Japan foreigner entry visa fees to be hiked 5-fold to 15,000 yen from July
The Japanese government on Friday decided to raise single-entry visa fees for foreigners fivefold to 15,000 yen ($90) from 3,000 yen beginning in July, marking the first increase since 1978 amid inflation and the yen's depreciation, Kyodo reports.
Issuance fees for multiple-entry visas, which allow visitors to enter Japan multiple times over a set period, will be hiked from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.
"We do not expect the move to have an immediate impact on inbound tourism," Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said during a press conference.
The hikes are expected to bring Japan's visa issuance fees closer to the levels implemented by the Group of Seven countries.
Earlier, Qazinform reported a ecord 3,623 people had been stranded on mountains in Japan last year.