Japan to unveil new entry rules for visa-exempt tourists to deter illegal migration

Malaysia will be among the 71 countries whose citizens will need authorisation to enter Japan under a new tourism plan by the government.

According to Japan Today, these countries, which also include Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, Britain, the United States and Australia, are currently exempted from having to apply for a visa to enter Japan.

The Japanese government, the daily reported on Friday, has announced plans to introduce the new travel authorisation system that will require visitors to declare personal information online to enter the country.

It also reported that the Japanese government aims to put aside costs for the system under next year’s budget with plans for this to be in place by 2030.

According to data from JTB Tourism Research and Consulting Co, Japan saw some 22,000 visits from Malaysia from January to June.

Tourism has boomed in Japan, with the country seeing over 17.7 million visits between January and June this year.

The new system is said to run in a similar way to the US’ Electronic System for Travel Authorisation or ESTA, which was introduced as an anti-terrorism measure.

Japan Today reported that the new system will require visa-exempt foreign nationals to declare their purpose of entry and place of stay online for screening by the country’s Immigration Services Agency before they travel.

If the application is flagged as an illegal-stay risk, the travel authorisation required to leave the country will not be granted, and the traveller will be encouraged to obtain a formal visa through their local embassy instead.

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The Japanese government had said that the aim of the new system is to reduce the number of illegal immigrants who come to