Japan waives visa fees for some Chinese, ASEAN students

Asian Economic News, April 12, 2004

TOKYO, April 5 Kyodo

Japan decided Monday to waive the fee for issuing short-stay visas for some students from China and Southeast Asian countries to promote youth exchanges with those countries, the Foreign Ministry said.

Under the measure, which takes effect Monday, Chinese primary and secondary school students planning school excursions to Japan and university students from ASEAN member countries are exempt from paying the visa processing fee, which is approximately 3,000 yen.

The fee waiver does not apply for other types of visas for entering Japan.

Among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan already waives visas for brief visitors from Brunei and Singapore and waives short-stay visa fees for travelers from the Philippines, the ministry said.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.