From 11 October travellers will no longer need to go through a travel agency to vist Japan and will also no longer need a visa.
The new restrictions in Japan will be "on par with the US," according to the country's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who spoke about the changes to the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. He was in the United States to attend the United Nations general assembly.
Japan has had among the longest lasting travel restrictions following the outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020. Two years on, they will now open tourism back up to travellers who are vaccinated.
The announcement was first made by Japan's minister of digital affairs Taro Kono, who shared the lifting of regulations in a Twitter thread.
"Finally, Japan will reopen the border," the tweet said. "Visa waiver is back, no daily limit and free individual visits."
Last Thursday In New York, Japan's PM Kishida said: "But from October 11, Japan will relax border control measures to be on par with the US, as well as resume visa-free travel and individual travel."
The country's Prime Minister added: "We will lift the ceiling of the number of entrants into Japan, lift the ban on individual travel and lift the ban over visa-less travel."
While the country kept its tight travel restrictions in place for longer than many other nations, lockdowns or mask wearing was never mandated in Japan. However, many quickly adopted protections and the county's vaccination rate is among the highest.
This comes after the country trialled tourism in small test groups in May, when groups of 50 travellers were allowed to visit Japan as tourists - the first to do so since 2020. They were constantly supervised and were only able to visit Japan on a special visa.
Tours were strictly planned and holidaymakers were accompanied by a tour guide at all times. At the time, there was pressure from businesses to resume tourism due to a falling yen, which is currently sitting at a 24-year low.
Taiwan and Hong Kong also relaxed entry rules for visitors this month with a loosening of quarantine restrictions in both countries.
New Zealand has also dropped almost all of its Covid regulations, both for travellers and locals, with just a seven day isolation period for those who test positive.
Speaking to Reuters, Shinichi Inoue, president of All Nippon Airways in Japan said :"We will see a significant impact on the economy."
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