6.3.16

Japan eases visa norms

As India gives visa-on-arrival to the Japanese, Tokyo has responded by further relaxing conditions for multiple-entry visas for short term stay for ordinary Indian passport holders.
Last month, it extended the validity of such visas from a maximum of three years to five years. It also increased the duration of visit on multiple entry visas ­ including tourism and business ­ to 30 days from the earlier 15.
The relaxation is based on an understanding reached between the two countries du ring Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's visit to India in December 2015. Following this visit, India and Japan had issued a joint statement which, among other things, recognized the importance of facilitating exchanges between people of the two countries by “simplifying their visa procedures for nationals of each other“. As per the relaxed visa norms, eligibility for multiple-entry visas has been expanded to include people with travel records to Japan for short-term visits in the past three years and those with travel records as temporary visitor to any other G7 country .The validity of visas for business purposes and for “cultural and intellectual figures'' has been extended from five to 10 years. Japan had introduced multiple-entry visas for Indians in July 2014 to acknowledge that strengthening people-to-people exchanges was important to broaden its relationship with India.

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