TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japan may restart business trips to and from Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand as early this summer, easing an entry ban to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the Yomiuri daily said on Thursday (June 11).

Up to 250 business travellers a day will most likely be allowed into Japan from the four countries, which have seen their infection situations stabilise, the newspaper said, without citing sources.

Prospective visitors will be required to submit a document ahead of their trips to Japan showing they are not infected, and will be asked to go through a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction test, upon entry, the paper said.

Japan, which bans entry from more than 100 countries, will negotiate with the four countries with an eye on a partial reopening in the summer, it said.

In another step to ease coronavirus-related restrictions, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is planning to allow all businesses to re-open from June 19, scrapping the shutdown requests it had made to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday.

Tokyo has already been easing restrictions this month after the government ended its state of emergency in late May.

But establishments considered high risk for virus infection, such as live music venues, have remained shut while restaurants and bars have been operating under shortened hours.

The number of daily new infections in Tokyo has stayed below 20 for the past four days.