TOKYO - Japan's government is considering allowing hotels to refuse entry to guests who do not wear masks and follow other measures to control infection during an outbreak, Fuji News Network said on Wednesday.

The government will submit a bill at an extraordinary session of Parliament in October that would revise the law governing hotels and inns, allowing them more power to enforce infection measures, the network said.

The move would come at a time when Japan is expected to further ease its Covid-19 border controls, waiving visa requirements for certain tourists and removing a limit on daily arrivals.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is scheduled to debate border easing measures on Thursday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who departed on Tuesday for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, may announce the border easing during a speech at the New York Stock Exchange, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.

Currently, the wearing of masks is not compulsory in Japan but is strongly recommended indoors and on public transport.

Anticipating the eighth wave of Covid-19, possibly this winter, the government intends to devise countermeasures as early as October.

One of the key measures involved will be accelerating the administration of new vaccines deemed effective against the Omicron variant, which would prevent people from getting infected with Covid-19 developing severe symptoms. REUTERS, THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK