Tokyo, 1 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japan expands daily arrival cap to 20,000 as COVID fears recede
TOKYO – Japan doubled the cap on daily arrivals to the country to 20,000 from Wednesday as it continues to ease its COVID-19 border controls amid receding worries about the pandemic.
The country also exempted people from isolation and COVID-19 testing upon entry when they come from 98 countries and regions presenting the lowest risk of infection, including the United States, Britain, China and South Korea. This means some 80 percent of the entrants are exempted.
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Japan enacts 2.7 tril. yen extra budget to tackle surging prices
TOKYO – Japan’s parliament enacted Tuesday a 2.7 trillion yen ($21 billion) extra budget for fiscal 2022 to tackle recent rising fuel and food prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The extra budget for the year that started April 1 will finance part of a 6.2 trillion yen emergency economic package formed in late April which includes such measures as subsidies to oil wholesalers to pull down surging retail gasoline prices.
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Japan, South Korea foreign ministers may meet in Tokyo next month
TOKYO – Japan is considering a foreign ministerial meeting with South Korea next month in Tokyo, government sources said Tuesday, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seeks to mend soured bilateral ties following the launch of a new government in Seoul.
If realized, it will be the first in-person meeting in Japan since November 2019 by top diplomats from the two countries. The two neighboring countries have been locked in disputes over wartime issues for many years and their relations sank to their lowest level in decades under former South Korean President Moon Jae In.
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Japan court rules against restarting nuclear power plant in Hokkaido
SAPPORO – A Japanese court on Tuesday ordered a nuclear power plant in Hokkaido to remain offline as requested by over 1,000 plaintiffs due to safety concerns, in a rare decision issued while the operator is seeking permission from authorities to restart the plant.
The Sapporo District Court ruled that Hokkaido Electric Power Co. should not resume operation of all three reactors at its Tomari nuclear plant in northern Japan in the suit filed in November 2011. It marks the third district court ruling for a nuclear plant to be suspended.
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More regional Japan airports to accept entrants from abroad: PM
TOKYO – Japan plans to allow more regional airports to accept entrants from abroad, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday, as the country gradually relaxes stringent border controls implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government will also unveil guidelines on COVID-era inbound tourism for the travel industry on June 7, Kishida said, three days before it resumes accepting tourists from overseas, initially targeting those on package tours with guides and fixed itineraries.
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Japan to draw up 5-yr plan to promote startups for innovation
TOKYO – The Japanese government will draw up a five-year plan by the end of this year to support startups and eyes increasing investments for their promotion by 10 times as part of its innovation drive, a draft growth strategy by a Cabinet task force showed Tuesday.
The task force discussing how to realize a new form of capitalism, a concept advocated by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for fairer wealth distribution, will consider 14 measures including expanding investments to venture capital firms such as through state-owned Japan Investment Corp., according to the draft.
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S. Korea’s voting gets under way for local elections, by-elections
SEOUL – South Korea’s voting for local elections and by-elections for parliamentary seats kicked off on Wednesday, with its results closely watched following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s victory in one of the most hotly contested presidential races in the country just over two months ago.
Through Wednesday’s election, 17 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors will be decided as well as seven National Assembly lawmakers.
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Record-low 90,300 Japan visas issued in 2021 due to pandemic
TOKYO – Japan issued 90,306 visas to foreign nationals in 2021, marking the lowest figure since comparable records were made available in 1999, due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The figure, down from a record-high 8.28 million in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, surpassed the previous record low of 1.12 million in 2020 by 92 percent, the ministry said, as the global spread of the coronavirus led the government to intensify border restrictions on overseas arrivals.
