Japan’s foreign arrivals down by almost 100%

Nearly 61,000 coronavirus cases reported as capital Tokyo remains worst-hit

Government figures on Friday revealed that Japan’s foreign arrivals are down by almost 100% year-on-year.

The country hit by the coronavirus received nearly 3,800 foreign travelers in July which was down by 99.9% for the fourth consecutive month, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Japan has reported nearly 61,000 coronavirus cases since the outbreak. Tokyo is the most affected with over 18,000 cases.

A total of 1,144 people have died in the country due to the infection.

Japan has conducted over 1.1 million tests for coronavirus until now.

In view of the mounting infections, Japan imposed strict ban on entry into the country from at least 146 countries.

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Besides, Japan’s deteriorating relations with South Korea since last October also affected foreign arrivals for the tenth consecutive month.

The data showed Japan received 2,600 foreign visitors in June, 1,663 in May and 2,917 in April.

However, to push up the number of arrivals, Japan has initiated dialogue with 16 countries including Australia and some Southeast Asian countries to ease the travel restrictions.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that the government has decided to allow entry of foreign nationals with resident visas from September.

Only those with visa, including permanent residents and exchange students, will be allowed to enter the country on the condition that they undergo coronavirus testing and quarantine for 14 days.