The Japanese government has decided on a draft amendment to immigration-related legislation to introduce a new online platform that will streamline immigration checks for visitors from overseas.
The decision came at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The draft revision says the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or JESTA, will be introduced by the end of March 2029.
Visitors from some 70 countries and regions exempted from short-term visas for tourism and other purposes will be eligible for online immigration checks under the system prior to leaving for Japan. Passengers on cruise ships making a port call in Japan and those who enter Japan temporarily for connecting ships are also eligible.
The system is aimed at streamlining immigration procedures, as well as preventing foreign nationals who have plans to overstay in Japan from entering the country.
The draft revision also states that the current fees for obtaining residence permits will be raised during the next fiscal year starting in April, following in the footsteps of other countries. Fees for renewing or changing residence permits currently set at 6,000 yen, or about 38 dollars, over the counter and 5,500 yen, or about 35 dollars, online will be raised to somewhere under 100,000 yen, or 633 dollars. The fee for obtaining a permanent residence permit now set at 10,000 yen, or about 63 dollars, will be raised to a level not more than 300,000 yen, or about 1,900 dollars.
The government plans to have the draft amendment enacted during the current session of the Diet.
AloJapan.com