Author: Fu Zhuhui
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio announced that he would open the tourism door to the public on the 11th of next month. Japanese media reported that the loosening policy includes lifting the upper limit of entry, opening up free travel and restarting visa-free entry.
Kishida held up his wine glass when attending the Japanese food promotion meeting in New York, USA on Thursday (September 22) and announced that Japan will introduce new travel policies in October.
Tourists wearing protective masks try the game program at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, Japan on September 15. (Reuters)
Kishida said: "People from all over the world are asking me when can I travel to Japan? Starting next month, we will further relax border control measures. Please be prepared to go to Japan and taste Japanese cuisine."
The Japanese government has raised the entry quota to 50,000 people per day this month, and has allowed entries who have been vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine to exempt them from 72 hours of nucleic acid testing. Japanese media reported that as visa applications received by Japanese embassies in various places were overwhelming, the authorities decided to abolish the number of entry restrictions and restore the short-term visa-free system before the epidemic.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is currently dominated by former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide . He also confirmed the news that entry controls were about to be loosened when he attended tourism-related events in Tokyo on Thursday.
Tourists visit the famous tourist resort Sensoji Temple in Tokyo on September 13. (AFP)
He said: "Japan's tourism industry is in a downturn. We hope to recover as soon as possible and return to the grand occasion of 32 million inbound tourists a year before the epidemic... I also recommend taking advantage of the depreciation of the yen and introducing new tourism economic measures."
yen fell to a 24-year low against the US dollar central bank implements foreign exchange intervention
yen against the US dollar exchange rate was about 115 yen to 1 US dollar before March this year, and rose to around 145 yen yesterday, depreciating by 26% in just half a year. Federal Reserve announced another rate hike of 375 basis points on Wednesday, the yen continued to decline, hitting another 24-year low.
Japanese media pointed out that the authorities should take advantage of the depreciation of the yen to attract more overseas tourists and revitalize the tourism industry with a clear policy, but the weakness of the yen has also brought negative effects such as rising prices.
A company in Tokyo, Japan was working on August 29, and behind it is an electronic board showing the Nikkei index. (Reuters)
In order to stop the yen from diarrhea, the Japanese government and the central bank intervened in the foreign exchange market on Thursday, buying the yen and selling the US dollar.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said: "The government cannot ignore excessive fluctuations, so it implemented foreign exchange intervention. In the future, we will also pay close attention to the market trend and take corresponding measures."
Japanese business community also supports making good use of the opportunity of the depreciation of the yen to promote exports and boost tourism. Masaka Tokura, president of the largest economic group "Nikei Company", said: "What the authorities must do is to use the current depreciation of the yen to accelerate the entry of a large number of tourists. Besides, the price of food and other goods in Japan has risen, and the yen is not the only factor, which is related to the high energy prices. If we want to get rid of the negative impact of the depreciation of the yen in the medium and long term, Japan must improve its self-sufficiency in energy and food."
