Foreign visitors arriving at Narita Airport, near Tokyo, have been saying they welcome Japan's lifting of most of its COVID-19 border controls.
People who arrived from other countries were heading to immigration counters at the airport on Tuesday morning after showing proof of vaccination or a negative test result.
Japan has posted the smallest current account surplus for August on record. The balance stayed in the black for the second month in a row but a weakening yen weighed on the figure.
Finance Ministry officials released preliminary numbers that show August's current account surplus stood at nearly 60 billion yen, or about 400 million dollars.
Japan is reintroducing a visa waiver program for short-term visitors, and allowing visits by non-escorted individual tourists, as the country lifts most of its COVID-19 border controls. Japan's tourism industry was booming in pre-pandemic years.
Nearly 32 million tourists visited the country in 2019, more than twice the number in 2014. The amount they spent in Japan annually was about 33 billion dollars.
Japan is set to lift most of its COVID-19 border controls on Tuesday.
The government will remove its 50,000-person cap on the number of daily arrivals. Individual tourists who are not registered with package tours will be allowed to enter the country for the first time in more than two years.
Japan will reintroduce a visa waiver program for short-term visitors, and allow visits by non-escorted individual tourists on Tuesday, as the country lifts most of its COVID-19 border controls.
Japan's tourism industry was booming in pre-pandemic years. Nearly 32 million tourists visited the country in 2019, more than twice the number in 2014. The amount they spent in Japan annually was about 33 billion dollars.
An exceptionally bright meteor has been observed in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, and elsewhere.
Fujii Daichi, a curator at the Hiratsuka City Museum in Kanagawa said cameras installed at his home and in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, captured the phenomenon known as a fireball on Monday shortly after 6 p.m.
Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has denounced North Korea over its recent missile launches.
Kishida said on Monday that although Pyongyang is making various claims in its announcements, the country's provocative actions clearly violate UN Security Council resolutions and can never be tolerated.
Japan's health ministry says it confirmed 1,372 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Monday.
The daily tally is down 301 from a week ago.
Torrential rain and thunderstorms may hit parts of northern Japan by Monday night.
Japanese weather officials say atmospheric conditions from the country's north to east are unstable and rain clouds are developing in limited areas in northern and central Japan.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa met his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
During the 90-minute meeting, Hayashi conveyed his strong opposition to any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China seas by force. China has been stepping up acts of hegemony in the region.
A Japanese publisher is helping young children who have fled Ukraine to keep up with their education. The company has printed a Ukrainian-language workbook for young kids in Japan and elsewhere.
It printed 10,000 copies of the workbook after its Ukrainian partner suspended operations due to Russia's invasion. Free copies were handed out to Ukrainian children in Tokyo.
A Japanese student who was fatally shot in the United States 30 years ago was remembered in his home city, where his parents renewed their appeal for the world without gun crimes.
About 100 people took part in the ceremony for Hattori Yoshihiro in Nagoya City, central Japan, on Sunday.
Japan's health ministry says it confirmed 2,242 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Sunday.
The daily tally is down 680 from a week ago.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has said his government will continue to pay close attention to North Korea's provocative acts.
Kishida was speaking to reporters in Suzuka City, central Japan, on Sunday. He was referring to the North's launch of two ballistic missiles in the early hours of the morning. He said it was the seventh time North Korea has fired missiles since late September.