TOKYO - Japan is expected to lift a ban on individual tourist visa requirements and remove a limit on daily arrivals in October, as it aims to benefit from a rebound in global tourism, Nikkei reported on Thursday.

Following the change, Japan will not require visas for short-term travellers from the United States and certain other countries, and will scrap the daily entry cap of 50,000 people, the media outlet said.

The Straits Times understands that Singapore is expected to be among the countries from where tourists will not be required to have a visa in order to enter Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to announce the changes in the coming days, according to the report.

With the yen languishing near a 24-year low against the US dollar, owing to a hawkish US Federal Reserve, the Japanese government could benefit from capitalising on the increased buying power of tourists by easing travel requirements, the report added.

Japan last week raised the daily ceiling of inbound travellers to 50,000 from 20,000, and eliminated a requirement for pre-departure Covid-19 tests, easing what have been among the most restrictive border measures among major economies.

Before the pandemic, Japan did not require tourist visas for 68 countries and regions.

Japan's international travel demand has been hampered by the need for tourists to obtain visas and travel agency bookings as well as the daily cap on inbound traveller numbers.

The country's flagship Japan Airlines is operating at 65 per cent of its pre-pandemic international capacity, although the Covid-19 curbs are limiting demand to just about 40 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, an airline executive told the media earlier this week.

REUTERS