Japan raises to 50,000 the number of tourists allowed to enter the country after a large yen devaluation

Japan on Wednesday raised its daily entry limit for tourist arrivals from 20,000 to 50,000 on Wednesday, after the country’s tourism sector has been languishing in the face of strict anti-COVID-19 border controls imposed for more than two years and following the yen’s biggest loss in value in 24 years.

As of Wednesday, inbound travelers who have been vaccinated at least three times do not need to be tested for coronavirus within 72 hours before departure, Japan’s Kyodo news agency detailed.

The news came after the yen fell to the 144 level against the US dollar, recording the lowest value of the Japanese currency in 24 years. A weaker yen increases the purchasing power of foreign travelers to Japan, with the value of their currencies, such as the dollar and the euro, rising against the Japanese unit.

Japan has lagged behind other major economies in opening its doors to inbound tourism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the world’s third-largest economy has shown few signs of a robust recovery, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government has been trying to stimulate growth by inviting more foreign visitors, who would benefit from the rapid depreciation of the Japanese yen, according to the aforementioned agency.

In November 2021, Japan banned all new entries of foreigners worldwide in response to the emergence of the highly contagious Omicron variant, which generated criticism both at home and abroad for its strict border control measures.