The Japanese government announced last December that it would relax visa issuance for Chinese citizens. However, due to opposition from members of the ruling party as well as deteriorating bilateral relations, the plan to expand visas faced obstacles.
Former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeru Iwaya announced a plan to relax visa requirements for Chinese tourists during a visit to China on December 25, 2024. This plan aimed to issue 10-year multiple-entry tourist visas for individual Chinese travelers.
Currently, Chinese citizens can obtain multiple-entry visas valid for three or five years. Chinese tourists traveling in tour groups would also be allowed to stay longer in Japan.
The new ten-year visa is expected to open for applications in the spring of 2025, targeting individuals who can demonstrate “high income and assets.”
According to a report by the Nikkei newspaper on December 30, not long after Iwaya’s announcement of the plan, members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed opposition. Critics raised concerns about excessive tourism and taking a conciliatory stance towards Beijing while Japanese citizens were detained by the Chinese government.
In October this year, Sanae Takamichi succeeded Shigeru Ishiba as the Prime Minister of Japan. Takamichi’s remarks on the Taiwan crisis in November led to a further deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations, escalating uncertainties regarding visa issues. Subsequently, the Chinese government urged Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, leading to a cooling of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
“In light of the current state of Japan-China relations, we must carefully consider how much benefit relaxing visa measures would bring,” a senior official from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Nikkei.
Current Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, on December 16, when asked about the visa issue, stated that the government is “assessing various situations and considering this matter cautiously.”
Delaying the implementation of the announced visa policy does not constitute a violation of international commitments, as issuing visas to foreigners is a sovereign act.
For the Takamichi administration, policies related to foreign residents in Japan have become a top priority. While the government acknowledges the importance of the tourism industry, it also emphasizes the impact of excessive tourism on the daily lives of Japanese people.
According to the latest data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), there has been a significant increase in the number of tourists during the peak travel season in 2025. The total number of visitors in the first 11 months reached 39.07 million, surpassing last year’s annual record of 36.87 million. This growth is mainly driven by an increase in visitors from South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. Data from November also reflects this trend, with record-high visitor numbers from markets including South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States.
The plan announced last year to relax visa requirements for Chinese citizens also includes no longer requiring Chinese citizens aged 65 and above to submit personal travel employment certificates, making it easier for retired Chinese individuals to travel to Japan. The eligibility criteria for existing short-term multiple-entry visas will also be expanded, with the maximum stay for group tourists extended from the current 15 days to 30 days. Japan will also abolish the requirement for individuals holding a three-year tourist visa to use it within three months of issuance.