China to OK restart of Japan-bound group tours after COVID hiatus

China is poised to approve the resumption of Japan-bound group tours for its citizens, lifting restrictions introduced in January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said, in a move expected to revitalize Japan’s inbound tourism sector.

The imminent restart, which comes amid bilateral tensions over Tokyo’s plan to start releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, could indicate Beijing’s intention to boost people-to-people exchanges.

In a written explanation by the Chinese Embassy in Japan to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Beijing sa...