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July 24, 2026
 

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PASSPORTS

At a plenary session on Friday, the House of Councilors passed a bill cutting application fees for 10-year passports to ?8,900 for online applications and to ?9,300 for in-person applications.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 24, 2026
Japanese passport fees going down to ?9,000 in July
Under the revised passport law, which takes effect on July 1, adult Japanese nationals aged at least 18 can apply for passports valid for 10 years only.
Japan¡¯s passport is among the world¡¯s most powerful. Still, according to the Foreign Ministry, as of 2024, the total number of valid passports stood at about 20.77 million out of a population of 123 million.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2026
Japan¡¯s inbound tourism booms as outbound travel lags
Passport ownership remains low at 16.8% of the population, and outbound travel and study have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Japan plans to cut application fees for passports next year.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 24, 2025
Japan to cut passport fees by up to ?7,000
The application fee will be lowered to about ?9,000 from about ?16,000 for 10-year passports.
The Republic of Nauru is one of the world's smallest nations, with a total landmass of just 21 square kilometers.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 9, 2025
Pacific microstate sells first passports to fund climate action
The remote Pacific nation has approved just six applicants since early this year, but officials say interest in joining the low-lying, largely barren island is increasing.
Japanese passport holders have visa-free access to 190 destinations out of 227 globally.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jul 24, 2025
Japan ties with South Korea for second most powerful passport
Japan continues to hold the world¡¯s second most powerful passport ¡ª tied with South Korea ¡ª according to a new global ranking.
New Japanese passports will be printed using laser technology based on banknote printing techniques, making forgery more difficult.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 24, 2025
Applications for forgery-proof passports start in Japan
Passports issued?for?applications submitted from Monday onward will feature a new design.
The weak yen is often cited as one reason why many Japanese don't go abroad.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Feb 25, 2025
Only 17% of Japanese people own passports, Foreign Ministry says
Around 3.7 million passports were issued domestically in 2024,?a 8.8% increase from the year before but?down 15.2% from prepandemic numbers in 2019.
Passengers walk past a sign directing them to specific lines for EU and non EU passports as they arrive at Dublin Airport in Ireland in September 2019.
WORLD / Society
Jan 11, 2024
These are the world¡¯s most powerful passports in 2024
A decade ago, the two countries shared the top spot, but comparing this year¡¯s list to the 2014 ranking reveals some other major shifts.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2023
Japan¡¯s travel industry urges people to get their mighty passports
Japan¡¯s passport gives visa-free entry to 192 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / 51³Ô¹ÏÍø TIMES GONE BY
May 5, 2023
Japan Times 1923: Many tourists ignore Japan passport rule
Stories about tourists and immigrants abound in editions of The Japan Times from 1923, 1973 and 1998.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jan 11, 2023
These are the best passports for travelers to hold in 2023
Japan starts the year with the world¡¯s most powerful passport, allowing visa-free entry to 193 global destinations.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 5, 2020
Japan to improve how its passports show birth names of married citizens
The Foreign Ministry will change the way it records birth names in passports for those who adopt the surname of their spouse, in order to display both names more clearly, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Wednesday.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jul 31, 2019
Passports, maiden names, brackets: Japan Foreign Minister Taro Kono wades into a minefield
When Foreign Minister Taro Kono wrote on Twitter that he would order his ministry to look into the contentious issue of maiden names on passports in response to a tweet in early June, he may not have been aware of the minefield he was about to step into.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 25, 2019
¡®Creeping annexation¡¯: Putin confronts new Ukraine leader with rebel-zone passports
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree offering passports to people in breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine, triggering calls for more sanctions against Moscow from the incoming leadership in Kiev.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 14, 2019
Gender-neutral Canadian activist shows solidarity with Japan¡¯s LGBT communities
Gemma Hickey entered Japan this week with something no Japanese national can obtain ¡ª a gender-neutral passport in which the gender category shows neither female nor male, but an ¡°X.¡±
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 5, 2019
Journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka ordered to surrender passport in Tokyo on way to report on Yemen humanitarian crisis
At immigration control, an officer told Tsuneoka that his passport had been invalidated and that he was ordered to relinquish it ¡ª in effect banning him from leaving.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Oct 10, 2018
Japan has the strongest passport in the world according to new Henley & Partners ranking
Passports carried by Japanese nationals allow holders to travel freely to 190 countries and territories, according to the latest study by the global law firm.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Deep Dive
Apr 19, 2018
Dual citizenship in Japan: A ¡®don¡¯t ask, don¡¯t tell¡¯ policy leaves many in the dark
Do you have to renounce citizenship? Do you switch passports at the airport? Has anyone ever been punished? Dual nationals tell their stories.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Mar 12, 2018
Lawsuit challenges Japan¡¯s ban on dual citizenship
Plaintiffs sue Japan over its ban on dual nationalities, claiming they were unconstitutionally deprived of their Japanese citizenship upon becoming citizens of foreign countries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 12, 2018
Let¡¯s discuss passports and visas
Japanese and Singaporean passport holders have the greatest travel freedom worldwide, according to a survey.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

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Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
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