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Passport issuance in Japan falls to 48-year low in 2020 due to virus

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I would advise people to get one. If the Olympics go ahead, escaping this country should be an viable option.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

I'm sorry but is this story really newsworthy? It is common sense that with nobody allowed to travel demand for passports would decrease. Next there will be stories that the number of international travelers has decreased markedly. Oh yes, we have already seen those as well.

When there are far more important stories to report, I'm not sure why this would be a priority.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

As of the end of 2020, valid Japanese passports totaled some 27.71 million, down 2.56 million from the previous year, the ministry said.

Even allowing for the Covid drop, under 1 in 4 Japanese have passports. Im sure this is well down from the 80s/90s when Japanese were famous travellers, particularly to places like Hawaii, US mainland and EU.

Japanese seem to prefer domestic travel nowadays, especially with the many new World Heritage sites to enjoy.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

@ MarkX

You may know its a revenue source of GOVT.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

No reason to worry about. You can send me one on my costs anytime, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Address is in the ward office computer database.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Get one now while you can. In the future, when travel is resuming, the rush to get a passport will cause a backlog. Don’t wait until you need one.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Well said Luddite. I did indeed renew mine last Spring even though I had a few months left. Seemed prudent. What an EASY process to renew a UK passport these days from Overseas.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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