Japanese Passport Rated Strongest in World

October 11, 2018

London- Japan has the strongest passport in the world, in terms of the number of destinations passport holders can travel to without a prior visa, a survey report by British consulting firm Henley & Partners has shown.

The Japanese passport headed the latest Henley Passport Index rankings, as it allows visa-free or visa-on-arrival access into 190 countries and regions, which is the highest number globally.

After sharing the No. 1 spot with Singapore in February's survey, Japan topped the latest rankings alone thanks to Myanmar's decision to exempt visas for Japanese tourists starting this month.

Singapore slipped to No. 2, with its passport allowing travel to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

Germany, France and South Korea tied in third place, with 188 destinations open to its citizens, while Italy, Denmark, Finland, Spain and Sweden came in fourth, with the number totaling 187. Britain and the United States were ranked fifth with access into 186 destinations.

The Chinese passports allows visa-free or visa-on-arrival access into 74 countries and regions, according to the index. Only 42 destinations are open to the holders of the North Korean passport.

Iraq and Afghanistan were put at the bottom of the list, with its citizens having access into 30 destinations without a prior visa.

The index covered passports of 199 countries and regions and used data from the International Air Transport Association.

Christian Kalin, chairman of Henley & Partners, said in a statement that the index "is an important tool for measuring not only the relative strength of the world's passports but also the extraordinary results that states can achieve when they work hand in hand with their global peers to build a more interconnected and collaborative world."

Henley & Partners provides its clients with international migration and other services. Jiji Press