US business group urges Japan to raise cap on foreigner entry

A passenger walks with a suitcase at the arrivals hall at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport on Feb 18, 2022, after Japan's government announced plans to ease virus border rules for workers and students. - AFP

TOKYO (Bloomberg): A US business group in Japan welcomed the country’s limited opening of its borders to new foreign entrants, while urging that the cap on numbers be raised and "nightmare” bureaucratic processes streamlined.

Christopher LaFleur, special adviser to the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, told Bloomberg TV on Monday (Feb 21) that phased plans starting next week to ease some of the developed world’s strictest pandemic border controls would be closely watched by the business community.