The government will relax its COVID-19 protocols — the changes of which will affect both visitors to the country and the treatment afforded Japanese citizens at home.

The new policies align Japan with other major economies, and are anticipated to boost the economy as tourists visit to take advantage of a weak yen. Travel-related businesses are pleased with the decision, but it isn’t clear if the public is on board.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced this week that Japan will no longer require pre-arrival coronavirus tests for vaccinated travelers from Sept. 7, and will increase the number of arrivals allowed into the country on a daily basis — a number that is currently set at 20,000. Visitors will now be required to submit proof of vaccination and those that have received three doses of an approved vaccine will not need a pre-arrival PCR test.

The prime minister did not announce what the new cap would be — speculation is that it will be 50,000 arrivals daily — or when it would go into effect. The first priority, he explained, is ensuring that airports have the necessary staff and infrastructure to accommodate the anticipated increase in arrivals.

Kishida also announced measures to ease the burden on public health professionals as they try to deal with the pandemic. As of Sunday, Japan was recording about 226,000 cases a day, slightly above the seven-day average of 218,000. Those numbers reflect a surge in infections since June — at one point the daily count was 7,700 — but the numbers appear to be declining again.

Hospitalizations now exceed 37,000 on a daily basis; just under 2,000 people are in intensive care. These numbers have also been steadily climbing since June, when nearly 4,700 people were hospitalized and 282 were in intensive care.

Currently, hospitals must provide local health authorities with detailed information on every COVID-19 case. Those authorities then contact each patient, decide how they should be treated and their care.

Under the new rules, public health professionals will be asked to provide detailed information only for high-risk COVID-19 patients. Those who suffer mild symptoms will be required to take government-approved antigen tests, which they will be able to buy either online or at general drug stores, rather than visit specialized “fever clinics.” If an individual’s self-test for COVID-19 is positive, they will be asked to register the results at clinics designed to follow up.

If local public health infrastructure is strained, municipalities will be empowered to limit the detailed reporting of cases to high-risk groups, such as older adults or those with comorbidities. Kishida also said the government is committed to making up to 50,000 beds available for COVID-19 patients nationwide. It is also considering reducing the quarantine period from the current 10 days.

The new rules are designed to reflect the reality of life in a world in which COVID-19 is endemic, but more than 80% of the population is vaccinated. The risk of infection remains real but the consequences of infection are much reduced. As Kishida explained, “priority will be on protecting the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly.”

For most people, COVID-19 is less dangerous, although it can be debilitating. We must learn to live with the coronavirus. Caution is in order, but not fear.

Similar thinking justifies the opening of the borders to more visitors. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Japan welcomed 100,000 visitors a day; 32 million people visited the country in 2019 and there were hopes that 40 million would come to Japan in 2020.

The government closed the door to virtually all foreign arrivals in November 2021 after the omicron variant emerged; only 250,000 international travelers entered Japan that year. The government decided to ease restrictions as the rest of the world opened up on the heels of the vaccine and COVID-19 fatigue.

Japan allowed visitors only if they took expensive and invasive PCR tests and if they joined a group that had a guide to ensure compliance with local rules. There were few takers. In June, just 252 tourists entered the country; in July, the number rose to about 7,900.

The gap between Japanese policies and those of much of the rest of the developed world was increasingly problematic. It is revealing that when Kishida announced the revisions, he mentioned keeping pace with other Group of Seven countries.

The chief motivation was the toll that restrictions were taking on the economy. In a recent online poll, nearly three-quarters of respondents warned that Japan’s COVID-19 controls would keep them from visiting. That exacted a heavy price, with travel-related spending by foreigners drying up, going from $38 billion in 2019 to under $1 billion last year.

According to one analysis, tourism losses reached ¥22 trillion ($160.7 billion) over two years. Not surprisingly, businesses have pressed to open borders, not only to help to boost tourist revenues, but to allow executives to travel for work or to bring in interns, apprentices and trainees.

Closing the borders has other costs, too. Most significantly, it marginalizes Japan on the global stage. It isn’t clear how troubled the public is by this, however. The nation’s border policy is sometimes called “Sakoku 2.0,” in reference to the policy of isolation pursued from 1603-1868. Surveys have shown majority support for tight border controls, although recent polls suggest views are changing and there is more backing for opening.

COVID-19 continues to challenge governments and societies. The coronavirus will not be going away and we must adapt to it. Isolation may be a temptation but it is a false hope. There is no way to prevent the introduction and spread of the virus. Japan should reopen the borders and be ready for any surge in cases, accepting it as the price of participation in the modern economy.

The Japan Times Editorial Board

Correction: The third paragraph was updated on Aug. 29, 2022, to reflect the fact that the total capacity for arrivals includes those people not entering the country as tourists.