China Resumes Granting Visas for Japanese Nationals

On Sunday, the Chinese government said it would resume granting visas to Japanese citizens.

"Starting today, the Embassy and the Offices of the Consulates-General of the People's Republic of China will resume issuing ordinary visas for Japanese citizens," a statement posted online by the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo said.

China stopped issuing regular visas to Japanese nationals on January 10. Tokyo pushed the ban, saying it would require a COVID-19 test for travelers from mainland China.

Travelers arriving from China to Japan will need to test negative within 72 hours before boarding, with Chinese visitors subject to further testing upon arrival.

China called Japan's COVID-19 testing policy "discriminatory," and said it believes COVID measures should be "science-based." However, the Japanese government defended the move, due to the high number of infections in China and the lack of transparency coming from Beijing.

China's COVID-easing policies are raising concerns in Japan and South Korea

China began to lift its zero-COVID policies in December, with most border restrictions removed on January 8. This has raised concerns among China's Asian neighbors such as Japan and South Korea that an increase in the number of incoming Chinese travelers will lead to an increase in infections in their countries.

Japan and South Korea are popular tourist destinations for the Chinese.

China has not yet announced whether it will resume issuing visas to South Koreans. South Korea has also implemented similar COVID-19 measures towards arrivals from mainland China such as Japan.