Govt mulls raising cap on international arrivals to 7,000

The Yomiuri Shimbun
People are seen in the quarantine inspection area at Narita Airport on Tuesday.

The government is considering raising the daily cap on international arrivals from about 5,000 to about 7,000 as part of efforts to ease pandemic-related border restrictions.

The limit was increased from about 3,500 to 5,000 on Tuesday, but members of the business community and others have called for the cap to be raised further.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he would consider raising the limit while keeping an eye on the quarantine control situation and the status of infections in Japan and overseas.

Raising the cap to about 7,000 would be feasible, according to the government, which plans to increase the limit incrementally going forward.