Tokyo: The Japanese government will start a nationwide travel discount program and relax its border control measures drastically on Tuesday, as part of efforts to revive the country’s economy from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the travel support program, discounts of up to 8,000 yen per night per person will be available for package tours with public transportation.

The discount will be reduced to 5,000 yen for accommodation only and single-day tours.

In addition, coupons worth 3,000 yen for weekdays and 1,000 yen for weekends will be given for use at local restaurants and other places.

Of the country’s 47 prefectures, 46 will launch the discount program on Tuesday, with tours to Tokyo set to become eligible on Oct. 20.

The government plans to keep the program in place until late December, but each prefecture can decide when to end it at its own discretion.

The government will remove its daily cap on the number of travelers allowed to enter the country, currently set at 50,000.

It will allow visa-free travel for people from 68 countries and regions, including the United States, South Korea and Taiwan.

Japan will also resume accepting foreign travelers on individual tours.

Japan will also discontinue COVID-19 testing upon arrival for travelers with a certificate of a booster shot or a negative result from a test taken within 72 hours of departure.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said his government aims to achieve at least 5 trillion yen in annual spending by travelers to the country.

“We’ll take as much advantage of the benefits of a weak yen as possible and take steps, including adding high value to tourist destinations, to achieve the goal,” tourism minister Tetsuo Saito said at a press conference on Friday.

Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, urged people to continue taking COVID-19 precautions.

“Infection cases have been decreasing but remain high. People’s movement will spread the virus,” he said.

JIJI Press