A plan to relax visa restrictions for Chinese travelers – particularly the most wealthy travelers – is stirring a debate in Japan. While some are arguing this might worsen overtourism, many on Japan’s hard right are attacking Japan’s Foreign Minister over the plan and arguing it’ll lead to the “China-fication” of the country.
The move is part of continuing efforts between China and Japan to repair relations between the two countries. A recent survey showed feelings between the two countries have grown more negative in recent years.
Currently, all Chinese travelers to Japan need a visa, with their stays limited to 15 days on a single entry. Under the revisions, Chinese citizens arriving as part of a group tour could stay for 30 days at a time.
The most significant revision, however, is for upper-class Chinese citizens. Chinese who meet certain income requirements could get a 10-year multiple-entry visitor visa. Currently, the maximum period for a visitor visa is five years.
Additionally, visitors who are 65 years or older would no longer need to show proof of employment when applying for a visa.
The move would likely boost tourism from China, which has lagged due to travel restrictions placed by Japan in the wake of the public health crisis. Before the crisis, Chinese travelers held the top spot for foreign travelers to Japan.
South Korean visitors now lead the pack. But Chinese travel is booming again, with Japan seeing a 111.5% in tourists from China in November compared to last year.
The 10-year visa for China’s most wealthy could also prove very lucrative for Japan. Journalist Nakajima Kei says some 99 million people in China qualify as “upper class,” with yearly incomes of over 24 million yen (USD $152K).
Allegations of bribery from Japan’s right
Not everyone’s on board with these changes. Some are expressing concerns this will worsen overtourism in Japan. Others expressed concerns over Chinese tourist’s “manners.” (In Japan, that’s often racist code for claiming Chinese people are uniquely ill-behaved.)
But the harshest criticism is coming from Japan’s right-wing. Many are assailing the rather tame move as signaling the “China-fication” (中国化; chuugokuka) of Japan.
A thread on X by 2chan developer and right-wing provocateur Hiroyuki over the issue took aim at Japan’s Foreign Minister, Iwaya Takeshi, claiming that Iwaya is doing the Chinese government’s bidding.
The tweet refers to a case in the United States charging Chinese company 500.com, a gambling company, with corruption and bribery. Part of the charges claim that the company’s chief executive handed bribes to Japanese government officials to influence legislation around the country’s new Integrated Resorts (IR) law, which would allow for legal casino gambling in approved locations.
One Japanese official, former Cabinet minister Akimoto Tsukasa, was sentenced to four years in a case in Japan related to the bribery scandal. His appeal to the High Court was denied this month.
The US case doesn’t name other ministers who may have received bribes, but Iwaya’s name has come up as one of the individuals connected to the case. Iwaya steadfastly denied the charges in a recent Diet session.
Hiroyuki, however, piled on. “Behold Foreign Minister Iwaya, who’s giving his patrons stellar service by creating a system from which Chinese can profit because a Chinese casino gave him money,” he wrote.
Other commenters also dog-piled on Iwaya, labeling him a “spy” for China. Others accused him of falling for a “honey trap” – i.e., being seduced into an affair and then blackmailed for it. (There is, as far as I can tell, less than zero evidence to support this.)
Other users around the Internet blasted the visa changes – some with dubious arguments. One comment on Yahoo! News JP that received over 27,000 likes attacked the change allowing people over 65 to get a visa without proof of employment, claiming there was “information” that these visitors could use Japan’s social welfare safety net and public health system “to their heart’s content.”
Only residents of Japan can get health insurance here, and only a subset of permanent residents is eligible for welfare.
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