Holders of Japanese passports can travel to most countries in the world without the need for a visa. This shows the results of the latest Henley Passport Index.

The Japanese passport has the "power" to secure visa-free travel to 189 countries or territories as it moved to the first place and shifted the German passport, ranked first in the past year. Now Germany is second with Singapore, while third are South Korea, Finland, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Bulgaria has climbed from 21st to 16th and its citizens have free access to 169 destinations at 153 last year.

The index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and this year eight new territories have been added to it. 199 different passports and 227 tourist destinations, including states, territories and micro-states, have been studied. On the site, it can be checked in which countries the passport provides for visa-free access and for which you need permission by the local authorities. 

The passports of the citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen are the most "weak".

The most powerful passports in the world

1. Japan - 189 destinations
2. Germany, Singapore - 188
3. Finland, France, Italy, Sweden, South Korea - 187
4. Norway, Great Britain, Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, USA - 186
5. Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, Canada - 185
6. Australia, Greece - 183
7. New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Malta - 182
8. Iceland - 181
9. Hungary, Slovenia, Malaysia - 180
10. Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania - 179