Briefly

JAPAN

Mass tourism will start with tour groups

Japan has announced that it will reopen to tourists from 36 countries starting June 10, ending a two-year pandemic closure, but travelers will only be allowed in with tour groups. The decision on Thursday came after the government said it would test allowing small group tours with visitors from the United States, Australia, Thailand and Singapore from this month. All arrivals have to test negative before travel to Japan and most must be tested again on arrival, though triple-vaccinated people coming from certain countries can skip the additional test as well as a three-day quarantine required for others. Japan welcomed a record 31.9 million foreign visitors in 2019 and had been on track to achieve its goal of 40 million in 2020 before the pandemic hit.

IRAN

Protest lodged over ship seized by Greece

Iranian state media reported on Friday that Teheran has demanded the release of a ship seized by Greek authorities in their waters allegedly under pressure by Washington last month. The Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss envoy, who represents the United States in Teheran as they have no embassy there, to lodge a diplomatic protest over the incident. Greek media described the ship as a tanker carrying Iranian crude oil in breach of international sanctions. Iran called the move a "violation of international maritime law and international conventions" in its protest, the IRNA news agency reported. The incident came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran, which has been under sanctions since then-US president Donald Trump withdrew the US from a landmark nuclear accord in 2018.

Agencies Via Xinhua