Tokyo, 29 January, /AJMEDIA/
China said Sunday it will resume issuing visas for Japanese citizens, a procedure it suspended in early January in protest of Japan’s tightened COVID-19 measures for travelers from China.
The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo said it will resume the visa issuance effective the same day. Beijing has similarly halted issuing visas to South Korean citizens but yet to announce the restart of the procedure.
Japan, South Korea and a number of other countries have tightened border controls on travelers from China as it reopened its borders and abandoned quarantine measures on Jan. 8 in a full departure from its strict “zero-COVID” policy.
They cited a lack of credible infection data and fears that a new virus variant could emerge in China. On Jan. 10, Beijing halted visa issuance for Japanese and South Korean travelers, criticizing their measures on visitors from China as “discriminatory” entry restrictions.
Tokyo had lodged a protest with Beijing through diplomatic channels and demanded it terminate the restrictions. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had expressed regret over “unilaterally implemented restrictions that seem to have nothing to do with” countermeasures against COVID-19.
