The first hospitality in Japan was a “two-hour queue”… The introduction of the “Electronic Travel Authorization System” was delayed… Some said it was too late to respond to the situation.

Just when you think you’ve finally arrived in Japan…

With the increase in the number of foreigners visiting Japan (inbound), long waits at security and immigration checkpoints have often been in the news. Although some of these problems have been resolved, there are still “two-hour waits” to enter the country, depending on the airport and time of day.

Even in major airports around the world, such as those in countries with many times the number of travelers than Japan, there are times when people have to wait. However, this is often due to “strict immigration procedures and questions” or “the concentration of arriving flights,” etc. Especially after Corona, the electronic processing of immigration documents has made it possible to smoothly enter the country even if the lines are long.

First impressions are important in everything, and the sequence of procedures leading up to entry directly affects the image of a country. In Japan, which has an image as a country of hospitality, it is not a good idea to wait for a long time upon arrival. We analyzed data on the current situation and how it differs from that of other countries.

The national goal is “within 20 minutes”…Narita 1 (North) took “over 60 minutes” for 13 days.

The Immigration and Residency Management Agency, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, publishes on its website the “percentage of immigration waits of 20 minutes or less” and “longest immigration wait times” for each airport and terminal in Japan on a monthly basis. This is due to the fact that the 2007 National Basic Plan for the Promotion of the Nation as a Tourism Nation stipulated that immigration inspections for foreign nationals should be expedited and the waiting time should be less than 20 minutes.

The most recent report is from March 2013. The “Percentage of Achievement of 20 minutes or less” and “Maximum Waiting Time at Immigration Screening” at major airports are as follows.

Of these, Haneda Terminal 2 has only ANA flights, while Narita Terminal 3 and Kansai Terminal 2 have only low-cost carriers (LCCs), and the overall number of flights is small, so waiting times tend to be small.

For example, at Haneda Terminal 3, 60 minutes (1 hour) or longer was 11 days. At Narita Terminal 1 (North), there were 13 days of 60 minutes (1 hour) or longer.

Even with the latest systems installed at major airports…

At the most recent immigration checkpoint, when the author returned from Seoul on May 20, almost all booths were open at Kansai Airport Terminal 1 at around 19:00, with a few foreigners standing in line each. However, it did not seem as crowded as in the past.

On the other hand, according to a person who returned from Seoul to Haneda Terminal 3 at the end of May, he arrived after 9:30 p.m. and found about 20 foreigners in line at immigration, with quite a few windows open, and the process was smooth. He said that at customs afterwards, “many foreigners were applying electronically, and only Japanese were standing in line for paper declarations. Kansai Airport was almost the same, with the impression that more foreigners than before were familiar with the “Visit Japan Web,” a web service available for immigration procedures (immigration inspection and customs declaration).

In the past, in addition to immigration, there was also a line at customs, which took even longer. In April 2013, a “joint kiosk” began operating to register passport, face photo (with the addition of fingerprints for foreigners), and declaration information at one time, which was previously required for both immigration and customs procedures. These kiosks are located in Terminals 2 and 3 at Haneda, Terminals 1 and 2 at Kansai, and Terminal 3 at Narita. Although the immigration booths remain the same, the kiosks are said to be contributing to a reduction in overall immigration processing time.

Post-Corona “Electronic Travel Authorization System” is being introduced at overseas immigration checkpoints.

What is actually happening at overseas airports? At Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, which the author has used three times this year, there are always long lines at immigration checkpoints for foreigners. However, with the introduction of the e-Arrival Card in Korea in February of this year, the individual immigration checks seem to have become smoother and the lines slightly faster than before, compared to the conventional method of entering information on paper and submitting it on board the plane. The other day, I got through in less than 30 minutes, despite the multiple lines.

At some airports in Japan and Korea (Haneda T3, Fukuoka, Seoul Kimpo, and Busan), special immigration lanes for Japanese and Korean nationals (prior procedures required) have been in place for one month only since June this year. According to various reports, the service has been well received by travelers who used it at Haneda, saying that they were able to enter the country immediately, and it is hoped that the service will be extended and installed at other airports in the future.

In addition, London Heathrow Airport in the U.K., Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, and Frankfurt Airport in Germany have automated immigration gates, and Japan is one of the countries covered by this system, where passengers can enter the country immediately by simply scanning their own passports through the unmanned automated gates.

The EES (European Entry-Exit System) is scheduled to be introduced in October 2013 in the EU, Switzerland, and other countries, where electronic information in the passport will be used to check entry history and other data, and entry will be granted automatically.

In Hong Kong, there is an “e-channel (e-way)” for people who have traveled to Hong Kong three or more times in the past year and for senior airline members. Those who register for this system can use the automatic gate and enter the country without standing in line at the general lane for foreigners. Singapore is also fast, and if you have already registered for the SG Arrival Card with Electronic Health Declaration, there is almost no waiting time at immigration, 10 minutes at most.

On the other hand, some countries still have to wait at immigration. Take the United States, for example. Los Angeles and New York, for example, have long had one- to two-hour waits, perhaps due to the sheer number of people entering the country.

In addition, after Corona, there were more and more questions about local stay at the immigration checkpoint, and the change of administration, as well as the problem of Japanese women being denied entry for the purpose of prostitution a short time ago, may have contributed to the tightening of immigration procedures.

In India, the time required per person in line was very long, and the inspectors would get out of their seats in the middle of the line or chat with the person in the booth next to them for long periods of time, which I felt were problems that existed before the introduction of automatic gates and electronic authentication systems.

After more than 20 years of delay, Japan’s version of ESTA, “JESTA,” is finally available.

Recently, when we asked foreigners how the immigration process to Japan was, many said, “I don’t have the impression that I waited that long” or “It was worse in the U.S.,” while others said, “It used to be terrible, and now it’s better.

The “before” was right after the COVID-19 crisis, when the number of foreign tourists surged after the COVID-19 crisis, which had been quiet for a long time, and immigration could not keep up with the number of staff. At that time, Japanese nationals were able to use the automated lanes and there were not many foreign tourists, so they could pass right through the long lines overflowing with foreigners.

The estimated number of inbound visitors to Japan announced by the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) was 3,497,600 in March of this year and 3,908,900 in April of this year, the highest single month on record.” In 2012, the number was 36.87 million, and the government has set a target of 60 million visitors per year by ’30.

The immigration officers told us that “the foreigner lanes are still crowded, especially during the hours when Chinese flights arrive one after another. With waits of up to two hours occurring on some days, there is concern that if the number of people continuing to increase further, the waiting time will become even longer, and the current “shackled” state will continue.

One thing that may solve this problem a little is the introduction of “JESTA,” the Japanese version of ESTA, which is scheduled to be introduced in fiscal year 2008, two years ahead of schedule.

It seems like “finally” in Japan, but it has been more than 20 years since the introduction of ESTA in the U.S., which started in January 2009, and other countries have followed suit. Furthermore, the amount and method of application are still under consideration.