Photo/Illutration A traveler shows his smartphone screen to a quarantine officer as part of procedures to enter Japan at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Sept. 7. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The government will decide by the end of this month, at the earliest, on whether it will relax COVID-19 border control measures.

It is expected to scrap the daily entry cap, accept individual travelers not on a tour and resume the visa exemption arrangement next month, at the earliest, if it formally decides to implement these measures.

The government will make a final decision taking into account how the increase in the flow of people due to school reopenings and other reasons is impacting the spread of infections amid a decrease in new patients.

The government on Sept. 7 raised the ceiling for daily entrants from 20,000 to 50,000.

That same day, it also stopped requiring new entrants to submit a negative COVID-19 test result on the condition they have been vaccinated three times.

However, Japan still doesn’t accept individual travelers and has continued with suspension of the visa exemption arrangement.

When appearing on a current affairs TV program broadcast by Fuji Television Network Inc. on Sept. 11, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said that as the yen is falling, now is a good time to implement measures to accept more foreign tourists.

“We can’t be left behind,” Kihara said, as other countries have already welcomed back individual travelers.

Japan needs more inbound travelers to revitalize its economy, he said, adding that many foreigners want to visit the country in the autumn, when many attractive options abound such as seasonal foods, fall foliage and snow in some areas.

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