Japanese investors want China to restart visa-free entries into ‘most important’ market

China has relaxed some entry requirements since last year, but Japanese investors have been left out in the cold, costing them ‘an opportunity to expand business’ in China

Following survey, Japanese Chamber of Commerce in China vows to work ‘tirelessly’ to see a resumption of visa-free border entries to China

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Japanese bluefin tuna is sampled at a food and agricultural expo in China in 2019, before the pandemic resulted in visa-free entries being cut off for Japanese businesspeople. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:15pm, 16 Jan 2024

Hundreds of Japanese investors have called on China to resume visa-free entry rules – a concession that they say would help smooth over business operations in what most described as their “most important market”.

Among several hundred respondents to a survey by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, visa-free entries ranked as a top concern as they identified areas in which they “hoped” or “very much hoped” that China could improve.

“If the rule on visa-free entries to China were to be resumed – and the Japanese coming and going from China made more convenient – there would be an opportunity to expand business,” the chamber said on Monday in a summary of the survey results, which comprised 1,713 responses from November 23 to December 13.

In 2003, China began allowing Japanese travellers to enter without a visa for 15 days, but that exemption was suspended in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.

China began relaxing some entry requirements last year, including visa-free treatment for select countries, in line with efforts to revive international exchanges, drive up foreign investment inflows, and reverse a decline in confidence among investors.