URGENT: China resumes Japan-bound group tours after COVID hiatus

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

The 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.