Press Releases

1. The total number of visas issued at the diplomatic missions of Japan abroad in 2014 (PDF) was 2,871,639, an increase of 54.0% from 2013, and recorded the largest number ever.

2. With the weakening yen, the expansion of the consumption tax exemption program and other factors, the number of visitors exceeded 13,410,000, according to Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Along with this, the total number of visas issued marked a record high.

3. When ranked by nationalities and regions, the top three recipients of Japanese visas were China, Philippines and Indonesia, which accounted for around 80 % of the total number of visas issued.
Of the diplomatic missions of Japan abroad that issued visas,: Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai, Embassy of Japan in China, Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou were top three issuing missions. All the other Consulate-Generals in China are also in the top 10.

4. The number of visas issued to Chinese nationals was 2,050,000, which exceeded the total number of visas issued in 2013 (approximately 1,860,000). With regard to visas issued to Chinese tourists, the total number of “Group Sightseeing Visa”, “Individual Sightseeing Visa” and “Multiple-Entry Visa” for Okinawa or one of the three prefectures in Tohoku was 1,537,884, which marked a record high, and accounts for around 53.5% of the number of visas issued by Japan altogether.