NEW JAPANESE VISA CENTERS OPEN IN RUSSIA TO MEET HIGH TRAVEL DEMAND - MOSCOW

NEW JAPANESE VISA CENTERS OPEN IN RUSSIA TO MEET HIGH TRAVEL DEMAND - MOSCOW  

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

MOSCOW

The Japanese Embassy in Russia recently opened one visa application center each in Moscow and St. Petersburg to cope with the rapidly increasing number of people traveling to Japan from Russia.

Last year's aggregate arrivals nearly doubled from 2024 to a record high of 194,900, according to Japan National Tourism Organization data. The sharp rise was believed to be driven by the ease of obtaining visas and affordability due to the weak yen.

The new visa centers are aimed at alleviating the long daily queues at the embassy in Moscow and the consulate general in St. Petersburg.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, major European nations more than doubled visa application fees for Russians and implemented stricter procedures.

In contrast, the Japanese Embassy does not charge Russian applicants handling fees and issues visas as quickly as in four days.

Applicants need to pay service fees of 970 rubles ($12.6) at the new visa centers, the embassy said, with more than 100 reservations received on the opening day in Moscow.

"Japan-Russia relations are complicated, but the increase in Russian visitors to Japan will lay the foundation for our future ties," Daiji Yamaguchi, minister at the embassy, said at the Moscow visa center opening ceremony on Feb. 12.

Among the applicants, Ulyana, a self-employed 24-year-old who did not give her last name, is considering visiting Japan in March.

"In the past, my friend had to wait for over an hour outside in temperatures of minus 20 C," she said. "(Here) I didn't have to stand in line at all, and everything was done in 30 minutes."

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@Jr_Paku Midin Channel