BY Ma Jie and Ye Jia
TOKYO, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Japan expects opening
tourism to Chinese individuals could be a boost to the economy and welcomes all
Chinese tourists as long as they meet certain requirements, Japan Tourism Agency
(JTA) Commissioner Yoshiaki Hompo told Xinhua in an exclusive interview Tuesday.
FRIENDLY
GESTURE
Japan starts issuing tourist visas to Chinese
individuals Wednesday, allowing Chinese people to enjoy their stay in Japan
without the presence of tour guides.
"Japan and China are the world's second and third
largest economies. The meaning of issuing tourist visa to China is far more
profound than any other similar issuance," Hompo said.
The latest move is in line with a bilateral agreement
reached during Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso's visit to China in April. Hompo
said related preparations were started as early as last September.
"The grass-root communication between people in the
two countries is very important to bilateral ties. This move signals a friendly
attitude towards Chinese from Japan's government, tourism industry and common
people," Hompo emphasized.
FLEXIBLE
REQUIREMENTS
The visas will be issued when an individual "meets
certain requirements" in terms of income, occupation and other factors, as well
as the individual's family members, but there is no precondition that the
applicants should have an annual income of 250,000 yuan (32,460 U.S. dollars) as
some media in Japan and China had reported, Hompo said.
"The financial status is merely for reference, as it
would be difficult for Japan to judge if the person comes here truly for travel
or not in the beginning phase. In fact, Japan welcomes any Chinese individual
that is trust-worthy," Hompo said.
He added, for example, people who have worked in
Japan for a long period of time or those who have visited Japan for research and
studies will be considered "trust-worthy" and will not be bound by the income
criteria.
Applications for the visa will be accepted at the
Japanese Embassy in Beijing and the consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou during
the first year. The service will be expanded to other diplomatic offices in
China if conditions are judged appropriate, according to JTA.
HUGE
POTENTIAL
Hompo said in Japan, a highly developed society which
is undergoing the worst post-war recession, the area for economic growth remains
limited. In this sense, it is wise and forward-thinking to make appropriate
policies in potential industries such as tourism.
According to Japanese government's plan, the country
is expected to accept 10 million overseas tourists by 2010, and the figure will
be doubled by 2020. Chinese tourists, without doubt, will be the most important
part to help realize the target.
Since 2000, Japan has admitted Chinese tourists
travailing in groups escorted by both Chinese and Japanese tour guides.
Including individual Chinese tourists, Japan expects the total number of Chinese
visitors to Japan to increase by 250,000 to 1.25 million in 2010 from 2008,
generating an estimated 40 billion yen, the official said.
Hompo told Xinhua the purchase power of Chinese
tourists is "amazing", as they spend about 200,000 yen (2,083 U.S. dollars) per
capita during their stay in Japan.
"Japanese tourism industry has made a lot of
preparation to satisfy the expected growing number of Chinese tourists," Hompo
said, citing instances such as a wider acceptance of the Chinese banks' Union
pay system and efforts to remove the language barriers.
"We hope to continue loosening the criteria on
issuing tourist visa to Chinese based on mutual trust and win-win," he added.
