Japanese passport vs American passport: which is stronger?

The Japanese passport is stronger: it reaches 162 destinations without an embassy visit, 5 more than the American passport (157). The Japanese passport ranks 12 of 197 and the American passport ranks 32.

The Japanese passport: 162 (115 visa-free, 38 on arrival, 9 eTA). The American passport: 157 (114 visa-free, 36 on arrival, 7 eTA). Both count the 196 other sovereign countries.

The Japanese passport can enter 8 countries without an embassy visit that the American passport cannot, among them Vietnam, China, India, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Belarus. The American passport can enter 3 countries without an embassy visit that the Japanese passport cannot, among them Burkina Faso, Gambia and Somalia. Both passports can enter 153 of the same countries without an embassy visit. The two home countries are left out of these counts.

We count the other 196 sovereign countries a passport can enter with visa-free entry, a visa on arrival or an eTA. An e-Visa counts as a visa. The data is the open Passport Index dataset, last updated 18 February 2026. Other indexes count differently, so their rankings can differ, and rules change often, so check the official source before you book.