One of the strongest passports in the world

Among the many anniversaries and commemorations on February 20th annually is "Passport Day" 旅券の日. Passport Day marks an important moment in Japan’s modern history of international travel. On February 20, 1878, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued its first “Overseas Passport Regulations”.  This was the first time the term “ryoken” (旅券), the modern Japanese word for passport, appeared in official law. 

Before this regulation, travel documents were known by older names such as kaigai-yuki goinshō and kaigai-yuki menjō. In 1998, to commemorate 120 years of the Japanese passport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established "Passport Day" to fall on February 20th each year. The observance highlights the role of passports in enabling safe and legitimate international travel. 

The Japanese passport is one of the best to have. There was a time that it was the absolute best, but it lost that honor to Singapore a few years ago. It is now in (tied) second place according to the Henley Passport Index. Holders of a Japanese passport can travel to 188 countries without needing a visa (Singapore is 192 and 3rd place passports are 186). The Japanese passport remains one of the strongest in the world.