Japan protests China’s suspension of visas for Japanese citizens

Jan. 11 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Government of Japan has filed a protest with China over the suspension of visas for Japanese citizens, urging the authorities of the Asian giant to annul the measure.

The head of the Japanese Cabinet, Hirokazu Matsuno, explained this Wednesday that “it is unfortunate that China has unilaterally taken measures to suspend visas for reasons other than the measures for the coronavirus,” according to the newspaper ‘Japan Times’.

However, the Chinese move came after Fumio Kishida’s cabinet tightened COVID-19 border control rules for travelers from China.

When asked about border controls in the archipelago, Matsuno has indicated that the government would respond “appropriately” based on the coronavirus situation in its neighboring country, as well as transparency about it.

Beijing announced on Tuesday that it had suspended the issuance of visas for citizens from Japan in response to the measures imposed by the Japanese authorities to restrict the entry of people from Chinese territory due to the increase in coronavirus cases.

The suspension, notified to all travel agencies in Japan, occurred after the Embassy of the Asian giant in South Korea announced a similar measure shortly before, also until “the discriminatory measures to enter the country imposed against China are get up”.