Govt. to ease regulations to draw foreign visitors
Japan's government will push ahead with deregulations to draw more foreign tourists, especially those from Asia.
The number of foreign visitors in Japan reached 19.73 million last year, renewing a record set for 3 consecutive years.
The government earlier set a goal of increasing the annual number of foreign tourists to 20 million in 2020 when the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held. The goal is expected to be achieved sometime soon.
The government will ease visa requirements for Vietnamese nationals who visit Japan on business, starting on Monday. It also eased its entry requirements for visitors from India last month.
The government is preparing to introduce a new system for visitors from South Korea and Taiwan to complete their immigration examination before they leave for Japan.
The system is expected to help speed up the process at immigration counters.
The number of visitors from South Korea and Taiwan is the largest following those from China.