Japan protests China suspending visa issuance from January 10

TOKYO, January 11 – RIA Novosti. Japan’s government is protesting the suspension of visas to China, Hirokazu Matsuno, secretary-general of the Japanese government, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

“Our country has taken measures due to the sharp worsening of the coronavirus situation in China and difficulties in obtaining accurate information. In order to prevent a large flow of infections in Japan, temporary measures have been taken from December 30 to restrict entry and provide negative test certificates.” measures are designed so that as far as possible they do not interfere with international exchange. China has suspended issuing visas (to Japanese) for reasons unrelated to the coronavirus. This is extremely sad, we protested the Chinese. “Become a party through diplomatic channels and at the same time demand the removal of these measures,” Matsuno said.

China has suspended the issuance of visas to Japanese citizens since Jan. Mandatory coronavirus testing has been introduced, especially for those arriving from China, and only 4 airports accept flights from China. China has viewed these measures as discriminatory.

In December of last year, Chinese authorities began to actively weaken the policy of combating COVID-19, which has been the strictest in the world for almost three years, negatively affecting the economy, global production and supply chains, tourism and interstate shopping. A major adjustment in measures came after a wave of protests demanding the lifting of lockdowns in the country’s largest metropolitan areas, the cessation of regular large-scale PCR testing, and the introduction of a policy of loosening anti-epidemiological measures. Since January 8, quarantine and PCR testing for people arriving from abroad have been completely canceled as part of a move away from the “zero tolerance” policy towards coronavirus.

At the same time, the country is experiencing an increase in the incidence of COVID-19, which since January 8, Chinese authorities have transferred the situation from class “A” to a less dangerous class, which includes particularly dangerous diseases. “B”. Against the backdrop of increasing incidence in China, some countries have decided to tighten measures for travelers from China. It obliges those coming from Japan, USA, Italy, South Korea, China to get tested for COVID.