Japan Cancels Visa Cancellation Policy For Chinese Tour Groups

After the easing of visa application restriction for Chinese independent tourists, Japan has now withdrawn its visa cancellation policy for tour groups.

"Visa cancellation" refers to the requirement for tourists to provide material including boarding passes and copies of their passports to travel agencies after they get back as proof for that they have returned to China. According to an official from Tuniu.com when the Japanese embassy in China began to handle tourist visas from July 15, 2005, it required Chinese tourists to cancel their visas when they got back to China.

The new Japanese prime minister, Naoto Kan, said in a speech to Diet of Japan that the country wants to attract more Chinese tourists. Yet according to Japanese right-wing media Sankei Shimbun, survey results show about 90% of their respondents are against the policy of easing visa restrictions for Chinese tourists as they might worsen public security in Japan.