Japanese passport claims first spot on world's most powerful passports list, surpasses Singapore's

Japanese passport has been ranked number one on the list of world’s most powerful passports 2018, pulling ahead of Singapore, the country that held the prestigious title previously.

As per the new index of passport power that measures the ease of visa availability for people belonging to various countries, Japan’s passport has secured the top position all over the world. The index is updated by citizenship planning firm Henley & Partners.

According to the list, Japanese passport holders can visit 189 countries without a visa, from March, when the passport was tied with Singapore’s, with access to 180 countries. Following in closely are Germany and Singapore in the second place, with Greenland, France, Italy and other European countries bagging the third spot. 

Henley also updated the list to add eight new territories and small states that it considers for access. These include Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Palestine, Vatican City, and San Marino, all of which Japan passport-holders can access.