The country’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said the easing means tourists can visit the country without a visa and no longer have to go through a travel agency.
From October 11, a limit for daily arrivals will also be lifted.
In fact, Japan had blocked access to visitors for two years until it began a gradual reopening in June under some of major economies’ strictest entry regulations.
Mr Kishida’s announcement came as both Taiwan and Hong-Kong also relaxed their rules for tourists.
Hong Kong will move from hotel quarantine to home quarantine later this month, while Taiwan will drop quarantine requirements for international arrivals in mid-October.
Speaking at the New York Stock Exchange, Mr. Kishida said, “We are a nation that has flourished through the free flow of people, goods and capital.
“Covid-19 has, of course, interrupted all these benefits, but from October 11, Japan will relax border control measures to align with the US, and resume visa-free and individual travel.”
Japan’s insistence that visitors obtain visas to enter the country and then adhere to scheduled package tours has been a major bottleneck in the tourism industry.
Business lobbies and travel companies have urged Japan to ease border controls more quickly as they are out of step with major trading partners and could leave the country behind economically.
“We’re going to see a significant impact on the economy,” Shinichi Inoue, president of All Nippon Airways, told reporters Friday, adding that the yen’s sharp decline against the dollar is a “huge pull” for foreigners.
The Japanese currency fell below 145 yen against the dollar on Thursday, making foreign travel and purchases in the country the cheapest in decades.