A 28,000-ton cruise ship sailed into Tokyo Bay Thursday to mark a new milestone in Japan's post-pandemic reopening. It became the first foreign liner to dock at a two-year-old cruise terminal.
The Tokyo International Cruise Terminal opened in late 2020, when strict coronavirus-prevention rules were in place. Ships that had sailed from foreign ports were not allowed to dock in Japan.
The MS Amadea made a port call in Shizuoka Prefecture on Wednesday. It was the first foreign cruise vessel to arrive in Japan since the government eased COVID-19 measures.
The Tokyo terminal has the capacity to accept the world's largest cruise ships.
Tokyo officials say a single port call by a large liner would bring about 200 million yen in economic benefits.