Vietnam becomes fourth largest recipient of Japanese visas

Tokyo (VNA) – As many as 139,236 Vietnamese nationals received Japanese visas in 2015, or about three percent of the total visas that Japan issued to foreign citizens in the year, according to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The figure made Vietnam the fourth largest recipient of Japanese visas after China, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Last year, the total number of visas issued by diplomatic agencies of Japan was nearly 4.77 million, a rise of 66 percent from 2014 and the largest ever recorded.

The Japanese Embassy in Vietnam located in Hanoi and Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City are also among the 10 Japanese diplomatic agencies that granted the largest number of visas in 2015.

Throughout the year, 185,400 Vietnamese nationals entered Japan, including those who held multiple-entry visas.

According to the ministry, an overwhelming number of 3.78 million visas were granted to Chinese nationals, accounting for around 80 percent of the total visas issued and exceeded the number of visas given to all nations in 2014.

Together with looser policy in visa issuance, Japan’s efforts to boost its tourism sector by exempting consumer tax for tourists and devaluating the JPY helped the country lure 19.74 million visitors in 2015.-VNA