The Japanese government is planning to — gingerly — reopen the country to foreign tourists.
Successive administrations have opted for caution as they balanced the public health and safety impacts of reopening against the economic losses. Now, however, the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seems ready to explore a more permissive policy to begin a return to normalcy and the economic rewards that follow. We encourage that evolution but urge the administration to remain sensitive to public concerns. Success in any COVID-19 control and containment policy requires public confidence and support.
Japan closed its borders to foreign travelers shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak began two years ago, gradually widening the ban to include 159 countries and regions. It eased some of those restrictions — such as allowing foreign residents to return — but reopening proved to be a fitful process as new variants emerged and successive waves of infection battered the country.