TOKYO: The government raised the maximum daily number of people allowed to enter Japan to 7,000 from 5,000 on Monday.

The limit is expected to rise further to 10,000 in April.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference that the government “hopes to increase international flows of people” including foreign students in stages.

According to the education ministry, some 110,000 people who wish to study in Japan and have the necessary visa status remain unable to enter the country.

The government plans to facilitate the travel of foreign students to Japan by using vacant passenger flight seats on weekdays, when the number of business passengers is relatively small.

Japan’s disease control system is prepared to deal with a situation in which the daily number of arrivals from abroad exceeds the limit of 7,000 temporarily, Matsuno said.

JIJI Press