On Sunday, the Chinese embassy in Tokyo made the decision to resume providing visas to Japanese nationals.
The action puts an end to a punitive action taken by Japan in response to that country’s choice to mandate Covid testing for travelers arriving from mainland of China, where the incidence of infections was on the rise.
“Starting today, the Embassy and the Offices of Consulates-General of the People’s Republic of China will resume issuing ordinary visas for Japanese citizens,” a short online notice issued by the embassy said without elaborating.
Japan started forcing visitors traveling from the mainland to take a test before departure and upon arrival, whereas China stopped giving visas to Japanese citizens as of January 10.
Earlier this month, China also stopped issuing visas to South Koreans for comparable grounds. As of Sunday night, the suspension had still not been removed by the Chinese embassy in South Korea.
Japan continues to demand verification of negative test results from samples obtained no more than 72 hours before to departure from China for passengers flying directly from the mainland.
They continue to undergo testing after they arrive in Japan.
Beijing labeled Tokyo’s action as “discriminatory” in the beginning of January, despite the fact that Japan claimed it was essential given the development of illnesses in China.
