The Government of Japan has lodged a protest with China over the suspension of visas for Japanese citizens, urging the Asian giant’s authorities to rescind the measure.
The head of the Japanese Cabinet, Hirokazu Matsuno, explained Wednesday that «it is regrettable that China has unilaterally taken measures to suspend visas for reasons other than measures for the coronavirus,» according to the newspaper ‘Japan Times’.
However, the Chinese move came after the Fumio Kishida cabinet tightened COVID-19 border control rules for travelers from China.
When asked about border controls in the archipelago, Matsuno has indicated that the government would respond «appropriately» depending on the coronavirus situation in its neighboring country, as well as transparency about it.
Beijing announced Tuesday that it had suspended the issuance of visas for citizens from Japan in response to measures imposed by Japanese authorities to restrict the entry of people from the Chinese territory in the face of the increase in cases of coronavirus.
The suspension, notified to all travel agencies in Japan, comes after the Asian giant’s embassy in South Korea announced a similar measure shortly before, also until «discriminatory entry measures imposed against China are lifted».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
