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Foreign ministry warns of limits on Japan's visa waiver

Although the Japanese government has granted visa-free status to Taiwanese since 2005, some 600 Taiwanese have been denied entry because of confusion over the coverage of the visa waiver, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

Japan permanently waived visa requirements for Taiwanese travelers on Sept. 26, 2005, allowing Taiwanese tourists to stay for free for up to 90 days in the country.

Requirements

But some travelers think the visa-free requirements apply to all types of visits, said James Liao (廖經邦), deputy secretary-general of the Association for East Asian Relations, which is affiliated with the ministry.

Liao said that visitors traveling to Japan for sightseeing could avail of the visa waiver.

However, those traveling to Japan to visit relatives or for short-term studies have to apply for a visa in advance; otherwise, they would be sent back to Taiwan upon arrival in Japan, Liao said.

Landing visa

For instance, a female teacher who went to Hokkaido to serve as a volunteer for local communities last year was refused entry because her purpose in visiting Japan did not meet the qualification of a landing visa, which is for "tourism" only, Liao said.

People who have bad records for overstaying in Japan before might not be able to enjoy visa-free treatment either, Liao added.

Liao said that Taiwan still fared better compared with the number of other foreign visitors who were denied entry to Japan. These included around 3,000 Koreans and 1,000 Chinese in 2005, he said.

He suggested that those planning to visit Japan could get more information from the association to check whether they needed to apply for a visa in advance.
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