TOKYO: Economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Monday that the Japanese government is considering opening the borders for foreign tourists for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next year.

Based on the premise that the Tokyo Games will be held as planned, a series of things should be sorted out, including whether to accept not only athletes but also tourists from abroad, he said in a press conference.

Japan is gradually easing its entry restrictions for non-tourism trips. The novel coronavirus pandemic led the country to introduce border control measures and forced a one-year delay for the Tokyo Summer Games from this year.

Nishimura said the government needs to consider how it should relax the travel bans for Olympians and Paralympians, and inbound travelers.

The government will again pursue an increase in the number of foreign visitors, he suggested. After the Tokyo Games, the government will work on raising the annual number of foreign visitors to 60 million while carefully looking at updates in the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments, Nishimura said.

The minister also suggested that the government will beef up quarantines at airports and the country’s coronavirus testing capacity.

At present, the government bans entry from nearly 160 countries.

JIJI Press