Japan slackens tourism visa rules for Viet Nam

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on June 17 announced that it will loosen tourism visa rules for four Asian countries, including Viet Nam, to double international tourist arrivals to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Accordingly, the three Asian countries to enjoy waived visas are Indonesia, the Philippines and India. Specifically, Indonesian people with e-passports can avail of the visa exemption if they pre-register with the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General in Indonesia.
The Japanese government has decided to simplify visa acquisition procedures for Vietnamese and Philippine tourists if they join tours offered by travel agencies designated by Japan.
The visa loosening measures aim to help Japan achieve its goal of luring 20 million foreign tourist arrivals by 2020. The country has decided to double the number of tax-free shops nationwide to 10,000 in accord with its government’s efforts to attract more foreign visitors.
Japan is now one of Viet Nam’s most important partners. The number of Japanese tourists to Viet Nam is on the rise and the country is also a favorite destination of Vietnamese tourists.
In 2013, Viet Nam greeted more than 600,000 Japanese tourist arrivals while over 85,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Japan, a 55% rise over the previous year. By 2015, Viet Nam is expected to received 1 million Japanese tourists while about 200,000 Vietnamese tourists will visit the country.