Japan to issue 10-year multi-entry visas for Chinese

The Japanese government will further ease visa requirements for Chinese citizens as part of its plan to attract 40 million foreign tourists every year by 2020.

日本政府将进一步放宽对中国公民的签证申请条件，作为其2020年前全年访日外国游客达4000万人次计划的一部分。

The plan was adopted at a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country on Friday, Japan Times reported. The newspaper also reported that the new visa rules are expected to be carried out before this summer.

日本时报报道，此计划于周五旨在促进日本成为旅游城市的部长理事会上做出。报纸还报道，新的签证计划将今年夏天之前开始落实。

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its website late last month that 5-year, multi-entry visas will be extended to 10 years, particularly for Chinese businessmen, academics and artists. Visa requirements for certain applicants will also be lowered. Previously, multiple-entry individual visas were issued to high-income Chinese tourists with a 5-year validity. Meanwhile, single-entry visa application procedures will also be simplified for students from 75 universities under the direct supervision of the Chinese Ministry of Education. These include registered undergraduates and post-graduates, as well as alumni who graduated from the 75 schools within 3 years.

近日，日本外务省在其官网上宣布，中国公民尤其是商务、文化和学术人士，申请多次入境签证的有效期将从5年延长至10年。同时，签证申请的要求也降低。之前5年期多次签证申请个人只给与中国高收入人群。同时，针对中国教育部直属的75所高校在校本科生、研究生及毕业3年以内的往届生，申请单次入境签证的手续将简化。

Japan remains one of the favorite overseas destinations for Chinese holidaymakers. Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed that the number of Chinese tourists to Japan more than doubled last year to reach 5 million. More noticeable for local retailers is the spending power of Chinese tourists, who accounted for more than 40 percent of the total spending of foreign visitors to Japan in 2015.

日本一直是中国游客海外度假的首选地之一。日本国家旅游组织数据显示，去年前往日本的中国游客数量翻了一番，达到500万人。另外让日本当地零售商喜不自胜的是中国游客超强的购买力，2015年中国游客购买力占据前往日本所有游客的40%。

Russians and Indians are also on the list of beneficiaries in this visa easing policy.

俄罗斯和印度成为这次签证放宽的另两个受益国家。

Prior to Japan, many other countries have issued 10-year visas for Chinese citizens. Back in November 2014, the US government started issuing multi-entry business and tourist visas valid for up to 10 years in China. The United Kingdom and Australia are also considering the extension of their visa validity to 10 years.

在日本放宽签证之前，已经有一些国家对中国游客开放10年签证。2014年11月，美国政府开始为中国开放10年多次入境商务签证和旅游签证。英国和澳大利亚也在考虑延长签证至10年期。