News Japan to relax visas for Chinese tourists

Japan has offered to ease visa rules for Chinese visitors as the two sides seek to step up engagements. Japan will extend the maximum length of multiple-entry visas from five years to 10 years, while the maximum stay for groups of tourists will also be increased from 15 days to 30 days, Japanese media reported. It follows China's decision to add Japan to its visa-free entry scheme last month, allowing visitors to stay for up to 30 days.

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Under the current arrangement, Japan issues multiple-entry tourism visas for inbound Chinese who travel individually. Valid for either three or five years, the visas allow multiple short-stay visits. The new 10-year visa applications, expected to open in spring, target individuals with proof of "high annual income and assets." Foreign visitors to Japan reached a record 33 million in the first 11 months of this year, with those from China accounting for the bulk. Japan has been promoting tourism to drive consumption growth amid dwindling domestic demand. The maximum length of stay for Chinese tourists who travel in groups will be doubled to 30 days. The move offers travellers more time to leave major cities and visit rural destinations. Other visa-easing measures include exempting travellers 65 and older from a requirement to submit proof of employment. Japan will also abolish a rule that requires individuals with a three-year tourist visa to utilize it within three months after issuance.

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Regarding trade, Iwaya said both sides agreed to verify a deal on resuming Chinese imports of marine products from Japan. Beijing imposed a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports in August 2023 following the release of treated wastewater into the sea from the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. In August, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV announced that both countries reached a "mutual understanding" to lift the ban after Japan agreed to form a long-term international monitoring mechanism that allows stakeholders, including China, to carry out independent sampling and checks.

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