Japan to admit some vaccinated Thais on package tours

A general view of Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain at 3,776 metres, is pictured from Fujinoki Tagonoura Minato park in Fuji city, Shizuoka Prefecture on Feb 23, 2022. (AFP)

Japan will allow small groups of tourists on package tours in to the country this month on an experimental basis, welcoming foreign travellers who have been shut out of the country during most of the coronavirus pandemic.

Travellers from Thailand, the US, Australia and Singapore who have received three vaccination shots and have medical insurance will be allowed in as small groups, the Japan Tourism Agency said in a statement on Tuesday. Groups will need pre-set itineraries and must be accompanied by travel agency staff, the statement said, as reported by the Yomiuri earlier. 

The government has been planning to reopen the country to tourists this summer, with local media reporting it’s making preparations to accept more tourists in June. The reports said it plans to double the daily arrival limit to 20,000 and exempt some people from testing upon arrival provided they test at point of departure.