Japan ranks among the most visited countries in the world, having reached a record 17.78 million visitors in the first half of 2024. Citizens from 71 countries enjoy visa-free travel to Japan, which lets them stay there from 14 to 90 days. However, people who do not need to apply for a visa still need to pass a government screening and, under the current system, issues with some travellers remaining in the country when they are not allowed to are recurrent.
Now, airlines submit passenger information to the Japanese authorities after takeoff, thus allowing those who fail the screening to still arrive in country, with many then ignoring orders to leave. Moreover, many visitors overstay their visa-free allowance. Government reports indicate that over 28,000 of the 49,801 illegal immigrants recorded in January 2016 were from countries with visa exemptions.
To address this, Japan is set to introduce a pre-travel authorisation system for visa-free countries, that will enhance monitoring of international visitors. JESTA (Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) will be similar to the US visa waiver program and the incoming ETIAS in the EU.
With the JESTA system, travellers will be required to submit personal and travel details, such as entry purpose and place of stay, online, before their journey. This information will be reviewed by Japan’s Immigration Services Agency to assess the risk of overstaying or illegal activities. Those who are not granted travel authorisation will be advised to apply for a formal visa through their local embassy.
The goal is to launch a fully-fledged system by 2030, with research costs already allocated in the budget of 2025. Meanwhile, a trial system will be implemented in which airlines send passenger details to authorities sooner and, if a traveller has a criminal background or is flagged as a foreign national of interest, they will not be allowed to board the plane.
