China Considers Reinstating Visa Exemptions for Japanese Short-Stay Travelers

BEIJING, Jan 30 (News On Japan) - The Chinese government is considering resuming the visa exemption for short-term stays of Japanese citizens in China, which has been suspended, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on January 29. In addition, the ministry called for Japan to take some measures for Chinese visitors to Japan.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the Chinese government has suspended the visa exemption that allowed Japanese citizens to stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa, and both the Japanese government and Japanese economic organizations have been calling for an early resumption of this policy.

During a press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "We are seriously considering the requests from various sectors in Japan for the resumption of the visa exemption measures." Wang also expressed his hope that "Japan will meet China halfway and that the mutual exchange of people will become smoother," urging Japan to take some measures for Chinese visitors, with the concept of "reciprocity" that China has long advocated in mind. While China agreed on January 28 to mutually exempt short-term stay visas with Thailand, and since December last year, has implemented visa exemption measures for short-term stays for six countries including France, Germany, and Italy, there is still no clear prospect for resuming the policy for Japan.

Source: NHK

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