The country had locked its borders in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
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A return to normal? Japan reopened its doors on Tuesday, October 11, to foreign tourists. The country has lifted its border restrictions entirely to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Visitors from 68 countries and territories (including the European Union and the United States) again benefit from a visa exemption for tourist stays since Tuesday, if they can present proof of vaccination or a negative test. made less than three days before departure.
The country, which welcomed a record 31.9 million foreign visitors in 2019 and hoped for 40 million the following year, when the Tokyo Olympics were originally scheduled to take place, locked its borders in spring 2020 at the start of the pandemic. In 2021, less than 250,000 foreign visitors were able to set foot on Japanese soil and the Tokyo Olympics were held virtually behind closed doors.
Japan’s closure to international visitors, including for a time students and business travelers, was a popular measure at home but criticized abroad. The Japanese government had opened the door to a return of tourists since June, but only as part of organized trips. This device had been lightened at the beginning of September to authorize individual stays, but still via a travel agency.