THE Japanese government has been urged to normalise its Covid-19 travel controls for foreigners as soon as possible, while gradually reopening its borders for tourists.
Several members of a government panel said this will boost the economy and help the country amid rising prices in the country.
According to a Kyodo News report, private sector members of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy said the government should relax its daily limit on foreign visitors and ease additional immigration procedures needed to enter Japan.
They said this should be done when these restrictions are confirmed to be less effective in curbing infections.
Japan had already raised the daily cap on overseas entrants on Apr 10 from 7,000 to 10,000.
However, entry is limited to business people, technical interns and students, while the ban on tourists remains.
The four panel members said the government should gradually accept inbound tourists to tackle the diminishing current account surplus caused partly by a plunge in the country's travel balance.
They also called for the government to present the criteria needed for a further relaxation in border controls.
The council includes members of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda and business leaders.
The minister in charge of the government's Covid-19 response, Daishiro Yamagiwa, later said the government agreed with the private sector members on the direction that should be followed before reopening the border to tourists.
He said the timeline of easing the regulations should be decided appropriately as the coronavirus pandemic remains unpredictable.
Kishida had also instructed his ministers to start discussing specific investment promotion plans that could lead to innovations and strengthening of supply chains.
This comes as the government had set a goal of doubling foreign direct investment in Japan to 80 trillion yen.
Meanwhile, in another development, a Japanese health ministry panel has approved a plan to initially administer fourth Covid-19 vaccine shots only to the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions.
According to the plan, the fourth shots of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines can be given five months after a person had received their third shot.
Those aged 60 or older and those above 18 with medical conditions are eligible for a fourth shot. It will be given for free like the first three, although there were indications earlier that people may have to pay for them.
According to the Kyodo report, the panel said the fourth shot could be made more widely available later.
"We will examine the scope of coverage while looking at future evidence and the infection situation," said Takaji Wakita, who is the head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and also the panel head.