Only 17% of Japanese Hold Valid Passports

 

I was surprised to read that only 17% of Japanese citizens hold valid passports. I don’t know what I expected, but 17% seems like a small number. Currently 51% of Americans hold valid passports, up from 46% in 2023, and 30% in 2008.

I read that before the pandemic about a quarter of Japanese held valid passports. In addition to not traveling during the pandemic, the weak yen has compounded the issue. In the last five years the yen has lost a third of its value. My students tell me that they don’t often get a big enough block of time off from work to enable them to travel abroad. The one time in their lives that they do take a big international trip is for the honeymoon. 

One of the good things about living in Japan is that even though this is a small country, there are countless beautiful, cultural, historical, and natural places to visit. When the yen gets stronger, I will think about traveling out of the country again, but for the time being, I’m happy to stay in Japan. In any case, I will keep my passport up to date.