Visa-free soon? Japan eases visa requirements for Pinoys

MANILA, Philippines â€” Saying it is an initial step for a possible visa-free policy, the Japanese government will implement "substantial" relaxation of visa requirements for nationals of Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced this on Tuesday following a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the promotion of Japan as a tourism-oriented country.

The Japanese Embassy in Manila made the same announcement.

The MOFA said the move is an initial step for the exemption of visa requirements as promptly as possible for nationals of the three Southeast Asian countries.

"For nationals of the Philippines and Viet Nam, multiple-entry visa requirements will be substantially relaxed, and requirements for single-entry tourism visas will be relaxed to a quasi-exemption-equivalent level when applied via specified travel agencies. These measures will also be applicable for nationals of Indonesia in addition to the above," the MOFA said.

It added, however, that the details of the relaxation of visa requirements including the beginning date of application are still under consideration.

The MOFA said the measures aim to promote Japan as a tourism-oriented country with the even higher goal of attracting 20 million foreign visitors.

The objectives of the measures are also to contribute to growth strategies and the promotion of people-to-people exchanges.

Kyodo News reported in April that the Japanese government and the ruling political coalition are "making arrangements" to lift the visa requirement for Filipinos.

The report said the proposed initiative that seeks to attract more tourists from Southeast Asia is part of the revised action plan due this June.