Japanese passport back among world's most powerful: survey

Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy and Spain lead the rankings with visa-free access to 194 global destinations

South Korea, Finland, and Sweden came in second with visa-free travel to 193 destinations

Very good news if you’re Japanese and heading 12,500 kilometers to the Cayman Islands, the British Overseas Territory for which South Koreans would need a visa.

Or anyone could arrive in the Caymans by cruise ship on any passport and just waltz right into the territory with a government-issued ID as long as they’re not planning to stay overnight.

Too soon to talk about dual citizenship so long term residents can take advantage too? Thought not.

FWIW, U.S. citizens have the 7th most powerful passport, being able to visit 188 destinations without a visa.

Looking at the worst passports to hold, Afghanistan: visa-free entry to 28 destinations. Syria: visa-free entry to 29 destinations. Iraq: visa-free entry to 31 destinations. Pakistan: visa-free entry to 34 destinations. Yemen: visa-free entry to 35 destinations.

Ouch. Even Iran is higher.

Too bad Japanese currency is not good as Japanese passport, what for good passport if you have weak currency.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/12/6caaa1a2989b-inflation-weak-yen-hit-appetite-for-holiday-spending-in-japan.html

Japan has reclaimed its position among the countries with the world's most powerful passport,

What's the point of having any "power" when more and more people can't afford to travel anywhere, let alone make a passport?

The word "power" is meaningless really.

FWIW, U.S. citizens have the 7th most powerful passport, being able to visit 188 destinations without a visa.

Nobody asked..

TokyoLivingToday 07:49 am JST

FWIW, U.S. citizens have the 7th most powerful passport, being able to visit 188 destinations without a visa.

Nobody asked..

He didn't need to. You confirmed your interest in the very next comment.

Well, guess that is a good thing for the less than 20% of Japanese passport holders. :)

Useless privilege since most Japanese don't own a passport and they don't intend to.

Too soon to talk about dual citizenship so long term residents can take advantage too? Thought not.

Why should Japan have dual citizenship? You should have only one country and one only.

It seems to me J-passport is not world's most powerful but just the most convenient one for tourists who want to travel all over the world.

Osaka city...

Why should Japan have dual citizenship? You should have only one country and one only.

My kids have both UK and Japanese citizenship as do many others. Japan says publicly this is not possible but its the reality.

The legality of that very much depends on the age of your kids. By law they need to choose at age 20.

Now 22

Pretty much any EU passport is more powerful because for most you can travel to any other country without a passport and live and work in other EU countries without a visa.

Now you can go visit Iran or lovely Burma

Japan has reclaimed its position among the countries with the world's most powerful passport,

Strange wording because just having a Japanese passport does not mean you will automatically be allowed entry into the US, the most powerful country in the world, which recently is rejecting the entry of many single Japanese females, while anyone with a US passport enters freely into the States.

Ah, rejoicing in the glory of Japanese passports rising to the top, but the yen's future strength? That's just another riveting episode in the unpredictable soap opera of currency fluctuations.

My country is in the first spot too. No worries.

US, the most powerful country in the world,

Which power ? Military ? Economical ?

Do you believe in that, or is that just you have pride ?

while anyone with a US passport enters freely into the States

Can a country reject its own citizen ?

You sentence can apply to all countries in the world. It does not make any sense

I agree with Ah_so. By definition of power EU passports hands down are the most powerful. I’ll just have to make do with the 180+ countries that I will probably never visit on my American passport.

But I traveled a lot with my ex Japanese wife. I never had a problem with immigration and was never asked questions. My Japanese ex always had a hard time and was asked questions in English she didn’t understand. Just because a passport is “powerful” doesn’t mean immigration will treat you nicely.

The challenge is Japanese have no money to travel now.

Roy...

The legality of that very much depends on the age of your kids. By law they need to choose at age 20.

Japan may not recognize my kids UK citizenship but they cannot take it away. They are Japanese while in Japan but chose to be either Japanese or British in every other country they visit. As do thousands of others.

Reality trumps legality?

Only about 22% of Japanese hold a passport.

