Japan's passport power and travel habits

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2025/08/03

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Japan's passport power and travel habits

Vocabulary Match

powerful •• worries
citizens •• strong
concerns •• abroad
overseas •• advise
suggest •• specialists
experts •• people

Vocabulary Answers

powerfulstrong
citizenspeople
concernsworries
overseasabroad
suggestadvise
expertsspecialists

Article

Japan has the world's second most powerful passport. It allows travel to 190 countries without a visa. However, only 17.5% of Japanese citizens have one. This number is much lower than in countries like South Korea, the U.S., or Taiwan.

The main reasons are a weak yen, expensive flights, and safety concerns abroad. Many young people feel that travelling overseas is too costly and risky. Instead, they prefer to travel within Japan.

Experts suggest the government could help by giving free passports to young first-time travellers. Meanwhile, Japan continues to welcome more foreign tourists every year.

Quiz

  1. How many countries can Japanese citizens travel to without a visa?
  2. What percentage of Japanese citizens have a passport?
  3. Why do many young Japanese people avoid travelling overseas?
  4. What do experts suggest to encourage more young people to travel abroad?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. 190 countries
  2. 17.5%
  3. Because it is too costly and risky
  4. Giving free passports to young first-time travellers

Conversation

A:Did you get your passport yet?
B:No, it's too expensive for me right now.
A:Oh? How much does it cost?
B:About 16,000 yen I think.
A:Ouch. But I heard they might give free passports to young people.
B:Really? That would be awesome!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever traveled to another country?
  2. What is your dream travel destination and why?
  3. Do you think traveling is expensive? Why or why not?
  4. What is your favorite place to visit in your own country?

Source Material

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/travel/why-people-in-country-with-world-s-2nd-most-powerful-passport-are-reluctant-to-own-one-4920250.html

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