Asked whether the 50,000 limit was appropriate, he said: “I say it is not.”

The government would “soon have a comprehensive review” of border control measures, he said.

“We need to do this sooner rather than later … As countries around the world are resuming exchanges, we cannot lag behind,” he said. “There are many autumn and winter attractions in Japan.”

Winter sports are the lifeblood of Niseko, with more than 10,000 people on the resorts’ numerous slopes every day in peak season before the pandemic, according to Ross Findlay, managing director of Niseko Adventure Centre. The virus had hit hard and numbers were below 1,000 a day last winter, he added.

A sudden influx of international arrivals after more than 2½ years of restrictions poses its own problems, however. Staffing for hotels and other businesses in Hokkaido’s ski resorts is arguably the biggest challenge, with properties that have been operating with 20 employees suddenly needing to ramp that up to 200. There is equally a dire shortage of foreign staff to cater to the inbound market, complicated by the need to obtain work visas at short notice to permit them to enter Japan.

An industry analyst agreed that Japan should arguably have permitted freer travel far earlier in the pandemic, but suggested a number of Japan-specific issues were in play.

“There was a general election in July and no political party wanted to be seen to advocate for easing the restrictions when much of the Japanese public was worried about new strains of the virus getting into the country,” said the analyst, who declined to be named.

“Immediately after the election, numbers spiked to record highs and it was clear that was not the time to ease up on the rules,” he added. “Now … I think the government has finally realised the virus is probably not going away for a long time, but that industries and businesses need to get back to normal.

“The pandemic has cost the country dearly, including the inbound tourism sector, but this is also the part of the economy that can bounce back the fastest and help businesses and communities across the country the most rapidly,” he added.

Japan to scrap nearly all curbs on visitors; New Zealand ditches most Covid rules

At the opposite end of the Japanese archipelago, operators in Okinawa are just as delighted at the news that it will soon be easier for tourists to enter the country.

“Four years ago, around 40 per cent of the people coming to Okinawa were from overseas, mostly from Asia, and the prefecture and companies here were working really hard to attract more travellers,” said Makoto Suzuki, an executive of hotel and resort operator Kariyushi International Co.

“Closing the borders left a lot of businesses in limbo and many didn’t survive. But this news means we now have something to look forward to again.”

Travel firms and regional associations across the country have been using the sector’s enforced downtime to enhance their offerings in the hopes that the pent-up demand will lead to a surge in business in the coming months.

“We are really excited about the possibilities now,” said Naoya Asao, a deputy manager with the tourism association of Odawara, a historic city on the coast two hours southwest of Tokyo.

The association launched online ninja education and training programmes for anyone interested in the city’s heritage, as well as mindfulness and Zen meditation sessions. With the border reopening, Asao said, those programmes could take place in person.

“Foreigners living in Japan have been coming to Odawara Castle and the city’s other attractions, but we hope to see more tourists as soon as the borders are fully open once again,” he said.

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