Published Jan 29, 2026 09:46 am
Japan’s embassy in Manila is aware of the lack of available slots for visa appointments at its application centers and issued its response on the matter.
In a statement sent to the Manila Bulletin, the embassy cited the surge of Filipinos expressing interest in going to Japan.
Except during the surge of Covid-19 pandemic, the embassy said, Filipino visa applicants reached ”unprecedented levels.”
”The number of short-stay visas issued surged more than sixfold (6.15 times) over the decade from 2013 (73,143) to 2023 (450,087), and increased further to 490,907 in 2024,” it said.
According to the embassy, this prompted them to make significant changes in their visa processing system.
”In response to the increasing demand, the visa processing system underwent a fundamental overhaul starting April 2025 to maintain proper screening quality and streamline the process, transitioning to a Visa Application Center system,” it said.
”Furthermore, the introduction of the e-VISA began last December for visas issued to tourists in package tours organized by designated travel agencies,” it added.
The embassy acknowledged that people-to-people exchanges form the foundation of Philippines-Japan relations, and the embassy “welcomes our Filipino friends’ growing interest in visiting Japan, with the number of Filipino visitors reaching a record high of 880,000 in 2025.”
”Ahead of this year’s 70th Anniversary of Philippines-Japan Friendship, the Embassy places great importance on further strengthening our people-to-people exchanges,” it added.
AloJapan.com