Japan to lift COVID-19 entry ban for 106 countries including U.S.

FILE PHOTO: A passenger wearing a protective mask makes his way next to an arrival gate of Narita international airport on the first day of closed borders to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus Omicron variant amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan, November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

Japan plans to lift its entry ban for 106 countries including the United States, Britain and France on Friday, a government statement said, as Tokyo gradually eases COVID 19-related restrictions.

After the planned lifting, Japan will still keep its doors closed to 56 countries, the statement said Wednesday.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya, writing by Kiyoshi Takenaka; editing by Jason Neely)