Japan mulls abolishing face-to-face immigration checks amid tourism surge

TOKYO - The Japanese government is moving to abolish with the need for most foreign tourists to meet face-to-face with immigration officers to enter the country as it seeks to streamline entry procedures amid the inbound tourism surge.

The Immigration Services Agency said it would instead rely on visitor information collected through an online pre-travel screening system called Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or JESTA, set to launch in fiscal 2028.