JAPAN’S government is planning to introduce a screening system which will require visitors from visa-exempt regions and countries – including those from Singapore – to declare certain personal information before entering the country.
The aim of this system is to reduce the number of visitors that remain in the country beyond their valid period of stay, Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun reported on Aug 21. Visitors are usually allowed to stay in Japan for between 14 and 90 days, depending on their passport.
The provisional name for the system is Jesta, which is modelled after the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) created by the US for counter-terrorism purposes.
The Japanese government aims to introduce the system by 2030, and it will apply to visitors that travel from visa-exempt countries.
Visitors will be required to declare information such as their purpose of entry and intended destination online, before travelling to Japan. If a visitor is flagged by the system to be at risk of overstaying illegally, he or she will be required to obtain a regular visa.
Currently, visitors from 71 countries and regions do not need a visa to travel to Japan. These include countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand.
In July, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said that around 17.78 million travellers visited Japan in the first half of 2024. Visitor numbers in June alone was at 3.1 million, exceeding the 3 million mark for the fourth month in a row.
The country attracted around 31.9 million visitors in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. The Japan Tourism Agency expects visitor numbers to reach 35 million in 2024, which would be a record high for the country. THE STRAITS TIMES
