TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Travelers from Taiwan will be the first to benefit from measures in Japan to be introduced in January to reduce congestion at airports, reports said Friday (July 19).

During the first half of the year, Japan welcomed 17.78 million visitors, a record for the January-June period, the Liberty Times reported. In June, the figure reached the single-month record of 3.14 million, marking the fourth month in a row with at least 3 million arrivals.

In order to reduce the pressure caused by the revival of tourism, Japan is working on measures to speed up immigration procedures at airports. From January, travelers from Taiwan will benefit from preclearance measures at their point of departure.

The service includes checks that will not need to be duplicated once the travelers arrive in Japan, allowing for faster entry. If the preclearance procedures show positive results, they will be expanded to include travelers from other countries than Taiwan.