• It will soon be compulsory for travelers from countries with visa exemptions for short-term stays in Japan to provide personal information and the purpose of stay before their arrival.

Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan will launch pre-arrival screenings for visa-free travelers in 2028 as the tourism rate booms, according to Kyodo News.

In 2024, a record-breaking 36.87 million foreign travelers visited Japan, a 47.1% increase from the previous year. 

As the government aims to boost this number to 60 million, Japan will adopt a screening model similar to the United States Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the Justice Ministry stated.

With this new system, it will be compulsory for travelers from countries with visa exemptions for short-term stays in Japan to provide personal information and the purpose of stay before their arrival.

Accordingly, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan can assess travelers’ data and may not allow them to board planes to Japan if they have a criminal history or records of illegal stays in Japan, the ministry added.

The Foreign Ministry said that there are 71 countries to which this will apply, including the United States and South Korea.

Earlier this year in February, Saudi and Japanese FMs held a strategic meeting that included signing visa-waivers to ease travel procedures between the two countries.