Foreign visitors arriving in Japan may get to breeze through immigration soon as the country looks for new ways to amplify a tourism boom that is boosting its economy.
The government will introduce a new preclearance system from next January, starting with tourists from Taiwan, NHK reported. Visitors will be able to complete most of their immigration screening before departure to help shorten the time taken for entry procedures on arrival, according to the report.
The decision comes with record numbers of tourists already visiting the country. Around 17.8 million people came in the first half of the year, according to a Kyodo report. June also marked the fourth straight month where monthly visitors exceeded 3 million, while spending by foreign tourists for the April-June quarter hit a record ¥2.1 trillion ($13.4 billion), the report said.