The Embassy of Japan in Russia has opened new visa application centers to meet growing demand among Russians wishing to visit Japan.
A ceremony took place in Moscow on Thursday to mark the launch of new centers in the capital and St. Petersburg.
Minister of the Embassy Yamaguchi Daiji said the increase of Russian visitors to Japan — despite the complicated relations between the two countries — will help lay the groundwork for future bilateral ties.
The Japan National Tourism Organization reports that an estimated 194,900 travelers from Russia visited Japan in 2025, a record high and a 96.3 percent increase from the previous year.
One factor behind the surge is the difficulty Russians face in traveling to Europe, as many countries there have tightened visa issuance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Large numbers of people line up outside the Japanese Embassy in Moscow each day to apply for visas.
AloJapan.com