'Visa-free access to Japan may happen anytime soon'

MANILA, Philippines — Citing Japanese officials, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez confirmed that Japan's grant of a visa-free privilege to Filipinos is in the works.

In an interview with dzMM on Wednesday, Lopez said that Japan, with whom the Philippines enjoys a good bilateral relationship, wants to boost its tourism by opening its country to Filipinos, Vietnamese and Indonesians.

"It seems na ili-lift nila itong June. May nakausap akong isang Japanese official this (Tuesday) afternoon who told me it may happen anytime very soon," Lopez said in an interview with dzMM on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Tokyo-based news outfit Kyodo News reported that the Japanese government plans to waive visa requirements for Southeast Asian countries in a bid to entice spectators for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Japan's goal is 20 million visitors annually, especially in the years leading to the Olympics, the report said.

In 2013, Japan's tourism industry saw a rise in numbers after the country waived visas for visitors from Thailand and Malaysia. The numbers reportedly surged 61 percent to a combined 630,000 in 2012.

Lopez said, meanwhile, that Filipino travelers should carefully prepare for a trip to Japan by researching on the Internet and mapping commuting itinerary.

He also pointed out that Japan is among the countries in the world with a high cost of living.

"[Plan carefully] para hindi kayo mabibigla sa presyo," Lopez said.

Filipinos should not hesitate  to travel to the East Asian country as visa requirements for Japan are not as difficult to secure as other destinations, he added.