Picking up on this - I saw someone else complain that the election was supposed to be a "catalyst." Perhaps some people described it as such. I thought of it as an inhibitor - With the election looming, politicians would not or could not make a change. Perhaps a pedantic distinction but I feel it's worth making.

I can't predict when the restrictions at the border will be eased. If you had asked me earlier this year I would have predicted that the country would be open by now. That said, I think that the pressures to open must be building up and the inhibiting factors are less and less compelling. I think that the Abe assassination and health of royals so on are less significant factors than:
1) the perceived state of the pandemic **,
2) the desire of businesses in Japan to do business,
and perhaps...
3) diplomatic pressure from other countries.

** It's partly about how Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka perceive things, but mostly about how the lawmakers perceive that Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka perceive things. I don't know what they're doing to gauge public sentiment but I think the politicians might not have their finger properly on the pulse, as I'm hearing that it's time to open up even from the inaka Tanakas.