Originally Posted by
gnaget
This "Visitors not holding return/onward ticket could be refused entry" is an interesting statement. So this derives from IATA? I could not find anything about this on Japanese govt websites.
The Japanese government websites are a mess when it comes to explaining how the landing process works at the airport.
It
is clear that you need an onward ticket in order to change your status to "temporary visitor" if you are already in Japan under a different status. That may be the basis of Timatic suggesting that you need an onward ticket when you arrive in Japan.
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/te.../Table3-1.html
Temporary Visitor
1. A ticket for boarding an airplane or a vessel to disembark Japan, or a written guarantee issued by a transport company.
2. A valid passport which enables the foreign national concerned to enter foreign countries out of Japan.
3. Documents certifying that the person concerned can defray all the expenses incurred during the stay in Japan.