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Visitors to Japan must obtain a visa from one of the Japanese diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries. The Government of Japan currently allows citizens of 67 countries/territories to travel to Japan for tourism or business without having to obtain a visa.
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Visa exempt countries
Holders of passports issued by the following 67 countries or regions are visa exempt for visits up to 901 days (unless otherwise noted):
1 - Citizens of Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland and the United Kingdom may apply for an extension of stay with the Ministry of Justice for up to 6 months.
2 - For the United Kingdom, only British citizens and British Nationals (Overseas) are eligible for visa-free entry.
3 - With biometric passports or machine readable passports only.
4 - With biometric passports in compliance with ICAO standards only.
5 - For holders of Taiwan passports which includes a personal identification number.
6 - only for holders of biometric Indonesian passport who were issued a Visa Waiver Registration Certificate at the Japan Embassy/Consulate in Indonesia.
7 - For holders of HKSAR passport.
8 - For holders of MSAR passport.
Holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Turkmenistan, Vietnam as well as holders of only diplomatic passports of Albania, Georgia, India, Laos, Ukraine and Vatican City do not require a visa to visit Japan.
APEC Business Travel Card
Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the "JPN" code on the reverse that it is valid for travel to Japan can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 90 days.
ABTCs are issued to nationals of:
Special visa policy for some countries
Japan has a special visa policy for nationals of CIS countries (except Russia) and Georgia. Nationals of these countries can not provide their financial guarantees and get a visa on their own - they must apply through an approved travel agency or be invited by a resident or a citizen of Japan.
In addition, Japanese MOFA has special visa policies for nationals of China and the Philippines. Nationals of these countries also must apply through an accredited travel agent or be invited by a Japanese citizen or a resident of Japan.
As of 2014 nationals of the Philippines and Vietnam travelling in a group through a registered travel agency can obtain entry visas for tourist visits up to 15 days in a simplified process that requires fewer documents than before. Moreover, nationals of India, the Philippines and Vietnam can obtain multiple-entry visas providing that they have visited Japan and other G7 countries or they have "sufficient financial capability".
Chinese tourists travelling on approved cruise ships do not require a visa as of April 2015. They must embark and disembark the same specified ships.
Japan was reportedly set to ease visa requirements for visitors from key markets, such as India, China and Vietnam, starting in the summer of 2016. A new wave of visa liberalization policies for Chinese nationals started from 17 October 2016.
Statistics
In 2015 4,768,286 Japanese visas were issued. It is an increase of 66% from 2014 when 2,871,639 visas were issued and the highest number ever recorded.
Most visas were applied for by nationals of the following countries:
In 2015 most visas were issued for group sightseeing (1,957,498) and individual sightseeing (1,126,209). There were 62,052 multiple-entry visas for Okinawa and 10,500 multiple-entry visas for three prefectures in TÅhoku.
Most visitors arriving to Japan were from the following countries of nationality: