Section 1 Japanese Society and People Deepening Their Ties with the World

1 Japan's Growth and Acceptance of Foreign Nationals

(1) Revival of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country, and its Visa System

In March 2016, the Government of Japan formulated the “Tourism Vision to Support the Future of Japan” that set a goal of 40 million inbound international visitors to Japan in 2020 and 60 million in 2030. Based on “Tourism Vision Realization Programs” formulated annually based on the above strategy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had been implementing a relaxation of visa requirements in order to promote inbound tourism, resulting in a record 31.88 million international visitors to Japan in 2019.

However, the number of inbound international visitors dropped significantly in and after 2020 due to the impact of strengthened border measures imposed by Japan and other countries and regions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, however, the pandemic had subsided, and countries and regions have relaxed or eliminated their border measures. Consequently, international cross-border travel has recovered rapidly, with the number of inbound international visitors to Japan in October 2023 exceeding the October 2019 level.

Against this backdrop, the Government of Japan formulated the 4th Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan in March and the Action Plan for Expanding Inbound Tourism for the New Era in May toward Japan's revival as a tourism-oriented country in a sustainable manner. These plans set targets to achieve over 32 million inbound international visitors to Japan, 5 trillion Japanese yen in inbound travel revenues, and 20 trillion Japanese yen in domestic travel revenues by 2025.

The relaxation of visa requirements is contributing to the recovery of inbound tourism and becoming more important than ever before. Since January 2023, as a result of discussions with related ministries and agencies in response to requests from other countries, MOFA introduced the visa waiver measure based on the Ordinary Passport Registration System for Qatar on April 2, and visa exemption arrangements for Brazil on September 30, 2023. In addition, MOFA eased multiple entry visa requirements for Mongolia on June 30 and introduced new multiple entry visas for Saudi Arabia on December 4. Furthermore, MOFA launched Working Holiday Programmes with Uruguay, Finland and Latvia, and concurred with the UK on significantly expanding the visa quota issued under the Working Holiday Program. As of the end of December 2023, Japan has taken measures on visa exemption arrangements for ordinary passport holders for 70 countries/regions.

It is important to relax visa requirements in order to facilitate travel by people between Japan and other countries and to promote exchange and mutual understanding. Yet, it is also significant to tighten the screening process for visa issuance in the interest of preventing the entry of criminals, illegal workers, and potential victims of human trafficking. MOFA will continue to consider visa relaxation measures with a comprehensive view of bilateral relations and the significance for diplomacy, with the aim of increasing the number of inbound international visitors to Japan while maintaining the safety and security of society for which Japan is world-renowned, in addition to contributing to the revival of Japan as a tourism-oriented country in terms of both quality and quantity.

(2) Hosting Foreign Human Resources and Their Social Integration

With Japan's declining birthrate, aging population and shrinking population, in order to address worsening labor shortages faced by various businesses including small- and medium-sized businesses and small-scale enterprises, a “Specified Skilled Worker” system was established in April 2019 for accepting work-ready foreign nationals with certain expertise and skills into some industries, which continued to face difficulties in securing human resources despite efforts that were made to improve productivity and secure human resources domestically. MOFA, as one of the organizations related to this system alongside the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the National Police Agency, participates in preparing Memorandums of Cooperation (MOC) that set out a framework for information partnerships with the countries of origin of the workers, and in bilateral discussions based on those MOCs. MOFA also undertakes public relations efforts in the local languages of the major countries of origin of the workers.

Furthermore, the “Ministerial Council on Acceptance and Inclusion of Foreign Human Resources” has been established for the Government of Japan as a whole to comprehensively discuss the acceptance of new foreign human resources and the development of an environment for fostering a society in which foreign nationals living in Japan can coexist in harmony with Japanese nationals. In June, the “Roadmap for the Realization of a Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals” (partially revised in FY2023) and “Comprehensive Measures for Accepting and Coexisting with Foreign Human Resources” (revised in FY2023) were decided upon. Furthermore, every year MOFA co-hosts the “International Forum on Acceptance of Foreign Nationals and Their Integration into Japan” together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), aiming to encourage debate among the people by providing opportunities to discuss concrete challenges and measures.