5posts
The enacted 2026 immigration law sets no start date for Japan's electronic travel authorisation, only an outer limit of 31 March 2029, and the same provisions stop the Trusted Traveler Program card being issued.
The Justice Ministry published a new Basic Plan for Immigration Control in July — the document that frames immigration policy for the years ahead, including JESTA by 2028.
The Diet passed the immigration bill on 29 May. It creates Japan's electronic travel authorisation system and lifts the statutory ceiling on residence procedure fees to ¥300,000.
The cabinet endorsed a bill in early March establishing a Japanese electronic travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers, alongside a sharp rise in the statutory fee ceiling.
The Immigration Services Agency's preliminary count of foreign arrivals and Japanese departures for 2025 sets the baseline for this year's border policy arguments.