Surge in foreign tourists causing 2-hour wait at Narita Airport immigration control
NARITA, Chiba -- A surge in the number of inbound tourists has led to unprecedented congestion at immigration control at Narita Airport here, with lines stretching over 500 meters and waiting times often exceeding two hours, worse than pre-COVID-19 levels.
Despite the government's goal to increase foreign visitors to an annual 60 million, immigration staff are overwhelmed, saying, "Even with everyone working, we can't keep up."
One evening in mid-April, an aisle at the airport's Terminal 2 was packed with people waiting for immigration checks. Flights mainly from overseas were landing at a pace of one every two minutes, bringing a continuous influx of foreign visitors.
The line moved at a snail's pace, with many appearing weary and speaking little. Among them were an elderly man gazing at the ceiling and a mother soothing her crying child. Frustrated voices in Chinese and English filled the air, with some questioning security personnel how much longer they had to wait.
Since the government's relaxation of COVID-19 border measures in October 2022, coupled with the weak yen, the number of foreign visitors to Narita Airport has continued to rise. In 2024, the number of foreign passengers using international flights at the airport surpassed 20 million annually for the first time, reaching 21.79 million -- a 20% increase compared to pre-pandemic 2019. The trend continued through January-March 2025, with a 20-40% rise from the same period in 2019.
The airport's four immigration halls across three passenger buildings feature over 100 inspection booths. During peak times, staff from other departments are mobilized to open as many booths as possible. Efforts include significantly increasing booths for foreign nationals and separating those for medium- to long-term residents, who require more time, to expedite the process. Despite these measures, wait times have lengthened.
In the 2007 Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan, the Japanese government aimed for speedier immigration procedures and a reduction in wait times to 20 minutes or less. According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, the percentage of people completing the process within 20 minutes at Narita Airport was generally in the 70% range in 2019 but dropped to the 50-60% level in 2024. A further deterioration is anticipated in 2025.
(Japanese original by Tsukimi Goda, Narita Bureau)
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