 120,400 visitors entered Japan in June when tourists were allowed back into the nation on group tours after a two-year hiatus, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said on Wednesday. That's down 18% from May and 14% from April.

Last month, Japan doubled its daily cap on entrants to 20,000 and began accepting tour groups from nations and regions classified as having a low number of positive coronavirus cases.

But a mere 252 tourists entered the country between June 10 and 30 under the new scheme, according to preliminary figures from the Japan Tourism Agency. As of Tuesday, about 9,000 visitors had pre-registered for the government's health tracking system in the hope of entering the country this month, the agency said.

Regulations for these group tours might be putting off some visitors. Travel agencies conducting tours are required to undergo a rigorous registration process, and participants are required to agree to being closely monitored by tour guides throughout their stay and comply with anti-infection measures such as wearing masks and buying insurance.