The government is considering suspending an agreement to permit the entry of business travelers from countries including China and South Korea amid a global surge in coronavirus cases.
Currently, business travelers from 11 countries and regions are among those who are permitted to enter Japan as part of a special measure.
The suspension, which is expected to run concurrently with the planned state of emergency, would effectively prohibit the entry of foreign visitors from all over the world.
However, depending on the results of consultations with partner countries and other factors, there is a possibility that the special measure permitting entry for business travelers would continue to be applied in some cases.
The government suspended the entry of foreign visitors from all over the world on Dec. 28, in principle, with the exception of the 11 economies with which Japan had reached agreements on business travel.
At a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga indicated the entry of business travelers from the 11 countries and regions could also be suspended if cases of a coronavirus variant had been confirmed.
Some government officials are calling for tougher measures as 36,647 visitors from the 11 countries and regions were granted entry in November, accounting for more than half of the month's 50,994 arrivals, according to preliminary figures.
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