TOKYO -- Ruling Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai said on Wednesday that a delegation of lawmakers he is leading in China received a "positive" response on their request for Japanese citizens to again be able to make short visits to the country without visas.
China suspended visa exemptions for foreign nationals under its strict zero-COVID policy. Since that ended in 2023, it has been gradually resuming exemptions for countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. Japanese, however, still require such travel documents even for stays of 15 days or less, inconveniencing businesses from the nation that operate in the world's No. 2 economy.
