The government may simplify the immigration process to make it easier for foreign tourists to enter Japan and achieve its goal of bringing in 25 million visitors a year by 2020.
A panel under the Justice Ministry that has discussed the topic since October 2011 is "in the process of finalizing its proposal," an official at the Immigration Bureau said Thursday.
The members of the panel, originally scheduled to conclude discussions by March, have already put forward an interim report proposing a "Trusted Traveler" program that would provide automated gates at ports of entry for low-risk travelers.