入国上限、来月２万人に　月内観光実験、近く最終判断―空港検査も緩和・政府調整

　政府は新型コロナウイルスの水際対策を緩和し、１日当たりの入国・帰国者数の上限を現在の「１万人程度」から６月に「２万人程度」に引き上げる方向で調整に入った。国内外の感染状況を見極め、来週をめどに最終判断する。外国人観光客受け入れの本格再開に向け、団体ツアーの実証実験も月内に始める方針だ。政府関係者が１１日、明らかにした。
　岸田文雄首相は感染防止を優先し、外国人への門戸開放に慎重だったが、社会経済活動を重視する方向に徐々に軸足を移す。
　政府は昨年１２月、変異株「オミクロン株」の発生を受け、入国・帰国者総数を１日３５００人程度まで縮小。その後、重症化しにくい同株の特徴などを踏まえて段階的に緩和し、４月１０日から１万人程度としている。これを早ければ６月１日から２万人程度に引き上げる見通しだ。
　入国者が増えればその分だけ空港検疫が逼迫（ひっぱく）するため、到着時のコロナ「全員検査」も併せて見直す。陰性証明やワクチン接種証明を提示すれば、検査を免除する案が浮上している。（2022/05/11-18:35）

The Japanese government is going to raise the daily cap on the number of people allowed to enter the country to around 20,000 from the current 10,000 next month, government sources said Wednesday.
   In addition, the government plans to conduct an experimental project toward a full-fledged opening of borders to foreign tourists, the sources said.
   In a speech in London on Thursday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who had once touted Japan's border control measures as "the most stringent" among the Group of Seven major powers, said the measures will be eased by June to realize smooth entry as already made possible by the other G-7 members.
   His remarks followed a flood of complaints about Japan's too-strict coronavirus border restrictions made by business representatives to Kishida during his latest trips overseas.
   In December last year, when the highly transmissible omicron variant of the novel coronavirus started spreading in the country, the government lowered the daily entry limit to around 3,500. But the cap was raised in stages thereafter, to around 10,000 on April 10, on the grounds that the omicron variant is less likely to cause severe symptoms.