The central government has relaxed visa requirements for visitors from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The measure is part of a governmental bid to drive up the number of foreign tourists to 20 million a year by 2020, after hitting the previous target of 10 million in 2013.
Applicants from the three countries will now be exempt from having to submit documents showing their savings if they have visited Japan in the past and have also made several trips to any of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, a Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday.
The G-7 is made up of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
The validity of multiple-entry visas for nationals of the three Southeast Asian countries has also been extended to a maximum of five years from three years, the official said.
The visa requirement for Indonesian tourists will be waived from Dec. 1 for individuals who register in advance with IC passports at Japanese diplomatic establishments overseas.