On July 19, national broadcaster NHK reported that the Japanese government is preparing to introduce a new system called “pre-clearance” to help shorten the time required for entry procedures for foreign visitors.

Specifically, foreign visitors can take advantage of the waiting time before boarding the plane at the departure airport to carry out most of the immigration checks into Japan. Therefore, upon arrival, visitors can enter the country smoothly and quickly with only one simple check remaining.

Initially, Japan plans to operate this service for tourists from Taiwan from January 2025 and will expand it to other countries and regions depending on the situation.

In addition, the Japanese government has decided to develop guidelines by the end of this year to deal with “overtourism,” as the situation of too many tourists gathering at tourist attractions has become a problem in Japan. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, about 17.8 million people visited Japan in the first half of 2024. June also marked the fourth consecutive month with more than 3 million visitors to Japan, the highest number ever in a single month.

The tourism boom is boosting the economy of the Land of the Rising Sun, as the yen hit a 38-year low against the dollar in early July. Foreign visitors spent 2.14 trillion yen in the April-June quarter, according to data released by the Japan Tourism Agency.

HAPPY CHI