TOKYO: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that the Japanese government is considering further easing border restrictions as the country prepares to "exit the sixth wave" of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We hope to gradually increase international travel while taking into consideration the infection situation at home and abroad, as well as the demand of Japanese returnees," Kishida said at a House of Councillors Budget Committee session.
The government has already decided to relax Japan's border controls from March in the wake of criticism from business and academic circles at home and abroad.
Among the measures to be eased, the daily cap on the number of new entrants will be raised from the current 3,500 to 5,000 starting next month.
