Less than 24 hours after it was announced, Japan retracted its request for airlines to halt inbound flight bookings Thursday in a rapid reversal of a move that had roiled Japan¡¯s citizens and residents abroad and even caught Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his transport minister off guard.
¡°The request was made as an emergency measure to prevent (the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant), but it caused confusion among¡± people affected by the decision, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said during a news conference.
To make it possible for Japanese nationals to return home, ¡°the transport ministry has withdrawn the request to suspend new reservations of flights to Japan and will give close attention to demand among Japanese¡± who are currently overseas.
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