Foreign visitors arriving in Japan may get to breeze through immigration soon as the country looks for new ways to amplify a tourism boom that is boosting its economy.
The government will introduce a new pre-clearance system from next January, starting with tourists from Taiwan, NHK reported yesterday.
Visitors will be able to complete most of their immigration screening before departure to help shorten the time taken for entry procedures on arrival, according to the broadcaster.
The decision comes with record numbers of tourists already visiting the country.
Around 17.8 million people visited in the first half, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation.
June also marked the fourth straight month with more than three million travellers.
The slump in the yen has turned Japan from a pricey bucket-list trip to a relatively inexpensive tourism and shopping destination.
At a meeting to promote tourism yesterday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared that ¥8 trillion (RM238.5bil) of spending by foreign visitors is within sight in 2024. — Bloomberg