People with two passports must leave and arrive with their Japanese one. And enter the UK and leave with a British one if that is the other they hold.

The number of people who could have Japanese dual nationality would be very small and no threat to society.

Strange wording because just having a Japanese passport does not mean you will automatically be allowed entry into the US, the most powerful country in the world, which recently is rejecting the entry of many single Japanese females, while anyone with a US passport enters freely into the States.

What is your citation on single Japanese females being rejected from entering the US?

Strange wording because just having a Japanese passport does not mean you will automatically be allowed entry into the US

The wording is precise, you are arguing against the Japanese passport becoming all mighty and allowing automatic access anywhere, which is something nobody claimed.

Saying it is among the world's most powerful (as your quote reads) is perfectly valid because it only depends on the number of countries that would allow it automatic visa on entry which according to the article fully justify this claim.

I hold two passports. As do all my family. We are lucky that way. Most Japanese people think I'm cool. My brother has three. He is a rock star!!!

Having a second passport which is an EU country is a big benefit.

I have an EU second passport and it is a great benefit.

This silly association of visa-free travel with the word "powerful" is ridiculous.

A "powerful" passport is one that lets you live and work in many places; one where your embassy has your back in a dispute when abroad; one that doesn't make you give it up if you take on another nationality.

Just praise the Japanese passport as "ideal for tourists" and dump this misleading word "powerful". I see "powerful" over and over and it's a misnomer.

South Korea, Finland, and Sweden came in second

I think they came in seventh as there are six countries above them.

The legality of that very much depends on the age of your kids. By law they need to choose at age 20.

Now 22

Hasn't it always been 22? I know it was back in 1985 when the law changed giving Japanese nationality to kids with a foreign father and Japanese mother.

Nice. I suppose North Korea has the weakest, you just apply for it and they execute you for trying to escape.

Who cares, given that the yen is as good as dirt?

I suppose North Korea has the weakest, you just apply for it and they execute you for trying to escape.

That was my expectation too, which is why I posted the passports from the least "powerful" countries above. NK isn't at the very bottom, but Afghanistan, Yemen and other dangerous countries are. North Korea is ranked higher than Palestine and Yemen. That says a bunch.

Cayman Islands is nice, but not all that different from all the other Islands of the Caribbean. It is known for great diving, but so is Belize.

I find it funny that Hong Kong passports are allow slightly more entries than Macao and Taiwanese passports and those all allow many more than mainland China's passport which is ranked about 52. So much for "one-China". The world knows the difference.

Roy...

I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean. I personally know people who have been formally requested to decide between their two citizenships. Just because it didn't happen to your kids yet doesn't mean it cannot happen to them.

Simply choose Japanese. Bingo you are Japanese to the Japanese and keep your other nationality to use wherever and whenever you want to.

Its really that simple. You can make it difficult if you want to .. But why?

Chico3 Lots of videos on YouTube about this matter. It seems they are being suspected of entering the U.S. to work illegally, possibly as prostitutes. People have been held in detention, questioned, immigration going through their phones etc.

Chico3 Lots of videos on YouTube about this matter. It seems they are being suspected of entering the U.S. to work illegally, possibly as prostitutes. People have been held in detention, questioned, immigration going through their phones etc.

This is all true. Border areas of the US allow for special violations of the 4th Amendment. SCOTUS has ruled this is necessary. Last year, a Federal judge set case law that requires a warrant for cell phones to be searched at US border areas: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/federal-judge-makes-history-holding-border-searches-cell-phones-require-warrant That's a step in the right direction. It isn't like any contraband or drugs will be held on the chips. Since I stopped traveling with any laptop, I've not been asked to turn on a phone or tablet by security. Since around 2012, I was traveling with a chromebook (running a Linux OS, not ChromeOS) and was never asked to show it worked either. I suppose entering Israel I would have been asked, but I've never been there.

I've never been hassled entering the US, besides long lines. Lots of places have long lines for entering AND leaving the country. Took 4 hours to get out of Nepal and over 2 hours to enter Costa Rica, all due to customs/immigration delays. Everyone on that Nepal flight was late - they held the plane. That was just crazy, I must say.